coco fizz

Michael and I are usually lucky enough to get direct flights from NYC to St. Louis. This past trip, however, was last minute, and we had to fly through Charlotte. Our layover was a few hours, so in between checking email, reading my book, and staring aimlessly out the window, Michael and I had a chance to explore the airport and--what else?--look for bottle caps. Even the Charlotte airport proved to be fertile grounds for new crowns.

We flew in just in time for lunch, and found a delicious Carolina BBQ joint, complete with Carolina Beer (this will be tomorrow's post!). We also found a crazy chocolate store, complete with: Chocolate Soda. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Coco Fizz tastes like a carbonated tootsie roll. Super sweet and weirdly carbonated, it was a soda that I could take only one sip of before I handed the rest over to Michael. We couldn't even drink half of it between the two of us. Some foods simply should not come in soda form.

The bottle cap? Well, it advertises exactly what it is. Coco, little bubbles, and a retro font. I think it's worth trying it once, so that you can say you lived through the experience. Chocolate soda. Is there nothing they haven't thought of?

flathead lake monster soda

Well, I learn something new every day, and this blog is a great way to do it.

Did you know that the U.S. has its very own Loch Ness Monster? It's called the Flathead Lake Monster, and it apparently lives in Flathead Lake in Montana.

And how would I know about this amazing monster? Well, faithful readers, if you can believe it, there is a soda made in Montana called Flathead Lake Monster Soda, which has a bottle cap with a flathead monster on it (even though the monster looks vaguely like a crocodile). This soda company doesn't seem to have its own website, or even its own facebook page, so I can't really find out that much about it, other than via Bevnet.com. Bevnet claims that Sour Cherry is the best of the flavors, and that (luckily) was the only one available when I got my four-pack. My mom was so excited to find this in the grocery store -- it had basically all of the criteria that I look for: it was on the bottom shelf, had lots of dust on it, and looked way weirder than the other beverage options available. (Wait, is there something wrong with me?!)

And for the actual bottle cap: Honestly, it leaves much to be desired. The black overpowers the green -- you can tell that the Lake Monster is trying to be detailed, but really, it just muddies the image. It's hard to see what the monster really looks like. Also, although I'm always a fan of an animal on a bottle cap, this one doesn't actually say that it is a Flathead Lake Monster, and can easily be confused for a dragon or other lizard creature. And since you can't tell what it is anyway, having some verification might actually improve the bottle cap. They use way too much of their precious bottle cap space with the twist off and arrow instructions. A disappointment, Flathead Lake Monster. You're no Nessie.