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OK, so not only had several years passed between the two pepper events, it's like a year later and I'm finally getting around to posting the results. For this, I am sorry. I will do better next time. Maybe. Also, I completely forgot to take pictures, so thank you Rick for having the presence of mind to do so. Anyway, more of the same, people came over, we drank soda and shared our feelings.

Guide to the Guests:
(1) Texan, (2) Archenemy-Associated Band Member, (3) Roommate, (4) Sibling, (5) Some other friend who does not fall into the above categories. As best as I can reconstruct, from various pieces of evidence. If I left you out, I apologize.

Without outside suppliers this time, it took a while to collect the various entries. It took me and my friends going on many travels and adventures. I also do not remember where most of these came from, which I am also somewhat apologetic about. Oh well. Winners in red, losers in blue...

Dr A+
Mostly unremarkable. "Better than dog shit," said Sean, which is not exactly a glowing recommendation. "Does not taste as good as Jack & Coke," Rick pointed out. A few folks enjoyed its tangy-ness. It fared pretty poorly in the label design category. It being a year later, I cannot quite remember what the label looked like, but according to my notes, I kinda liked the fireworks, but there was an extraneous "A+" on the label.

Dr Bob
This one suffered due to sitting around for a few years, waiting for the taste test. Unfortunately, it was in a plastic bottle and had gotten quite flat. Flat "as a fourth grade teacher's bottom" noted Heather. So, maybe it did not entirely deserve its last-place ranking in the taste category. But them's the breaks. It smelled like washed dog water, according to Abby. It had a really horrible typeface and a rather vulgar tongue on the label.

Dr Bold
Several people called it out on its lack of boldness, but it nevertheless fared pretty decently in the taste department. I found it kind of peppery (in the spice sense of pepper, not Dr Pepper) and Kasson said it was "oakey and buttery," although he may have just been joking about that. Several people pointed out its bad smell, "like a dirty vacuum filter" (Kathryn) or "restroom" (Liz). The typography was cheesy but I thought it somehow worked.

Dr Celeste
Pretty good stuff. I forget exactly where it's from, but according to Nick, "the South will bring it in small ways" which I guess means it's Southern. Sean cryptically called it "the Phantom Menace of sodas" and said it made him want jerky. People commented favorably on its bubbliness. The label was generic 90's looking, and Rick said that a hot picture of Celeste would have helped. (But maybe Celeste just wasn't even remotely hot and they didn't have that option.)

Dr Extreme
The consensus on this one is that it was pretty good at first, but the experience was then ruined by a bad aftertaste. Kathryn thought it tasted like ManRay smelled (which, for those of you who may not know, was pretty disgusting at that point in time). Reading back on my notes, I don't remember this specifically, but the name and label design seemed to anger me. Rick thought that a diet version of this would rock.

Dr Perky
"Narrow," "bland," "safe," "lacking in strong character," but still tasty nevertheless. Pretty true to its name, I guess. Kathryn found it kind of Easter-y. It was very sweet. The ice on the label made it look a little more refreshing than it actually was.

Dr Path
I got this one after Hedie's wedding, at a Pathmark (Pathway? I forget) in New Jersey. "The freemason's Pepper," said Heather, and I don't quite understand what she meant by that. A few people didn't like it, but the rest of us liked it enough that it won overall. Kasson thought it tasted like fractals (in a good way). Rick and I were very excited about the design (a bold, simple VERTICAL layout!). Also, I should point out that it came in a 4-pack, which is pretty exciting in and of itself.

Mr. Green
This one came from a gas station convenience store in upstate New York, and was another one that suffered from sitting around in a plastic bottle, it had gotten awfully flat. The big thing about this one is that it was actually green. More specifically, an unappealing dark green, "like something you'd encounter in a train station toilet" (Heather). It maybe should not have even been considered a Dr Pepper knockoff, but I figured it was because of the name. Anyway, it was yucky. If I'm remembering this right, it was some sort of "energy" drink because it tasted vaguely ginseng-y and plant-y. Anyway, nothing I would recommend. Several people found the lizard on the label to be appealing, although Sean said "fuck that lizard's parents and grandparents."

Cheerwine
I got this one when I was visiting Nick in North Carolina, and I wasn't quite sure if it was supposed to be a Pepper knockoff, but it was located in the soda aisle near the Pepper and also had the same color scheme, so I figured I should give it a shot. Opinions on this one ranged from disgust to "this tastes awesome." Sean said that he would buy a frisbee that said "Cheerwine" on it, which I guess is a pretty strong endorsement. I am still unsure if it should be considered a Pepper substitute, but if you have the opportunity, you should try it, because you may just love it.

I promise I'll be more on top of things the next time around. And if you'd like to share any of your own regional contributions, e-mail me at liz@freezepop.net.