Hey all,

We're working on an article here at Beverage Spectrum about old, beloved soft drinks.

The concept is beverages that are incorrectly, but commonly, perceived as "dead." Bevs such as Bubble Up, Tab, Fresca, RC, Diet Rite, Wink, Nehi and Crush, for instance. The kind of bev that you mention it and people say "That's still around? I haven't seen that in years!" It would seem that most of these premature death notices are probably due to limited/regional availability of brands that were once in heavy national rotation.

We'd love to hear anything you may have to say regarding these brands... if you're a distributor or retailer: which of them do you carry, how well do they do at retail, where are they the most popular, how dedicated are their fans, any funny anecdotes, how do you promote them (if at all)... that sort of thing.

Everyone else: weigh in with where you are, which of these classic bevs you can get in your area and anything else you might have to say.

Your contributions can be anonymous if you prefer, or credited as you'd like.

Let's have some fun with this!

intrastate distributors in detroit, michigan, bottles both towne club and crush. you should read up on towne club. search the detroit news or detroit free press for articles. (detnews.com and freep.com)

they bottle crush in 16oz tall boy bottles and make numerous flavors. it's great to see crush EVERYWHERE again, seeing as it used to be so rare. they get cans in the schools and supermarkets, these glass in the party stores and gas stations and 2-Liters a lot of places. they also make dad's rootbeer, frosttop rootbeer as well.

unfortunately in michigan we don't have a lot of the oldtime "localesque" beverages around here, like hires or nehi or bubbleup.

i remember orange crush from drinking it when i was a weeee little one. now i get one everytime i go to pizza pizza 9771111 in canada.

Up here in New England the two main products you see that are incorrectly perceived as dead are Moxie and Vernors...Moxie is still produced in Worcester, MA by Polar. Vernors is mail ordered from the midwest.

Beyond that, I know there is a guy in NC that bottles a ton of old stuff...Mountain Dew longnecks, Sun Drop, Nehi, Crush to name a few.

Bubble Up - not here

Tab - used to be around here in 12 packs, and even when Central Coke unveiled the Fridge Pack in 3/03, the first shipments incldued Tab. Now it's vanished, it comes and goes here.

Fresca - easily available in Central Coke territory, and in CCE Eastern Great Lakes territory. I can't remember if Consolidated has it.

RC - can be bought anywhere here, locally, it's a little hard to find as we have a weak distributor, but in places like Winchester, VA you can't stop finding the stuff.

Diet Rite - same story as RC, everywhere here, just harder in weak RC spots.

Wink - used to be sold here at Food Lion in 1 liter bottles. For the past year however, the spaces for Wink bottles have been replaced by Canada Dry Bitter Lemon, and 1 liters of 7Up and tonics.

Nehi - pure myth in the Northeast. Found the stuff around Uniontown, PA a few years ago but nowhere to be found now.

Crush - sold in 12 oz. longnecks here at Wal-Mart in orange, grape, and strawberry. Because of Coke selling Sunkist in Central PA, Crush was bottled by American. Since Coke has picked up Minute Maid, Crush has been picked up by a mysterious 4th tier bottler I can't find in Central PA and sold in 2 liters and 12 packs w/Hires Root Beer, which has vanished here since the mid 90's when all the Coke bottlers dropped A&W for Barq's.

Hope this is the type of information you're looking for. I may be able to provide some more if you wish me to.

Vernors - another product I can speak of - it all depends on where you go. In Northcentral WV, American Bottling produces Vernor's along w/Canada Dry. In RC Winchester territory, you will not find it as they have Canada Dry. You can easily find it in the Altoona, PA even in 1/2 liter bottles from American, as Canada Dry has stayed on for CCE. It can be found sparingly in other American Bottling territories in Western PA.

Big Red - Seen all over Northcentral WV by American Bottling, Western PA American region starting to see it. The rest of my region, meaning anything to the east or south, it is pure myth.

What abour drinks like Cherikee Red, Sun Drop, Tahitian Treat, Cactus Cooler, and Squirt?

