Copycats in Alcohol
 

So I'm sitting here, sipping on a Citrona, which is a citrus flavored alcohol beverage made by Stolichnaya.

I don't know how it is elsewhere, but in the States, these new citrus beverages have started popping up like mad in the last 6 months. Zima has been around for 50-11 years of course, but Smirnoff, Skyy, Bacardi, Stoli, and now, Sauza have put out these Zima-like beverages.

I've had Smirnoff Ice, Skyy Blue, and Stoli Citrona. And I can say this much--they essentially taste the same. The sweetness varies a tad, but they're all the same.

Don't get me wrong...I like them as a whole. I like the flavor...and most of them are 5% alcohol by volume. But what the hell is this about? An attempt by the liquor companies to open themselves up to a younger hipper crowd that's not very big on liquor?

They better not bet on it here in PA, not at $9 a 6-pack.

Not to mention, I can't really see people in my area buying this. For that matter, I can't see many people in Philadelphia buying this. They seem like beer-drinkers to me...the kind of folks that'll have a bbq with friends on Sunday, with a couple of cases of Yuengling iced up in the coolers.

Flavored water?
 

Have you tried DNA yet?

I am a scotch man myself, with a Guiness fetish, and a Malt habit.
Now if I could only get Steele Reserve 211 where I am.
I find it highly ironic that I currently reside in the heart of the bootleggers and moonshiner country, yet it is a dry county.

Sigh, I suppose the local cops, and the county need the kickbacks, so I am destined to stay unsatisfied until I recieve a transfer back to some resemblance of civilization.

Re: Flavored water?
 

DNA...I can't say I've heard of it.

I'm a huge Guinness fan myself.

211...ugh! *gags* That shit is nasty. :)

Re: 211
 

from sycamore
Only if you let the smell get to you, but at 8.9%, I can live with the smell.

holy shit. that stuffs like 5.99 here. im not a big fan of it myself, but i know people who swear the best way to drink zima is to pop one open, throw a jolly rancher (your choice of flavour) into it, let it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes and 'enjoy'.

~james

Pennsylvania has an interesting system for purchasing beer and alcohol. You've probably seen some of us rant about it before. It's much cheaper in NJ and DE. The sauce is heavily taxed here in PA. A 12-pack of Bud Light runs about $10-12. A bottle of Boone's Farm runs about $4. In Missouri, those same items run $8 and $2 respectively. Cases here aren't too bad though ($16 for a 30-pack of Coors Light).

thats about what it is here, give or take a buck depending on where you go. im personally a beer drinker, and that works out well because we have a couple of nice microbreweries in the area. New Belgium has a real nice wheat beer called sunshine wheat. if you can get it, its worth a taste. as far as zima goes though, they have the citrus zima now, in the green box, and i like that better than the original.

~james

They're party drinks, UDLs, stolies, Ruskis, all the same. All 5% or so vol, all rather expecsive. Very popular ehre for parties and sutff, no need to mix, easy to drink, i'm well accostumed with many, many vaarieties of these and entertaining things you can do with them(bulldozer!!!)

do tell...

~james

I don't drink beer as much as I used to, but I still like it every once in a while. I'm a Guinness fan (and that's expensive pretty much wherever you go). I honestly haven't drank Zima in years, and prefer the sweeter taste of Citrona or Skyy Blue. I might have to try that Citrus Zima though.

Re: Flavored water?
 

I have similar problems. What kind of scotch? I've been working on a bottle of Jura here but tend to prefer less abrasive stuff like Glenlivet/Speyburn. I've really cut back on the beer side since I'm shedding pounds for the MS ride but Yeungling does the job. Guiness I usually drink when out it just doesn't bottle/can that well. I've never done much of the citrus stuff outside of cramming fruit into weak Mexican beer.

Re: Re: Flavored water?
 

Yuengling is probably the best cheap American beer I've ever drank. Seriously...it just has a great taste to it. They need to market that nationwide.

I actually liked Guinness in the can (used to drink it like water when I lived in St. Louis), and the new easy-pour bottles are good too. I can't drink the extra stout though...that's just too much.

Now, I have heard people who have been to Ireland say that they will never drink Guinness in the States ever again b/c it tastes so incredibly fresh over there. Well, unless I win my own pub in the Guinness contest, I don't anticipate heading over there anytime soon. :)

Guinness was on strike during my only Ireland trip. :( The wife and I made the best of it, packing away pints of Beamish Stout (sweet and smooth) with pub lunches and during evening entertainment, while bicycle touring in the West.

I was unimpressed with Beamish the one time I had it, although I'm sure the Irish version tastes a lot better.

I really wanted to win that pub contest Guinness holds every year. I just think it would be incredibly cool to own one. Of course, I'd hire someone else to run it. Let me sit there and run it, and I'll drink myself out of business. ;)

Scotch is wonderful for its subtleties. I recently tried a bit of smokey Oban. Made me warm all over!:) I'm kinda liking the sweetness of Irish whiskey- Jameson, Bushmill, but havent explored much more...This is what carries you through a northern winter. I'm also intrigued by port.Any recomendations? Go to Portugal? That sounds good.