Merry Christmas

A couple of weeks ago I walked into work and someone had set a 12-pack of the new Mtn Dew flavor on the counter for anyone to take.

Being one of the first people at work, I grabbed one and took this pic of the can.

Gingerbread Snap'd is Mtn Dew's holiday flavor, which sounds terrible to me.  But everyone I talked to who drank one said it was actually really good.  And to keep up the tradition of new Mtn Dew flavors from the last few weeks, here's a pic of the can in my Christmas tree.

And that concludes the month of Mtn Dew cans.  As 2021 comes to a close, who knows what's in store for cans in 2022.  But I'll be here to report on any new ones that make it into my collection.

Merry Christmas

Punch for Christmas

 Another recent Mtn Dew addition to my collection was this Baja Punch can.

It's another summer-themed can, this one featuring a beach ball, a shark, jellyfish, and an octopus with sunglasses.  That's cool.

As with last week's Mtn Dew flavor, I didn't actually try this one by my son said it was good.

Can Mtn Dew pull off one more new flavor for me to feature this month?  Especially with next weekend being Christmas?  Come back to find out...

Christmas at the Beach

The cold weather has finally hit my area.  So let's close our eyes and remember a time when the weather was warmer...

Welcome the newest can to my collection, Mtn Dew Baja Flash.  It has a pineapple coconut flavor and the design immediately makes me think of a tropical beach.  There's a tidal wave, a palm tree, a crab, a submarine, a mean fish, etc.

I didn't drink this particular soda but my son said it was good.  But aren't most Mtn Dews good?

The countdown to Christmas has begun.  What can treat is in store for next week?  A Christmas punch?  Come back and find out...

Cherry Christmas

The look of this week's new can is very appropriate for this time of year...

Of course I'm talking about the red and green of Cherry 7 UP.  The cherries are particularly delicious-looking on this version of the can.  

On the 13th day of Christmas my true love gave to me thirteen cans of cherry 7UP, twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, etc.  You get the idea.

Recycle Me

My sister recently sent the following text messages to me:

So it seemed I was on my own for this can.  But then at Thanksgiving last week she brought the can and now it's part of my collection.

And no, I'm not leaving all these cans in my Christmas tree.  The tree is just the thematic background for this month.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and remembered to be thankful for the good things in their life including health, family, job, home, and new cans.

Christmas CAN Tree

It's that time of year again.  We put up our Christmas tree today, although it\s a little sooner than we normally do.  But I wanted it up today so I could use it as a backdrop for this week's new can...

Mtn Dew Voltage.  It's not a new flavor, it's been around for at least a decade.  But it's certainly a new can design.  And as I've said before, Mtn Dew cans usually look pretty cool and this one is no exception.

The can claims it's charged with raspberry citrus flavor and ginseng.  I didn't drink this, so I'll have to take their word for it.

And best of all, you can expect more Christmas-themed posts in the weeks to come...

Iced Coffee

I admit a very hot cup of black coffee helps motivate me every morning.  So it's with slight disgust that I present this week's can... International Delight Iced Coffee.

Nope.  I can't do iced coffee.  I can't even do room temperature coffee.  It has to be just below scalding for me to enjoy it.  And the thought of flavor or creamer in my coffee is gross.  I've tried caramel-flavored stuff and cocoa-moco and all kinds of sugary sweet coffees, but it's just too sweet for me that early in the day.  Mine has to be black.  A little bitter makes it a little better.

And in conclusion, thanks to the person who gave me this can.  I know I never would have bought one for myself.  

T vs T

This week I was given a couple of 23oz cans, both happened to be teas.  Let's see who wins in a heavyweight taste-test boxing match.

In one corner is mango-flavored Peace Tea.  In the other corner is peach-flavored diet AriZona tea.

Ding-ding, round one has begun.  Ding-ding, the match it over.  The drinker of both teas said they were both pretty good.  So we'll call this rumble a tie.

So you thought that was too quick and uneventful?  What else did you expect in a boxing match between aluminum cans?  

No Tricks, All Treat

Today is one of the best holidays of the year... Halloween.  And what does that mean for can collectors?  Dr Pepper/Seven Up has released their annual Halloween-themed cans.  I was a bit lazy this year and only collected two of them.

