Finding Sprecher's Pop at Menards: A DH & I Story

[ChefBeckyD]

So, DH and I spent last evening wandering Menards, getting prices on siding and shingles, and windows and doors....we are doing an external facelift and adding a front porch and 4 season sunroom as soon as it gets a little warmer.

So what does that have to do with Sprecher's Soda Pop? Well, the only kind we have ever been able to get here in West MI is Root Beer at Costco - and it's the only kind of Pop that is regularly at our house. So, where of all places do we find the Cream Soda, and the Orange Dream?

Yep, you guessed it, Menards! We were both so excited! We bought some of both - and it's in the fridge chilling right now to have with Tacos tonight. We are having our friend Roy and his daughter Kyley over - so we are going to do a taste test of all 3 with them!

 

[PamperedDor]

Becky - is this a new soda ( Yup, NYer here!) - I have never heard of it! What is it compared to if any??

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Becky - is this a new soda ( Yup, NYer here!) - I have never heard of it! What is it compared to if any??

It's made by a Brewery in Wisconsin....I think it's been around for years but it's more just regional. Like Vernors here in MI, or CheerWine in NC....

 

[PamperedDor]

So we wouldnt be getting it here on Long Island that is for sure - hmmm..

Thanks for the info!

 

[chefann]

Becky, you are in for a real treat! We're making a Sprecher run tomorrow to get some to take to Colorado for my sister out there. The orange tastes like a melted creamsicle - orange and vanilla; sweet but with a little tart bite at the same time.
The cream soda is like drinking a vanilla bean. YUM!!I was just thinking of you the other day, and thought, "I should take a Sprecher's to the regional meeting for Becky. And a box of the dark chocolate almonds with sea salt from Trader Joe's."

 

[ChefBeckyD]

So we wouldnt be getting it here on Long Island that is for sure - hmmm..

Thanks for the info!

You might, if you have Menards! (or Costco - that is where we get the Root Beer - it is the best ever!)

 

[PamperedDor]

We have Costco but not Menards - I will have to check Costco tommorrow - especially after reading Ann's post too - Now I feel left out in the boonies!!!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Becky, you are in for a real treat! We're making a Sprecher run tomorrow to get some to take to Colorado for my sister out there.

The orange tastes like a melted creamsicle - orange and vanilla; sweet but with a little tart bite at the same time.
The cream soda is like drinking a vanilla bean. YUM!!

I was just thinking of you the other day, and thought, "I should take a Sprecher's to the regional meeting for Becky. And a box of the dark chocolate almonds with sea salt from Trader Joe's."

I'm drooling thinking about them. Dark Choc. and Salty Almonds.....a match made in heaven!

Oh - and I am so excited about going to Regional!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Sprecher Brewing Company

http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/images/new_base/2/shield.gif

http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/imgjpeg/rb_n_mug.jpg

 

[chefann]

Sprecher's does ship. Sprecher Brewing CompanyMy family knows about the place because my younger sister attended college in Milwaukee, and did her senior year internship at the brewery. It's become a family tradition to bring home a case (usually a case of soda and a case of beer) whenever we visit her. They have a fun tour which ends with samples! Yum!!

 

[PamperedDor]

Ohh Good to know - Thanks Ann!!!!

Hey KG posted another thread!!!!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Ohh Good to know - Thanks Ann!!!!

Hey KG posted another thread!!!!

Hard to stay away when Sprecher's is in the thread title!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Monkey Business as usual.

 

[JAE]

I'm drooling thinking about them. Dark Choc. and Salty Almonds.....a match made in heaven!

Oh - and I am so excited about going to Regional!

You may want to keep the chocolate Ann brings you away from me, or you'll wish she brought more!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

You may want to keep the chocolate Ann brings you away from me, or you'll wish she brought more!

Maybe if you are really nice to her, she'll bring enough to share.....

Besides, I'm a chocolate horder - I don't eat big amounts at any one time...I like a few pieces and I savor them.

DH gave me a big heart of assorted Dove Dark Chocolates for Valentines Day - and I just finished them....

 

[JAE]

Maybe if you are really nice to her, she'll bring enough to share.....

Besides, I'm a chocolate horder - I don't eat big amounts at any one time...I like a few pieces and I savor them.

DH gave me a big heart of assorted Dove Dark Chocolates for Valentines Day - and I just finished them....

Definitely keep it away from me because I horde chocolate on my hips, buns and thighs.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Definitely keep it away from me because I horde chocolate on my hips, buns and thighs.

Well, anyway, what I was trying to say, but didn't, was that, because I wouldn't eat it all at once - I would share some with you!

