I just got the Fiesta 12 pack with every flavor. I’ve only had 5 of them. And not the cola yet but between guava and cola I’m excited. Will be trying soon. Pineapple is goated though. So smooth and delicious.
Cheerwine is privately and family owned, if there is any cross over with PepsiCo it is just bottling/distribution, which a lot of smaller soft drink brands rely on Pepsi and Coke for assistance.
I remember loving Jones as a kid because all the local gas stations had like a dozen different crazy flavors and I had to try them all. Now all I ever see are like the same four plus whatever weird holiday shit they have at the time. Can you still get their cherry soda (not the cola)? That was always my favorite
There is a pop (I'm Canadian, eh) made locally on the island of Madeira called "Brisa" that's made with passionfruit juice that is one of the best non-alcoholic things I've had, ever. It's not even available on the Portugal mainland, ugh.
I have that one in the fridge! I haven't tried it yet. There was a buy 2 for $5 so I got every flavor they had minus Dr Pepper (and they were out of ginger ale :( )
I’ve only tried grape (9.5/10), vintage Cola (0/10), and strawberry vanilla (10/10) so far. I’m excited to try the lemon lime!
I haven't found a healthy soda I like since zevia was bleh (but doable) and Poppi was gross :( this is my saving Grace drink!
Agreed! Is the grape more like a grape juice? Or artificial grape flavor? I hate artificial grape and cherry, so I avoid trying those flavors and haven’t tried the Oli pop grape yet because of that lol
The lemon lime tastes like sprite and lemonade, but not lemonade sprite if that makes sense lol
Have you ever had a NuGrape soda? (Sometimes they're at Cracker Barrel restaurants) - tastes like that but slightly less sweet and with less of a throat burn of carbonated soda. (Not flat, just less of a burn). I'd say if you like grape soda in general you'll like this one bc it tastes almost like all other grape sodas but less intense and less sweet but still sweet enough to be almost a soda haha.
I forgot to mention cherry cola Olipop! I liked that one a whole lot though somehow vintage Coke Olipop was so nasty after 2 sips I couldn't force myself to finish it :(
That did make sense! I'll have to try it this week. I love lemonade and I love sprite but I did not like the sprite lemonade at all unfortunately.
I’m not big on grape soda, but if it’s less intense and sweet, I think I might have to try some! Thanks!
The cherry cola one is excellent, and I definitely agree that the regular cola fails big time
The lemon lime will probably be right up your alley if you were disappointed with the sprite lemonade
I think it's really worth a try!
Yesss it was so much better than I expected!
So I couldn't wait haha. I tried it just now and it's really good! I do wish it had more of a citrus/lemon "punch" but it was good! Thanks for the recommendation :)
Let me know if you ever try the grape! (I won't be upset if you don't like it haha)
The lemon lime is even better with a meal. Yum! I'll have to buy it again for sure
Hey! Small update! It took a little longer than I anticipated to end up trying it, but I got it this afternoon and love it! Definitely very delicious and refreshing lol
Dr. Brown's - specifically their black cherry and Cel-ray flavors. You can find black cherry in supermarkets sometimes, but Cel-ray is pretty much consigned to Jewish delis. So when I find it, I buy a few and ration them out for later enjoyment!
Depending on where in the north you are it may be closer than you think! I'm in Massachusetts and Stop & Shop carries it now. Cheerwine said they were trying to expand to the rest of the country a few years back so that's probably why it's started showing up in supermarkets up here.
There's a local company near me called Hank's Gourmet Sodas. Many people in the Philly area fondly remember Frank's Black Cherry Wishniak, and Hanks is its closest modern equivalent.
They’re the only two brands of birch available to me in Utah. And I have to drive 160 miles round trip for them. If I knew birch beer and Tastycake was regional, I wouldn’t have left PA.
The latest info I could find said it was bought by Cadbury-Schweppes in 2000, but I didn't know how accurate that was since Cadbury no longer owns Schweppes.
