Trip report

[drpep]

My wife has allowed me to use the computer lab at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, FL.
While making a 3 day drive from NY to FL I made a lot of stops looking for beverages. Some surprises and some disappointments so far.
The first find was in Lewisburg, PA where I found a six pack of Cokes 8 oz Nascar bottles. Later at a Wally Mart in Martinsburg, VA I found another 6pk of another driver and somewhere else I found a third driver. Hopefully I'll find the rest as I make my return trip up a different route. Weird think about these Nascar bottles is the further south and closer to actual Nascar tracks I got the bottles disappeared and only the standard plain 8ozers were found. I did find one store that had some left over Coke 16oz cans with Dale Jarett but sadly no 16oz Dr Peppers that were mentioned here earlier this summer. Same store also had 20oz plastic Peach Nehi.
The biggest disappointment will be for a co worker who is waiting for me to bring back Mello Yello Melon. Its gone.
Plenty of Cheerwine and Sundrop in Southern VA and the Carolinas. Cans and plastic only spotted.
Frustrated that I did not find any Dr Pepper, Mtn Dew,and A&W in glass. I know its out there because I bought some 2 years ago in the same area. Maybe on the way back I will find some.
Biggest surprise so far was finding Frostie products and Grapette in glass in a gas station in Darien, GA off I-95, better location when I find my notes.
Noticed a lot of grocers and other retailers in the south carry Ritz and Crystalyne ( wrong spelling)instead of a store brand. Must be a cheap ass regional product.
Red Fusion was abundant when bottled by Pepsi or an independant. Not a lot of facings when bottled by Coke. Mr Green is hard to find in FL.
Found Boylans in Marathon and Key Largo FL. The supermarket in Key Largo had a full selection of flavors sold in singles and four packs. I held off buying any until I got to Fort Lauderdale. Big mistake, have not found it yet. Did buy and drink some while in Marathon. Root Beer was good, Orange also good.
Also passed up buying a bottle of Fanta Blue as I thought I would find more. Wrong. Just one facing in a grocer in Key Largo is all I saw.
Coke, Sprite, and Diet Coke 8oz six packs are common in Broward County. Found Barqs 8's in Daytona Beach at the 7-11 off 1-95 LPGA Drive exit.
Pibb Extra is all over VA but as I got farther south it became harder to find altough it is out there. In fountians also.
Well thats it for now. Will ramble more after my return trip

[datruth]

Crystalyne is from Springtime water folks, contract$.

Hope you can give details as I will be going to FL in a couple month.

Did you check out the "we bare all" in Darien smile.gif

[Shatter]

I believe Ritz is from the same parent company as Shasta and Faygo. If it's the company I think it is, they're about the only other company that makes a watermelon soda. It's a drink line for stores who can't afford their own line of sodas.

[sodasommelier]

I'm particularly interested in all those 8oz bottles including Barq's (never seen it in 8oz.).

My brother had to drive across the country after Sept 11th 2001 and he found 12oz longneck Pepsi in Memphis with some interesting designs on the bottle; brought me a bottle and it had a cap I'd never seen in the USA before.

Other than that I haven't seen anything in glass that is all that different from what I can get in Los Angeles. Of course, travel outside the USA and you see all the stuff we grew up with but can no longer find!!!

[Android]

>>I'm particularly interested in all those 8oz bottles including Barq's (never seen it in 8oz.).

I'm surprised! I saw these somehwere a couple of times earlier this year, and was surprised to see them - I also thought of you immediately when I did see them, but assumed you'd know about them already. I used to like Barq's a lot when I was younger but either my tastes or the formula changed, so I didn't buy any. Still, I've almost bought them a couple of different times when I've seen them. I just can't remember now when and where that was. (not around here)

andy

[RunWithDaLilGuy]

SS - CCE Detroit has had barq's out in the 8oz for several years now. we just got the DP in the glass angle bottle as well, so now we have Coke/Diet Coke/Sprite/Barq's/Dr P in the 8oz 6 pack. also, since last march we've had nascar's on our coke bottles. it's a common CCE promotion.

[Shatter]

Hey SS, have you seen the 12oz. Barq's bottles from Baton Rouge? The old time 50's looking embossed bottles with crown caps? When I went through Baton Rouge, they had Coke, Sprite, and Dr Pepper in the common 6oz. bottles, but Barq's seemed to be the only soda that came in those nice big 12oz. sizes. I've only got one left from my 6-pack. Next trip there i've got to buy a whole case! Along with some more Abita, of course.

[fusion]

I saw Barq's and Dr. Pepper 8oz glass when I was in Fort Walton, Florida last year, at the Super Wally World. This is CCE territory.

I suspect you aren't finding much in the way of Pibb Xtra in Florida because Coke does a lot of the Pepper bottling... You will probably also see Schweppes in angle bottles, coming out of the Hollywood FL production plant.

[drpep]

The only Dr Pepper I found in glass was in South Carlolina in the 10oz NR's. I never did find any West Jefferson Bottling product or the 8oz glass that I found in the Florence/Myrtle Beach area last year.
Sundrop in 10oz NR was common in the Rocky Mount NC area.
I also found Grape Slice in 20oz plastic in Emporia, VA. Only place I've seen that in several years.
8 oz Coke and Sprite is common from Maryland to Florida. The Barqs was only found in Northern FL.
As far as Ritz I found some in IGA's and Piggly Wigglys, in place of the existing PW and IGA private label . I also found it in a store that carried Shurfine as a private label. That ticked me off because I needed another can of Shurfine International Dr Fine but found Ritz instead.
Never did find another bottle of Fanta Blue between Key Largo and NY. Never found anymore Boylans.
Cheerwine is not as common along I-95 as it is further inland.
There was Pibb Xtra in FL just not as much as there was further north.
The only "bare all" I saw in Darien was a hot looking 20 something doing her shopping barefoot at the Piggly Wiggly. Saw other "bare alls" along 95, of course I did not stop :( . I figured I'd be screwed, money wise that is. Did not need no big Bubba shaking me down for a cover charge and high price drink. Plus how good looking can the women be at a highyway exit strip joint?
If I had had time and money to extend a 3 day drive into a 4 day drive I would have gladly stayed off sections of the four lane and drove thru and stopped at more of the towns along the way. I bet thats where the glass and odd ball stuff is. Its bad enough I came home with mostly 6 six packs of Coke Nascar bottles (most stores had only 1 driver so I could not mix bottles) Cheerwine for Dad,and Mello Yello Melon and Sundrop for friends. Its real pathetic I had to buy a 12 pack of Pibb for myself only because it was a fridge pack and bought myself some Red Fusion because I'd never seen it in cans. The money should have gone towards stuff I can't get at home like Boylans. Lesson learned, buy it when you see it because the next store or town may not have it.
Oh, Citra is all over Eastern Florida and I was disappointed that the only Red Rock product I could find this trip was Strawberry(?) in plastic. No glass Cola like last time.

[ 09-22-2002, 10:29 PM: Message edited by: dr pepperman ]

[drpep]

Other stuff I found was Nugrape in the VA, NC border area, Minute Maid Cherry in a fountian at a Bojangles in Santee, SC and some Nehi in 20 and 2liters near Emporia, VA. Also found my first bottle of Faygo Rock N Rye.

[drpep]

This should help you out Mello Yello.