A Game

Product Type:Sports Drinks: Sports Drink; Container: 16oz Plastic
BevNET Review: Cherry Pomegranate is a new offering that is part of the second round of flavors and packing from A Game. It’s arguably their best tasting variety yet, with a very nice cherry and pomegranate flavors that go very nicely with the clover honey and sea salt that are also part of the formulation. They wisely kept the sweetness at a reasonable level, with the product definitely feeling like a credible sports drink. However, they call it a “cross functional beverage” that offers hydration, energy, and nutrition. Aside from the use of the word energy (which generally means caffeine in the beverage world), it still feels like a pretty understandable product. Nutritionally, the product has 60 calories and 16g of sugar per 8 oz. serving and is fortified with electrolytes and B vitamins. Visually, the 16 oz. PET bottle has a full wrap label that has a serious/technical vibe to it. The name “A Game” certainly has a nice implied meaning, but we think it will be hard to brand something that’s such a common expression. Otherwise, the dark red accent color that they’ve chosen blends in a bit too much with the black and greys that are used on the front panel (case in point: it’s hard to read the brand’s tagline). Using a brighter red would be a simple solution. Overall, A Game’s Cherry Pomegranate is their best tasting flavor, and it’s on that, like the others, definitely seems like the brand is headed in the right direction. Reviewed on: 4/23/2013

Product Type:Sports Drinks: Sports Drink; Container: 16oz Plastic
BevNET Review: The Citrus flavor of A-Game is, from a flavor perspective, a cousin of the classic “orange” sports drink flavor (with the name Citrus, we’d have guessed it would be a lemon-lime flavor). It’s a pretty good interpretation, with added clover honey and salt definitely having a positive impact. The most recent formulation has eliminated the sucralose that was found in the original formulation, which makes a huge difference. Specifically, the honey and salt flavor pops a lot more, with a flavor that definitely feels like a premium take on a sports drink. On the functional end of things, the product touts sea salt (for electrolyte content), honey (for energy), and vitamins (C, D, E, and B vitamins) as its key benefits. Ultimately, it seems like the honey and salt are what are most likely to pull in consumers for this product’s formulation. The rest of it, regardless of it being more efficacious than other drinks, feels a bit like noise in this era of vitamin fortified everything. Packaging is a 16 oz. PET bottle (the original version was a 20 oz.) that has been fully wrapped with a technical looking label. Aside from the “A” being slightly hard to identify as the letter A at first glance, the package has a clean and polished look. Those are two things that will certainly help the product’s credibility. If there’s any question about their approach, it’s whether or not they’ve skewed too much towards the technical end with the brand. Overall, we really like the new and improved formulation and package. Reviewed on: 4/23/2013

Product Type:Sports Drinks: Sports Drink; Container: 16 oz Plastic
BevNET Review: Like the Citrus flavor, the Tropical flavor of A Game has benefited greatly from the removal of the sucralose that the company included in the original formulation. The pleasant-tasting mango flavor is just that much better, while the honey (there’s also added sugar) and sea salt give the product the familiar taste of a sports drink. We appreciate that they’ve chosen to do something that’s slightly outside the box of the standard lemon-lime sports drink (the world probably doesn’t need another one of those...). However, it’s still a very mainstream flavor -- anyone who likes sports drinks could definitely pick this one up and enjoy it. Functionally, the product, which now labels itself a “cross functional beverage” (as opposed to the “vitamin fortified hydration” used by the original) features electrolytes, vitamins, and carbohydrates. While ingredient levels vary for sports drinks, this one appears to be within the realm of what’s normal for the category. Visually, the product has a polished presentation, with bold colors and a front panel that is easy to ready and instantly identifiable as a sports drink. “A Game” is certainly a name that is synonymous with sports, but it’s hard to say if trying to use a common saying is a good or bad approach in the long run. Lastly, they’ve reduced the package size from 20 oz. to 16 oz., which seems like a fine size for a product of this type. Overall, this product is much improved now that its flavor is spot on. Reviewed on: 4/23/2013