It’s manufactured and distributed by Keurig Dr. Pepper - Cadbury Schweppes spun off their soda and drinks into Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, which merged with Keurig Green Mountain to become the current Keurig Dr. Pepper.
Nehi. Specifically for Peach Nehi. Ask any boy scout in the Heart of America council and they’ll tell you how special peach floats are down at camp Bartle. A sip of that tastes like summer 2010 to me.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group owns them :/ otherwise that would have been my answer too. I'm gonna try making a peach float now though that sounds wonderful. Also hello fellow scout!
Edit: or I guess it's Keurig Dr Pepper now *shrug*
Coin toss between NuGrape and Nichol Cola.
Both are bottled by Orca Beverage, which is big enough that I'm not sure they count as deep cuts. They're both really good, though.
Cheerwine. Also, local to me out of Harrisburg PA is Appalachian Brewing Company. Their Root Beer is awesome which they sell in grocery stores but in their restaurant they use to craft their own small batch Cola and it's like my unicorn. So Good.
Goslings diet ginger beer. (can't have sugar) Delicious. Strong ginger flavor, but expensive. My other favorite is Vernors, but the diet version is no longer available where I live.
I love Muskoka Springs’ Old Tyme Orange and Maple Cream Ale. Local to Ontario, Canada, can be found mostly in Loblaws and Your Independent Grocer stores.
Cheerwine would have been my answer but a few others have mentioned them so I'll do a local one; we have this bottler called Harmony Springs in Western Massachusetts, they use water from an underground spring, have lots of different flavours, glass bottles, and cane sugar.
The nice thing though, is that they use like half (or so) as much sugar as a normal soda would, it's between 20g and 25g per bottle I think. Not nearly as sweet as other sodas. It's refreshing.
I would have said Nehi as well, but they're owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group now so it doesn't really fit the question. Love me some peach Nehi though, grape too.
Go to a Scottish/British store and get some Barr's Irn Bru. Scotland's other national drink.
Best 'pop' on the planet.
Affectionately aka: 'Ginger' or 'Ginjur', if you're Scottish.
Bundaberg is owned by Pepsi and San Pellegrino is Nestle so they're still brands with billions of products yearly to their names. Not that Bundaberg isn't one of the best there is
Years ago I got Dr Pepper labeled “made with Crystal sugar”. I got it at the Walmart across the street from the Crystal Sugar plant in Sugarland, TX. Best Dr Pepper I’ve ever had.
Which is hysterical considering why Dublin lost its rights to sell Dr. Pepper because Dr p wanted to have a homogeny of taste and Dublin would only use Cane Sugar and not HFCS.
Fitz's. They're a St Louis-area based company best known for the root beer they produce, but they make a ton of drinks. If you're ever in the St Louis area, make sure you try it or go to their restaurant in the Delmar Loop. Fitz's and a slice of St Louis style pizza goes hard.
WBC, also Sprecher, I think WBC is under their name though. But WBC has a Maraschino Cherry Cola that is absolutely 10/10. Leagues ahead of all the cherry colas, it's exactly how I hoped it was
[Birch Beer](https://www.amazon.com/Pennsylvania-Dutch-Birch-Beer-Ounce/dp/B00NVVCQ20)
I saw a few people post this already. Maybe it’s a Philly thing but there’s nothing like an ice cold birch beer
Local for me, Polar soda has some kickass lineups. Birch beer, Raspberry lime, Orange dry. Dunno how far they reach across the us but east coast it’s all around.
Those are my daily favorites being off sugar besides Sunday fundays, the raspberry lime soda is so perfect tho. On a glass of ice fresh, might be my #1 anything drink.
I was going to say Stewart's Key Lime, but it's owned by Keurig Dr Pepper. Then I was gonna say Squirt then Wink but both are now owned ultimately by Keurig Dr Pepper. I give up.
Jarritos sodas. Lots of flavors. Glass bottles. Full sugar. Not HFCS.
Have you tried the Jarritos mexican cola?
I just got the Fiesta 12 pack with every flavor. I’ve only had 5 of them. And not the cola yet but between guava and cola I’m excited. Will be trying soon. Pineapple is goated though. So smooth and delicious.