In years past the themed cans included 7Up, A&W, Sunkist, Sundrop, Canada Dry, and Welch's.  But, as seen in the picture above, I only got 7Up and A&W.

Enjoy the spookiness!  

H A P P Y   H A L L O W E E N

A Squirt of Fall

A few people in my family have birthdays in October, so several years ago we decided to have a fall bonfire and weenie roast to celebrate all those birthdays at once.  And last night was our annual Fall Weenie Roast.

One of my takeaways from the party was this Squirt Zero Sugar can.  One of my kids had never had Squirt before and asked if it was good.  My mom said it's one of the few sodas that really quenches her thirst.  Later, upon closer examination of the can, I noticed it even says that right on the can, "Thirst Quencher."

And coming next week... Halloween!

More Fruit

 A couple of new cans this week that belong in the fruit family.

Here we have a wild cherry flavored Pepsi with zero sugar.

There's also a strawberry banana V8 V-fusion can.

Ok, that's one of the five basic food groups.  Are there cans for the other four food groups?

The Little Things

There's nothing special about these recent additions to my can collection other than they're all small 7.5 oz cans.

Cherry - Regular - Diet - Zero

Don't worry, next week's post will make up for this week's short post... as soon as I figure out what it's going to be about.

Big Bear, Little Bear

Looking through cans I've recently acquired, I was trying to find cans that shared a common theme.  It was unexpected, but I realized two cans had bears on them.

The first can is Golden Bear lemonade which is actually an AriZona tea can.  It's a strawberry flavored lemonade that sounds delicious!!

The second can is a Polar seltzer water can that's lime flavored.

And the big coincidence with these two cans is just last night I drank a strawberry-lime drink.  All the connections with these two cans are nearly unBEARable.

Pepsi Soda Shop

While visiting someone yesterday I noticed a Pepsi can on their kitchen table I didn't have.  In fact, I hadn't seen one like it before.  It was branded as "Soda Shop" and had the old-time Pepsi logo across the top.  The flavor was cream soda.

After hearing my admiration for the cool-looking can design, they offered me one and said they had another flavor, too.  Then they handed me a can of black cherry.  

Wow.  You never know when you're going to see a new old-fashioned thing.

Fruits and Football

Some Pepsi cans have been sitting in my food pantry for a little while, so I decided to group a few of them together in this week's post titled "Fruits and Football."

First, two Pepsi flavors sharing a new can design.  There may be other fruity flavors available, but these are the only two I currently have: Mango and Wild Cherry.

In addition to those two, a Super Bowl 54 can has been taking up space for over a year and a half.

This was the Super Bowl played in Hard Rock Stadium in Florida between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers on February 2, 2020.  Demi Lovato sang the National Anthem and the half-time show was Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.  And since I try to keep this blog spoiler-free I won't say who won.  

What do you think of a half-time show featuring KC and the Sunshine Band and the four-person band from Santa Monica, CA, called Chief?  Perfect lineup, amiright?

Apex Legends

This is a video gaming household.  So I wasn't surprised to see my son bring home this Monster energy can that unlocks in-game content for Apex Legends.

Apex Legends is an online multiplayer shooter where each player selects a legendary challenger to fight for glory, fame, and fortune on the fringes of the Frontier.  As of today, I believe there are 18 characters to choose from when you enter a game.  The character featured on this can is called Wraith.

Although not one of our main games, we have played a little Apex Legends.  But to unlock extra in-game content is always nice.  

Now if only there were cans for Angry Birds...

Yerbae

Someone I know recently saw this drink at the store and decided to try it.  After all, how could a watermelon-strawberry flavored energy drink not be delicious on a hot summer day?

After a few drinks of the bland water he said it was not delicious.

Looking at the back of the can may provide some clues to his disappointment.

• It's powered by tree frogs, I mean nature  
• It's plant-based
• It promotes a "can-do" motivational message (pun intended?)  
• It's a kosher pareve product containing neither dairy nor meat derivatives
• It's gluten free
• And it has a smiley emoji with it's tongue hanging out

Never judge a book by its cover... or a sparkling beverage by its can.