 

[JAE]

I was stupid and bought dark chocolate peanut M&M's and regular almond M&M's today. Sooo good. I told dh that he has to take them to bed when he goes (much earlier than I go to bed) or they would be gone by morning.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I was stupid and bought dark chocolate peanut M&M's and regular almond M&M's today. Sooo good. I told dh that he has to take them to bed when he goes (much earlier than I go to bed) or they would be gone by morning.

Okay, if DH took them to bed with him, either they would be gone by the time I went to bed, or if there were any left, then I would be munching them in bed. I love the dark chocolate peanut M&M's, and DH is a Chocolate Fanatic!

 

[jkinak]

mmmmmI love Vernors! You can find it at one grocery store up here in Alaska-but it's like $6 a six-pack!! My husband's family is in Michigan so I always drink my fill when we are back there visiting.
We used to have a pizza/brewery that made their own ginger ale but they phased it out and now just have the cream soda-yuck for me!

 

[chefann]

Here's what I never understood: Vernors originated in Detroit. But a float made with Vernors and vanilla ice cream is called a Boston Cooler. Weird.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Here's what I never understood: Vernors originated in Detroit. But a float made with Vernors and vanilla ice cream is called a Boston Cooler. Weird.

That is weird. They probably don't even know what Vernors is in Boston!

Jill from Alaska (to not be confused with JAE) - I know exactly what you mean! Being from MI, I had never had a ginger ale, other than Vernors. When I moved to SC, and someone asked if I wanted a ginger ale, I said "sure!" and then it was that nasty Canada Dry, or Schweppes or something like that.:yuck: I finally found Vernors in one grocery store, but it was in with the mixers, and it was outrageously expensive! Whenever family would come visit, I would have them bring me some!

When I was little, my brothers and I used to pretend we had tummy aches, so that we could have some Vernors....as a mom now, I'm pretty sure my parents knew what was going on - they just played along with us.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Vernor's is starting to appear in more and more places around here, but we don't have Faygo. I still know people, originally from Indiana or Michigan, who bring back a trunk load of Red Pop or Rock 'n' Rye from visits home.Funny how we all have these regional things that we take for granted, perhaps not realizing that they aren't available outside of the area. Randy Sprecher's beers and sodas are legendary here. (The Sprecher Brewery is about 10 miles from my home.) String Cheese is available here in every store. My good friend in Kansas City loves string cheese but can't find it there, so I end up hauling about 20 pounds of it to KC whenever I go there.When I was a kid, colored margarine was not sold in Wisconsin. You could buy it in one pound bricks, but it was white. It came with a little package of yellow food dye that you had to mix into it, but you still wound up with one pound of a gooey mess. We lived in Michigan for two years, and every trip back home meant several cases of contraband margarine in the trunk of The Old Man's car to supply the Wisconsin relatives.

 

[chefann]

Guess where I went with my folks on the way into town today? That's right- Sprecher Brewery!! They have a new beer that's seasoned like a pizza, with garlic, basil, and a couple of other things. I might get one before we head back home to use for beer bread.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I hope you're on the road tonight, because if you're not, you're gonna be driving in big-time snow tomorrow morning.

 

[DebbieJ]

They sell Vernors here in IL, too. Saw it at Dominicks/Safeway.

 

[chefann]

I hope you're on the road tonight, because if you're not, you're gonna be driving in big-time snow tomorrow morning.

Nope- headin' out in the am. Sis is still packing (her dryer buzzer just went off). Hopefully we'll make it as far as my folks want to tomorrow (some place in Nebraska, where we have a room reserved for the night).

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Well, travel safely and I'm not worried about your getting stuck in the snow - I know from your shopping at Trader Joe's that you've got plenty of provisions.

 

[chefann]

Sure, if you consider cookies and peanut butter filled pretzels provisions. And 5 bags of Belly Flops that we got at Jelly Belly on the way into town. Silly parents - we made it to WI with 2 stops, both for fuel and nature. Cross the state line into WI, and stopped 5 times before we got to my sister's: Jelly Belly, sausage outlet, Flying J (gasoline and propane), Farm and Fleet, and Sprecher's. And then a post-dinner Kopp's run (mmm... rum and coke flavor...)

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Okay - the results from the taste testing are in.

Roy and Kyley still like the root beet best.

Micah and I are completely enamored with the Orange Dream (he wanted it for breakfast yesterday!)....DH was gone when he ate dinner, so I let him have a little glass with his meal ~ now who's the favorite parent?

DH loves the Cream Soda


They are all good ~ and now I'm hoping Menards still has it when we go back next week!

 

[chefann]

I can get you a case of 24 on my way back home, Becky. It's about $18. And mix 'n' match: root beer, low cal root beer, cream soda, ginger ale (super dry and sharp - the complete opposite of Vernor's, but very good), orange dream, cola or Ravin Red (not as good as Faygo red pop). Do you want me to get you some? And what flavors?