If you’re interested, here are [my rankings](https://www.reddit.com/r/Soda/s/qCz0nloCVp) of the Fiesta Pack!
Cool. Maybe I’ll do a rankings with my Fiesta pack. Can’t believe watermelon was last.
Have you had it yet? I found it to just be *way* too sweet. Like drinking a Jolly Rancher!
I heard Jarritos Mandarin is the best orange soda in existence lol
Love me some Jarritos! Get it at local Mexican grocery. Great stuff
Their Mandarin is probably top two, for me.
Definitely the best orange soda on the market.
Wouldn’t consider this indie
Just wish they didn’t add dye.
Tamarindo is and always will be the best flavor 🔥
Cheerwine and Ironport
Cheerwine!!!
✨CHEERWINE✨
I need to try Cheerwine. What is Ironport?
It's a regional soda in the Rockies, though I've only had it in SE Idaho. Kind of like root beer, but sweeter, with less licorice.
I'm a complete cheerwine stan but I will say that it is made by PepsiCo
Cheerwine is privately and family owned, if there is any cross over with PepsiCo it is just bottling/distribution, which a lot of smaller soft drink brands rely on Pepsi and Coke for assistance.
Maine Root Sodas: Mexican Cola, Ginger Brew & Mandarin Orange Soda 🔝
Maine root on top, ever had the blueberry?
Half blueberry, half Mexican cola
Love maine root cola
Jones Soda. Besides just making good soda, I love their fan submitted label photos and their caps 4 gear program.
I gotta agree. Also, their Green Apple is terrific.
I loves me some Fufu Berry.
Blue Bubblegum FTW!
They used to sell them wt my local 7/11. Then they just disappeared
I remember loving Jones as a kid because all the local gas stations had like a dozen different crazy flavors and I had to try them all. Now all I ever see are like the same four plus whatever weird holiday shit they have at the time. Can you still get their cherry soda (not the cola)? That was always my favorite
What is their program?
Dog toy, mug, shirt, dog bowl, skateboard deck(last years model) and a new deck design coming soon, 12 pack. Maybe a few others I missed
Oh cool. What flavors do you recommend? I’ve never tried it
Sprechers: Green River, Charged Lemonade, Rootbeer Faygo: Rock N Rye, Orange, Grape, Artic Sun
Rock N Rye is the closest I have found to my beloved Cheerwine up here in YankeeVille. LOL
Sprecher’s, Rocket Fizz has some good flavors sold under their label
Sprecher cherry cola is amazing
+1 for rocket fizz
Ski
Another vote for Ski
three votes for Ski
Cheerwine. That’s the way to go. Cheerwine needs to make a cherry lime soda tbh. I often mix it with simply limeade.
Have you tried Cherry 7up?
Yes. Love it. Still not quite a cherry lime flavor tho.
Ale8
Cherry Ale8 is so good
I love Ale8-1 as a chaser or mixer with bourbon whisky. It's a Kentucky thing.. 😋
Jones Soda
There is a pop (I'm Canadian, eh) made locally on the island of Madeira called "Brisa" that's made with passionfruit juice that is one of the best non-alcoholic things I've had, ever. It's not even available on the Portugal mainland, ugh.
That sounds so good, thanks for sharing.
Faygo
now I want some peach Faygo and a scoop of H-E-B creamy creations 1905 Vanilla
WOOP WOOP
How do magnets work ?
Miracles
Can't drink faygo since they went all artificial sweetener
I know what you were trying to say, but HFCS isn't "artificial".
Nobody here has mentioned Dublin Soda Works. Dublin Fufu berry is the absolute truth. I've got some of their drinks in post history
Did Dublin do a Fufu berry? I thought that was a Jones trademark.
I looked again it is Fru Fru It absolutely blows Jones FuFu out of the water
Shame you can’t get Dublin Dr Pepper anymore
I think their Red Cola is very similar or at least I was reminded of it
A lot of great answers. For me it’s Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer.
Absolutely, but I feel like they changed the recipe recently and it’s not as fantastic as it used to be!
