Barritt's Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer | Less Kick Than a Buffalo Rock, More Rock Than a Buffalo Kick

Bermuda is home to many things: the world's prettiest beaches, a thriving economic community, tacky shorts-and-socks combinations, and none other than Barritt's Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer. I was lucky enough to travel there (and drink me some) my freshman year of college. I remembered this experience only after uncovering this colorful can at a service station in Little 5 Points, Atlanta.

I'd like to say that ginger beer is basically the same as ginger ale, but that would be an injustice. Ginger beer is, across the board, more strongly flavored with ginger, less carbonated, and sweetened to a far lesser degree. Jamaica has some cool g.b. brands, but Barritt's has less cayenne than most of those. Really, if it was any easier to find, I'd drink it over Schweppes or Vernors any day of the week. But as many of my close friends will tell you, Buffalo Rock* beats them all.
(*more on this at a later time)

If you're ever in Bermuda (or, evidently, many parts of Australia), you might find folks drinking a mixed cocktail called a Dark 'N' Stormy. This is comprised of ginger beer and black rum over ice with a lime wedge. I never got to enjoy one since I was eighteen at the time-- and you shouldn't either, kids!

Go no further than the the Barritt's company website to read some history and find a link to their overseas availability.

Weis Up! and The Awful Salesperson Who Should

Quick story. An unusually disturbingly outrageously wrong thing happened while buying this drink. At Sodamania/Subs-N-Such (the place I've already plugged twice, and was planning on remaining complete loyal to for eternity), I went to the counter to purchase this funny little can.  the guy told me the Weis Up! would be 81 cents. As I handed him a ten I watched as he handed back four dollars and some change. I said, "How much was that again?" and kindly explained he must've forgotten to throw a five in there with all the ones. He looked at me like I was an idiot, told me I should check my pockets better because he definitely gave me a five, and then made me wait- embarassed, people were looking, waiting- while he kicked his feet around, whispering something to the (presumed) manager about whatever stunt he believed I was trying to pull. He eventually forked over the rest of my change as I held my tongue. It was a tense situation. Quite the Larry David moment, I must say, as I almost told the guy, "Yeah, that's what I do. I go into stores for a drink every **ing day and try accusing salespeople of giving back incorrect change." Sigh.

Oh well. I'll still be returning there, because a) I have no choice, the place is an incredibly convenient source for my "research," b) this guy probably just has a mean-spirited soul and the rest of the staff (who have always seemed plenty friendly thus far) have to fight back the impulse to kick his ass daily also, and c) though implausible, the drink might be cursed*.

But ANYWAY.. on to the soda itself..
Weis Up! was created by Weis Choice, a division of (to my surprise) Weis Markets, based in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. We've all seen this sort of thing: a supermarket making generic sodas and foods under their private label. I mean, anyone who's ever thrown a BBQ party knows purchasing these fakeys is the only thrifty way to keep a cooler stocked. But how their lemon-lime soda ended up in a store's tiny cooler all the way down in Tampa Bay puzzles me. I would've stuck around and gathered information had I not been so angry at the aforementioned employee. Though direct comparisons to 7 Up are inevitable, the light drink seems more in line with Sprite. Whichever of the two it more resembles, one thing's for certain: unlike many predecessors, Weis Up! doesn't taste over-sweetened, probably due in part to the natural lemon and lime flavors (the soda still does have 38g of sugar). No unbearable aftertaste, either.

To my knowledge, Weis Choice colas can't be found on the internet. My advice is to decide how much drinking this product means to you, and remember if need be you can always find a lovely place of residence in the northeast. 

(*Implausible indeed. The rest of my day ended up alright.)

Champ's Cola | George Prince Endorsed Since Sometime in the 20th Century

Hey kid. So you really think you've got what it takes? Champion George Prince is on your side to help you get there, but don't assume it's gonna be easy. With a strict diet of carbonated water, cane and/or corn sweeteners, citric acid, RED D&C #40, caramel color and plenty days skipping school to play video games in your pajama pants, you too can become the best.

Champ's Cola is one of many sodas produced by CAWY, easily the most successful bottler of soft drinks in Cuba. Known in the industry as "champagne cola," it's actually a lighter tasting version of Quinabeer (which I haven't found a can of yet). Throughout Latin America this sort of cream soda-meets an orangesicle-with Coke flavoring is actually quite common. Think Dr. Pepper or Mr. Pibb with a bit of freshly squeezed citrus thrown in for fun. Like bubblegum, it's the taste of artificiality. Not for the faint of heart.

I can only imagine Quinabeer came about sometime after Iron Beer (E-run-beer), another Cuban drink popular around West Tampa (and one of my personal favorites, especially when mixed with rum). Many Cuban-Americans are proud drinkers of Iron Beer, and the stuff is sold in most supermarkets and some gas stations throughout Central Florida.

Both products also feature an illustrated guy on the can who's mysteriously either a bodybuilder, weightlifter, boxer, or normal yet very muscular person. Since the Iron Beer* guy is merely a simple drawing, Quinabeer and Champ's decided to put a name with the face, using "Champion" George Prince for marketing (he's an obscure yet real person, famed and idealized kind of like Chuck Taylor).

Take that! Whoa.. Easy, kid. 

If you're not in Florida, you can always snag a Quinabeer six-pack for fairly cheap at cubanfoodmarket.com.

(*Note: I desperately tried to make this post more about Champ's than Iron Beer. I guess the outcome was inevitable. There will be much more to come on Iron Beer later. Trust me.)