The king of ginseng?

"It ain't beer." Those were the first words out of my husband's mouth after trying Bud Extra. I dragged him along with me into the AdFreak Test Labs,where we gamely volunteer to try new products so that you don't have to. You may recall that the new brew, which is rolling out nationally, contains "caffeine, ginseng and guarana extract and natural flavor." If the taste was a little peculiar, so was the packaging. We could pick it up only in a four-pack of 10-ounce cans (for $3.99 at the local Stop & Shop).

Then there was the bouquet, which seemed to bear touches of cherry reminiscent of a watered-down Cherry Coke—or Sucrets. Yet the carbonated, beer-like consistency left me and my husband confused. Feels like beer; tastes like Sucrets.

Our conclusion? Since we've never tasted anything quite like it, we think Bud Extra—like its sibling brands—is certainly the king of something. Like maybe an uninhabitable island.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

February 22, 2005 | Permalink