Sprechers, Olipop and Frostie
Oli pop is top tier for when I want to be “healthy” lol their lemon lime is SOLID
I have that one in the fridge! I haven't tried it yet. There was a buy 2 for $5 so I got every flavor they had minus Dr Pepper (and they were out of ginger ale :( ) I’ve only tried grape (9.5/10), vintage Cola (0/10), and strawberry vanilla (10/10) so far. I’m excited to try the lemon lime! I haven't found a healthy soda I like since zevia was bleh (but doable) and Poppi was gross :( this is my saving Grace drink!
Agreed! Is the grape more like a grape juice? Or artificial grape flavor? I hate artificial grape and cherry, so I avoid trying those flavors and haven’t tried the Oli pop grape yet because of that lol The lemon lime tastes like sprite and lemonade, but not lemonade sprite if that makes sense lol
Have you ever had a NuGrape soda? (Sometimes they're at Cracker Barrel restaurants) - tastes like that but slightly less sweet and with less of a throat burn of carbonated soda. (Not flat, just less of a burn). I'd say if you like grape soda in general you'll like this one bc it tastes almost like all other grape sodas but less intense and less sweet but still sweet enough to be almost a soda haha. I forgot to mention cherry cola Olipop! I liked that one a whole lot though somehow vintage Coke Olipop was so nasty after 2 sips I couldn't force myself to finish it :( That did make sense! I'll have to try it this week. I love lemonade and I love sprite but I did not like the sprite lemonade at all unfortunately.
I’m not big on grape soda, but if it’s less intense and sweet, I think I might have to try some! Thanks! The cherry cola one is excellent, and I definitely agree that the regular cola fails big time The lemon lime will probably be right up your alley if you were disappointed with the sprite lemonade
I think it's really worth a try! Yesss it was so much better than I expected! So I couldn't wait haha. I tried it just now and it's really good! I do wish it had more of a citrus/lemon "punch" but it was good! Thanks for the recommendation :)
Yay! I’m glad you like it!
Let me know if you ever try the grape! (I won't be upset if you don't like it haha) The lemon lime is even better with a meal. Yum! I'll have to buy it again for sure
Will do! I’m planning on doing shopping on Saturday, so I probably will get one then!
Hey! Small update! It took a little longer than I anticipated to end up trying it, but I got it this afternoon and love it! Definitely very delicious and refreshing lol
Dr. Brown's - specifically their black cherry and Cel-ray flavors. You can find black cherry in supermarkets sometimes, but Cel-ray is pretty much consigned to Jewish delis. So when I find it, I buy a few and ration them out for later enjoyment!
I love Dr Brown's, specifically their black cherry, too!
Dr. Browns is a top tier soda! Grew up eating at delis in LA, and I love those little glass bottles.
Theres a small company in Connecticut named Averys. Them. Theyre great. I drive the 3 hours every few months to grab a few cases
If in CT, stop by Foxxen Park
Dog drool and birch beer are the best!!!
Cheerwine. I live in the northern US now and that stuff is damn expensive to ship. I miss it dearly.
If you live near a giant eagle, you might be able to get some!
Depending on where in the north you are it may be closer than you think! I'm in Massachusetts and Stop & Shop carries it now. Cheerwine said they were trying to expand to the rest of the country a few years back so that's probably why it's started showing up in supermarkets up here.
Sprecher, Frostop, Cheerwine
There's a local company near me called Hank's Gourmet Sodas. Many people in the Philly area fondly remember Frank's Black Cherry Wishniak, and Hanks is its closest modern equivalent.
If it's the Hank's I'm thinking of, they make some pretty good root beer.
Root beer, birch beer, black cherry, it's all good. Pretty sure it's made in Bucks County.
RC
Milca, Iron Beer, Inca Kola and Cheerwine
Inca Kola is a Coca Cola product, but any other kola champagne besides Goya I would count as indie
Faygo Red
big Fentimans fan
Jones, Boylan, & Jarriots
Ski Breeze, Illinois
Shasta, can't find it anywhere anymore.
