Barrel Juice

Product Type:Juice: Juice Drink; Container: 16 fl oz. PET
BevNET Review: Barrel Juice’s “Bissap” variety is a hibiscus flavored drink that’s billed as being “a taste of Africa.” From a flavor point of view, the hibiscus flavor is moderately sweet, but not as sweet as what you’d typically find in other hibiscus drinks, such as Jamaica. On the other hand, it’s hard to really tell what justifies the “traditional homemade recipe” statement on the front of the drink – it’s just straight up hibiscus and natural flavors. Also an issue for us is the high level of calories (300 per bottle) which is at odds with the drink’s health oriented language that’s found on the drink’s label. Speaking of the label, this product’s label is confusing and extremely wordy. There’s just too much going on, but nothing overly appealing or standout. Barrel Juice would certainly better from some better visual treatment – and maybe even a different name. Until then, we think that the high level of calories and branding issues are going to make this product a tough sell. Reviewed on: 5/27/2009

Product Type:Juice: Juice Drink; Container: 16 fl oz.PET
BevNET Review: Barrel Juice’s Ginger and Pineapple beverage is a mixture of ginger juice, pineapple juice, sugar, ginger extract, and lime juice. The resulting mixture tastes exactly like what you’d get if you made this mix at home. There’s a sweet note of tropical pineapple flavor, followed by a fair amount of spice from the ginger (moderate heat) before finally being rounded out with a splash of citrus flavor. It’s a very drinkable product, assuming you don’t mind the spice and the 180 calories per bottle. Ginger Pineapple Barrel Juice could also be great as a mixer, especially given how strong the flavor is. On the outside, they’ve taken a stock plastic bottle and put a busy looking logo on it. It relies almost exclusively on text of various sizes, which the eye will have difficulty processing in a short period of time. In addition, we’re not really sure that “Barrel Juice” is an appealing name, especially without any visuals to help lure the consumer in. Lastly, we think that the word “superfood” isn’t substantiated and should be removed. Overall, great taste, but the brand needs to be refined quite a bit.Reviewed on: 5/27/2009