(Maybe it's hard to believe for some, but Squirt's a pretty hard find in the Mid-Atlantic, unless you live around former Herbco Coke areas where American is socking it to Coke for dropping it by putting it everywhere.)

A few I can weigh in on:

Wink - my local ShurFine has it in 1 liter bottles. I just bought it for the first time last week, it's not bad.

Squirt - you can find it in 20oz. bottles in most of the larger convenience stores around here. I see it in 2 liters at the grocery store, and once in a great while they have a row of 12 packs.

Cherikee Red - Haven't seen it in Central PA. I remember seeing it in Northeastern PA as a child and I believe it's still in the Scranton area. I bought some online last year from a place in Ohio.

Tab - I saw it in the Hershey/Grantville area about 3 months ago in 20oz. bottles, but in return trips it hasn't been there.

Fresca - it's everywhere around here in 2 liters and 12 packs, I don't recall seeing 20oz.

RC - I see 12 packs and 2 liters in grocery stores.

Diet Rite - available in 12 packs and 2 liters.

Here in the Carisle/Harrisburg area, I never see Hire's, Crush or Nehi.

Cherikee Red is still in Westcentral PA (Altoona/Johnstown) and provided by American Bottling, who controls 7UP and RC in that region.

[ 06-23-2003, 03:35 PM: Message edited by: teamtitan512 ]

western North Carolina

no Bubble Up
no Squirt
no Cherekee Red
we have Wink,RC,diet RC,diet Rite and Crush. They are carried by our cheerwine bottler.
Consolidated still carries Tab and Fresca in
fridgepacks only

East-Notrheastern Suburbs of Atlanta:

Bubble Up- nowhere to be found

Tab- fairly common

Fresca- haven't checked in a couple of years, but it used to be fairly common

RC- common, found almost anywhere

Diet Rite- common, found most anywhere

Wink- nowhere to be found

Nehi- very uncommon, almost nowhere to be found... used to be obtainable at a certain Texaco in the area, but has since diminished... last check, it was common in Columbus, GA and fairly common in the northeastern mountains of GA (Habersham and Rabun Counties, for instance)

Crush- common

Red Rock Cola- last check, availabe in certain Kroger groceries

Stewart's- not too common, but certainly obtainable

SunDrop- very uncommon... don't know about the western parts of Atlanta though... obtainable in northheastern mountains of GA

Moxie- never seen it around here

Fanta- very common

Upper 10- the only place I've ever seen this in GA is in Columbus

Squirt- last check, common

Tahitian Treat- not sure now, but used to be very common

Cherokee Red- last check, obtainable in southeastern suburbs

Throughout the East Coast:

Bubble Up- I havn't seen this at all on the east coast.

Tab- Common everywhere between Quebec City and North Florida, But I have only seen it in cans.

Fresca- Common everywhere in 2 litres and 1 litres, sometimes cans.

RC- I see it in can and 2 litres on the east coast not that common, But in some places in south carolina you cqan find it in 12 oz. glass.

Diet Rite- common, found most anywhere, never seen in glass though.

Wink- Throughout VA,PA, and MD 2 litres and 1 litres.

Nehi-I found 12 oz. glass of these last exit going south on 95 in lumberton. That is all I have ever seen of them.

Crush- I have seen Crush is Philadelphia sometimes in glass, Pretty rare though.

Red Rock Cola- All I have seen faygo's red rock cola...

Stewart's- Can Be found from Quebec to Florida in various places. All in Glass bottles

SunDrop- I have seen this up north in philly sometimes, I heard storys about it being in 12 oz glass in georgia. I will have to check.

Moxie-Can't find it on the East Coast

Fanta- All over the place. 2 litres, and 12 oz plastic

Upper 10- Never even heard of this.

Squirt- Mainly up north. in 2 litres.

Tahitian Treat- Never heard of it.

Cherokee Red- Never heard of it,

Faygo- I have orginially seen these mainly up north,Like Blue pop and Red Pop can always be found in Wawa's in PA,MD or VA. But just recently I found 12 oz. glass of faygo cream and kiwi-strawberry in publix on Amelia Island, Florida.

AJ Stephans-Found only in areas around boston.