What happens when you find a couple of random, obscure soda pops in the wild? You purchase them and you reanimate your ancient, calcified beverage column to write about them. Ale-8 is not the eighth malt I've imbibed on this good day. No, it's a citrus/ginger soda that was developed in the 1920's. The peculiar name? Well, creator (and bottler by trade) G.L. Wainscott held a contest to find the perfect eponym. The moniker chosen was "A Late One," as in the latest in tasty drink technology. Naturally, "Ale-8" became manifest, at least colloquially. The full name is written as "Ale-8-One," but we don't use that language in this house. Do you understand me? So help me God, if I catch you...
...what happened? I hit my head on a block of pixels. Anyway, I think I was preparing to say that I was reticent to put my lips to a sleek decanter of bubbly water. You may not recall, but the majority of my Soda Jerk reviews have been either tepid or negative. My batting average isn't so hot, brother. Sister? Sorry, I'm a sexist. And a racist. JOKES! THESE ARE JOKES! Okay, I'm moving on. I was pleasantly surprised by Ale-8. It's not the most delicious swig in the known universe, but it does give you a cooling sensation. It acts as a restorative roborant (tragic alliteration is tragic).
Specific notes of lime and ginger don't present themselves immediately. At first, you're met with a general sweetness. The aftertaste is where this tonic transforms into something distinct. Normally, I'm not terribly partial to ginger ale, but I must admit, Ale-8 is a bit of alright. I dig! I may start drinking more ginger stuff, even the pale variant (Canada Dry, yo). It's quite the mellow soda, which I appreciate. Compared to a root beer, for instance, the carbonation is light. It pairs well with pasta. Granted, almost any liquid pairs well with pasta, but I just so happened to be enjoying a spaghetti dish when I sipped my Ale-8 and I don't have a bowl of complaints.
The packaging is fine. Honestly, there isn't much to say. Green and yellow makes sense, given the product. Please forgive the wretched lighting in my photograph. Light bulbs are irritating.
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