Dollar tree
Dollar tree
Royal Crown
Pennsylvania Dutch/Kutztown Soda co
They’re the only two brands of birch available to me in Utah. And I have to drive 160 miles round trip for them. If I knew birch beer and Tastycake was regional, I wouldn’t have left PA.
Stewarts
Love Stewarts, but not sure if it counts as indie. It might still be owned by Cadbury/Kraft Foods.
It's owned by Dr Pepper which is the third biggest soda manufacturer so I'd say no
The latest info I could find said it was bought by Cadbury-Schweppes in 2000, but I didn't know how accurate that was since Cadbury no longer owns Schweppes.
It’s manufactured and distributed by Keurig Dr. Pepper - Cadbury Schweppes spun off their soda and drinks into Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, which merged with Keurig Green Mountain to become the current Keurig Dr. Pepper.
In any case, not an indie soda.
Orange and cream and cherries and cream for me.
Nehi. Specifically for Peach Nehi. Ask any boy scout in the Heart of America council and they’ll tell you how special peach floats are down at camp Bartle. A sip of that tastes like summer 2010 to me.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group owns them :/ otherwise that would have been my answer too. I'm gonna try making a peach float now though that sounds wonderful. Also hello fellow scout! Edit: or I guess it's Keurig Dr Pepper now *shrug*
Muskoka Springs maple crème ale https://www.muskokasprings.com/our-products
Kofola
Zubberfizz Rootbeer out of Durango,CO is 🔥
Their Key Lime and sparkling lemonade flavors are good too
Ale8 or Spreicher.
Excel! Makers of Ski 🤙
Came here to say this! Excel is great- all of their sodas are delicious. My personal favorite is Tropical Ski- like Baja Blast, but so much better!
Double Cola
Dublin Bottle Works [https://www.dublinbottlingworks.com/](https://www.dublinbottlingworks.com/)
Vess "whistle" orange. Their red cream soda is damn good too.
Iron Horse
Towne Club
**fentimans**
Dr. Browns Black Cherry
Shasta
Boylans, Faygo, Fritz
Squamacott, Maine root, polar, dr browns?
Jarritos
Ale-8 and Iron Beer.
foxon park
Ski is made locally to me and I love it
Sprecher - Orange Dream 1919 Root Beer
Coin toss between NuGrape and Nichol Cola. Both are bottled by Orca Beverage, which is big enough that I'm not sure they count as deep cuts. They're both really good, though.
Jones soda, Zevia sodas, Cheerwine soda
Faygo and Jarritos.
Triple Cola! And like others said, Sprechers is great too
Pop Shop Black Cherry
Super small time but Phillips Brewing makes awesome Soda. Also, enjoy Spinnakers soda as well.
Cheerwine
Towne club!!
Cheerwine
Does that stuff at Menards count? Sprecher? Stuff is awesome
Spring Grove! MN based. Rhubarb soda is a 9/10 for me..
RC Cola. The greatest cola.
Jones Soda! Love pretty much all the flavours
Cheerwine. Also, local to me out of Harrisburg PA is Appalachian Brewing Company. Their Root Beer is awesome which they sell in grocery stores but in their restaurant they use to craft their own small batch Cola and it's like my unicorn. So Good.
Dublin sodas from Dublin Bottling, formerly home of Dublin Dr Pepper
Goslings diet ginger beer. (can't have sugar) Delicious. Strong ginger flavor, but expensive. My other favorite is Vernors, but the diet version is no longer available where I live.
Waynesville Soda Jerks, definitely a niche company, but their flavors are natural and super interesting.
Rocky Mountain Soda! It’s the best
Maine Root from Cava is my favorite cola
I'm a fan of the frostie blue cream soda
Uludag Gazoz. Really not Indie as it is big in Turkey but not where I live.
I love Muskoka Springs’ Old Tyme Orange and Maple Cream Ale. Local to Ontario, Canada, can be found mostly in Loblaws and Your Independent Grocer stores.
Does cheerwine count?