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Just saw this - I just PM'd you Ann!

 

[erinyourpclady]

I have a deep like for Dt Pepsi with lime........you might ask why I am sharing this with you since it has nothing to do with Root Beer or Ginger Ale. I live 1 hour from New Bern, NC-home of Pepsi Cola and I cannot find my Dt Pepsi with lime anywhere! I have to hoard it when I go to Virginia Beach! This last time I did not even bring any home because it just made me sad........

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

If you ever get a taste of Randy Sprecher's sodas, you'll dump Pepsi AND the diet versions. Sprecher's is to die for - trust me!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

If you ever get a taste of Randy Sprecher's sodas, you'll dump Pepsi AND the diet versions. Sprecher's is to die for - trust me!

Agreed!:thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[erinyourpclady]

BUT I just can't move up north! LOL!!! I will freeze!!! Now I might have to go online and see about this whole thing......................

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

As I look out my window at the 4" of snow that has fallen so far today, with another 4 - 8" to come...You're not invoking any sympathy at all.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

As I look out my window at the 4" of snow that has fallen so far today, with another 4 - 8" to come...

You're not invoking any sympathy at all.

Like the Smilie!


It started snowing here around 11am - just like Doppler Radar said it would! It is snowing hard and blowing.....YUCK YUCK YUCK! We are now under a winter storm warning with 4-8 inches expected.

 

[JAE]

Like the Smilie!


It started snowing here around 11am - just like Doppler Radar said it would! It is snowing hard and blowing.....YUCK YUCK YUCK! We are now under a winter storm warning with 4-8 inches expected.

NO, NO, NO! It was only supposed to be 3-6! Please, somebody, make it stop! Please?

BTW, I assume there is no HFC in this Sprecher's soda?

 

[elizabethfox]

BLECH...:yuck: I HATE vernors!

The only ginger ale I like is Ale 1 and so far I have only been able to find it it Kentucky ,when we go visit the DH side of the family.

I LOVE Sprechers!! We get ours at Menards too! I think they are all natural sodas. I don't know for sure though. But they are soo yummy. LOVE the cream soda and orange dream!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

NO, NO, NO! It was only supposed to be 3-6! Please, somebody, make it stop! Please?

BTW, I assume there is no HFC in this Sprecher's soda?

I know! For a while, they kept saying it was going to go south of us - but now.....ARGHHH!


And I thought there wasn't any HFCS in the Sprechers Soda - but there is!:grumpy: Not as much though, because it's also sweetened with honey.

It's our little treat here though. We have pop maybe once a week.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I'm starting to think that John Menard is the largest outlet of Sprecher's.

 

[erinyourpclady]

As I look out my window at the 4" of snow that has fallen so far today, with another 4 - 8" to come...

You're not invoking any sympathy at all.

As I sit on my proch in my capri's and flip flops...I will think fondly of my good friends to the north. Of course, I will be suffering knowing that you all will be drinking the good stuff and I am stuck with Dt Pepsi................

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Yeah, well, put a little bourbon in it to make it more palatable.As for wearing flip flops on your proch, well, look at the smiley again.9" on the ground and it's still falling.

 

[chefann]

Um, yeah. Started this morning in Fox Point. 5 hours on the road, guess where we ended up? Fox Point. The farthest we were from the house was 50 miles away. Got stuck in the motor home a couple of times. We may be spending Easter here instead of in Colorado.

 

[JAE]

I haven't been following your trip, Ann. Where is Fox Point. It must be snowing there, too?

 

[chefann]

It's a suburb of Milwaukee. My sister lives there. It's been snowing all day.

 

[janetupnorth]

It's a suburb of Milwaukee. My sister lives there.

It's been snowing all day.

I heard they were supposed to get 7-8" today...nothing up here...all south of us...

 

[janetupnorth]

Sure, if you consider cookies and peanut butter filled pretzels provisions. And 5 bags of Belly Flops that we got at Jelly Belly on the way into town.

Silly parents - we made it to WI with 2 stops, both for fuel and nature. Cross the state line into WI, and stopped 5 times before we got to my sister's: Jelly Belly, sausage outlet, Flying J (gasoline and propane), Farm and Fleet, and Sprecher's. And then a post-dinner Kopp's run (mmm... rum and coke flavor...)

Laughing at this because I know where all those are and have been to them except Sprechers...

Man, and now I am missing Kopps... Oh well, I'll be down there April 11-13th.

 

[janetupnorth]

Becky - my son LOVES the Orange Dream too! DH won't drink anything but the regular root beer......but you haven't had root beer until you've had 1919 on tap!