Bundaberg

HelloFresh is a company that sells healthy meal-kits.  Someone I know has been buying from HelloFresh for a while and they said occasionally a meal will include free bonus items.  One of the bonus items they got was this 6.8 oz can of non-alcoholic ginger beer.

Bundaberg is an Australian family owned brewing company.  This ginger beer was craft brewed for over 3 days.  Some of their other products are a sparkling fruit drink, root beer, cream soda, and more.

So let's see you wrap your laughing gear 'round that!

Orange Mimosa

Following my strange non-alcoholic root beer experience last month, I recently had a similar experience when I found this non-alcoholic water at Walmart.

I've been on a big flavored-water kick for a while now, so I'm always on the lookout for any new or interesting flavors.  A couple of weeks ago I saw this Orange Mimosa water at Walmart.

I'd never heard of that flavor before and am typically a fan of citrus, so it was an easy buy.  It was later after we got home that I noticed the label said "non-alcoholic."  Of course flavored water wouldn't have alcohol.  So I went to Google and looked up orange mimosa.  

OH!!!  A mimosa is a cocktail composed of champagne and chilled citrus juice.  Who says you can't learn a thing or two from shopping at Walmart?

This Day's Featured Can 2

This day's featured can is... Day's.

This can was given to me last week for my collection.  The brand has been around since 1946.  It's peach flavored, which is a great summer flavor for a soda.

It'd be great if they sold this in a 7-pack.  Then you could buy a "week" of sodas.

Candy Apple Crisp

 I'm sure this is the only can of this flavor in my collection.

A candy apple crisp energy drink.  In light of my recent vacation, this sounds like something Santa may drink on Christmas Eve...

This Day's Featured Can

This day's featured can is... Day's.

This can was given to me last week for my collection.  I've never heard of this brand and I didn't think to ask where they got it.  The brand has been around since 1946.  It's fruit punch flavored, which is an interesting flavor for a soda.

It'd be great if they sold this in a 7-pack.  Then you could buy a "week" of sodas.

Non-Alcoholic Root Beer

The family finally made it to Holiday World last week.  We have been talking about taking that trip for years, so a few weeks ago I buckled down and made the reservations and declared, "We're going!"  

Holiday World is a theme park located in Santa Claus, Indiana.  And if you go there, ride The Voyage!!  Hands down, it's the best wooden roller coaster I've ridden.

Also in Santa Claus, Indiana, is a must-visit candy store not far from Holiday World called Santa's Candy Castle.

Not only will you find every kind of candy you've ever eaten, but you'll also find candies you never knew existed.

At one point I saw Dad's root beer flavored jelly beans in a plastic replica of a soda can.  I made a mental note to grab a can before we left.  After all, the can would make a great novelty addition to my collection.

When you see room after room, shelf after shelf of hundreds of different types of candy, you forget where some of the things you find are located.  So later in our visit I decided to take a picture of the shelf of "Dad's root beer jelly beans."  My powers of observation were lacking that day...

We continued to shop, adding more and more candy to our basket.  We finally reached the end of the castle and checked out.  We left through the castle's exit and returned to the car.  As the kids looked through the candy treasures we found, I grabbed the "Dad's root beer jelly bean" can to admire my purchase.

And that's when I noticed the words "Alcohol Free" on the back of the label.  Why would root beer have alcohol in it?  (btw, I like the jelly bean shaped barcode)

And that's when I took a closer look at the front of the label.  I had grabbed a can of "Draft beer" jelly beans, not "Dad's root beer."  My mistake sure cracked the kids up, but the thought of beer flavored candy about made me gag.

To look on the bright side of the situation, I still ended up with a can for my collection but this one even has a good story with it!  And the kids can now see what beer tastes like without having to drink it!!!

The Second Amendment

The Constitution of the United States protects the rights of its citizens to keep and bear arms.  Therefore I present to you my Black Rifle:

This can was given to me empty by a coffee-drinking friend.  They said it was good.  The back of the can says this Espresso Mocha is a "blend of espresso, milk, cocoa, protein, and caffeine to help dominate your day!"

The Black Rifle Coffee Company is veteran-owned and distributes its beverages out of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Let the zombie apocalypse begin... now I've got my Black Rifle in hand!