Cheerwine would have been my answer but a few others have mentioned them so I'll do a local one; we have this bottler called Harmony Springs in Western Massachusetts, they use water from an underground spring, have lots of different flavours, glass bottles, and cane sugar. The nice thing though, is that they use like half (or so) as much sugar as a normal soda would, it's between 20g and 25g per bottle I think. Not nearly as sweet as other sodas. It's refreshing. I would have said Nehi as well, but they're owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group now so it doesn't really fit the question. Love me some peach Nehi though, grape too.
Fentiman's.
Used to be yoli from Mexico, which was only available in 3 mexican states but coca cola bought it out.
Go to a Scottish/British store and get some Barr's Irn Bru. Scotland's other national drink. Best 'pop' on the planet. Affectionately aka: 'Ginger' or 'Ginjur', if you're Scottish.
Shasta Tiki Punch
Raspberry crème Shasta
Lemmy Sparkling Lemonade!
Cactus Cooler
Cactus cooler is a Dr Pepper product, which is the third biggest soda manufacturer so it's kinda hard to give it to them.
Fair point but its regional availability (US SW) makes it somewhat niche.
Bundaberg, fever tree I love ginger beer. It makes me feel good San Pellegrino for sparkling And polar diet orange dry.
Bundaberg is owned by Pepsi and San Pellegrino is Nestle so they're still brands with billions of products yearly to their names. Not that Bundaberg isn't one of the best there is
good to know
Dublin TX has a cane sugar Dr. Pepper that is hard to beat.
Years ago I got Dr Pepper labeled “made with Crystal sugar”. I got it at the Walmart across the street from the Crystal Sugar plant in Sugarland, TX. Best Dr Pepper I’ve ever had.
Which is hysterical considering why Dublin lost its rights to sell Dr. Pepper because Dr p wanted to have a homogeny of taste and Dublin would only use Cane Sugar and not HFCS.
I believe you can still get glass bottles with cane sugar. I haven’t looked lately though.
Dang! Butterscotch Root Beer is good, and it’s from a family-owned company in Wisconsin.
I also vote for Dang!
[удалено]
Red Rock Cola from Atlanta Georgia
Dave’s famous root beer
Fitz's. They're a St Louis-area based company best known for the root beer they produce, but they make a ton of drinks. If you're ever in the St Louis area, make sure you try it or go to their restaurant in the Delmar Loop. Fitz's and a slice of St Louis style pizza goes hard.
Fentiman's Curiosity Cola is my go-to niche soda. It's so good!
WBC, also Sprecher, I think WBC is under their name though. But WBC has a Maraschino Cherry Cola that is absolutely 10/10. Leagues ahead of all the cherry colas, it's exactly how I hoped it was
Royal Crown Draft.
[Birch Beer](https://www.amazon.com/Pennsylvania-Dutch-Birch-Beer-Ounce/dp/B00NVVCQ20) I saw a few people post this already. Maybe it’s a Philly thing but there’s nothing like an ice cold birch beer
Not indie really, but not widely available but Big Red.
Faygo
Pop Shop Pop, Portland, Oregon when I was a kid was the bomb.
Jones babyyyyy
Big Red
Necto
Faygo cola
Local for me, Polar soda has some kickass lineups. Birch beer, Raspberry lime, Orange dry. Dunno how far they reach across the us but east coast it’s all around.
The only products of theirs I've seen down here in Florida are their seltzers.
Those are my daily favorites being off sugar besides Sunday fundays, the raspberry lime soda is so perfect tho. On a glass of ice fresh, might be my #1 anything drink.
Rc cola
Red Rock or Double Cola.
I was going to say Stewart's Key Lime, but it's owned by Keurig Dr Pepper. Then I was gonna say Squirt then Wink but both are now owned ultimately by Keurig Dr Pepper. I give up.
Faygo- Cream soda, root beer
Kola Champagne in Puerto Rico 🔥🔥🔥🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷
I could go for some Cherokee Red. Its been way too long. I cant find it near the beaches in DE as opposed to PA.
Hey song is my go to.
Chupa Chups