*** This post is not intended in any way to be taken in a political manner.  Its sole purpose is for a poorly constructed joke, which is the same writing device used in many other posts on this blog.  It's getting harder to come up with new material after nearly 600 posts. ***

Out of This World

This "can" was part of my Father's Day gift from the kids last month.

It's called Getaway Galaxy Rocks.  But you won't find any kind of beverage inside, this is blue raspberry bubble gum.

I'm not sure who this is intended for, but the back of the label claims:

Chunky, chewy gum nuggets, perfect for

blowing bubbles while plotting your escape

And it's not a very big can.  As you can see it easily fits in the palm of my hand.

I like these little novelty cans.  I received a six pack several years ago similar to this.

Whether they are aluminum cans filled with liquid or plastic cans filled with candy, all cans are welcome in my collection.

Toxic Can

After a long break from antiquing and flea marketing, I finally hit the road a couple days ago and checked out about a dozen shops within a couple hours of where I live.  I had the same pre-pandemic results... plenty of beer cans out there for sale but hardly any soda cans.

Even though the trip was a bust as far as finding any new soda cans for my collection, my son came through for me and brought back a can from vacation I hadn't seen before:

I tried watching Rick & Morty.  I gave it a couple episodes.  But it just didn't click with me, although everything about it screamed that it should have been a favorite show of mine.

I really like novelty cans like this.  And this isn't a painted can, it's more of a plastic or vinyl wrap.  Even though the design is awesome, my son said the taste was terrible.  It was a red/pink color and he couldn't even finish it.

So this moves into the basement along with other cans themed with fictional characters such as the Simpsons, Pac-Man, and Bill Clinton.

Three Reasons I Kept This Bottle

#1  Moe

#2  Curly

#3  Larry

As I mentioned in a previous post, I generally don't go out of my way to collect bottles.  There are way too many out there.  But every once in a while one comes along I simply cannot pass up.

And that's the case with this Three Stooges root beer bottle someone brought to me from their vacation in Branson, Missouri.  When I was young, the Three Stooges were just as developmental for me as elementary school.  Come to think of it, I probably spent more time with the Stooges than with school, haha.  

The soda is actually branded Rocket Fizz.  And the person who drank the root beer said it was pretty good.

And to end this post, here's a quick exchange between Curly and Moe from the 1938 short "Tassels in the Air."

          Curly: You mean I'm um-day in pig language?

          Moe: You're um-day in any language.

A Monster Assault on Taste

Click bait title.

Introducing Monster energy drink... Assault.

And here's a pic of some info you can read:

I didn't drink this.  Someone else did and saved the can for me.  

Its camouflage makes it hard to find in the jungle.

Kist by the Sun

My son and I were at the store last week and he saw these two flavors of Sunkist soda.

They both sounded so delicious.  Of the two, we decided to get the "NEW" Berry Lemonade flavor.

Doesn't the can make your mouth water?  I believe the psychological trickery used is including the big drops of water in the paint scheme.  It looks like that can has been in a cooler full of ice and is now sweating in the heat, ready for you to drink its ice-cold soda inside.  A very refreshing thought.

It's an old trick that's been used plenty of times, I'm sure, but with the summer heat here now it makes this can look even more enticing.  Maybe the next trip to the store we'll pick up the Strawberry Lemonade.

Rise and Shiny

Someone recently saved these four shiny Mtn Dew Rise energy drink cans for my collection.

The four flavors are Peach Mango Dawn, Pomegranate Blue Burst, Strawberry Melon Spark, and Tropical Sunrise.  I have not had the opportunity to taste any of these, but Mtn Dew sure did a great job at naming them.  In fact, just hearing the enticing flavor names and seeing the spirited designs of the can gives me a little energy.  

As a bonus, each can shows the same information panel telling you that the can contains caffeine equal to 2 cups of coffee.  Zero sugar means calories are low at only 25 per can.  And the stripe near the top of the can claims "Immune Support" and "Mental Boost."

Mtn Dew usually does a great job with the presentation of their cans and these shiny silver cans with a splash of color are no exception.  What better way to RISE and shine in the morning?