REVIEW: Limited Edition 2024 Mtn Dew VooDEW

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Personally, I love that Mtn Dew has continued the tradition of offering a mystery flavor here in 2024.

I hope the brand never stops pumping out these flavors.

No other brand has had the creativity to keep this up for this long, with Oreo and Peeps doing it for a couple of years and then giving it up.

Keeping in line with previous VooDEW varieties, this one is also flavored like a particular candy.

So, much like all other Mtn Dew mystery flavors, the soda’s label design, ingredients list, and milky color don’t hint at what this is supposed to taste like.

Though, the label does tell us that this is the sixth VooDEW iteration with an eye inside a red number six.

Also, for those who wish every soda flavor had a zero sugar version, VooDEW 2024 has a zero sugar version, but I’m only going to cover the full sugary version in this review.

Right now, I have to say that this might be my favorite VooDEW so far, although every year has been good to great tasting.

Before I tell you what I think the mystery flavor is, I should say that it’s fruity, a tad sour, and maybe creamy, which pretty much narrows down what it could be.

Um, sorry, Snickers, Twix, M&M’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s, etc, you’ll never have a VooDEW flavor that tastes like any of you.

Really, with the first sip, I thought I was drinking a previous VooDEW that tasted like Skittles, but after taking a few more swigs, my taste buds helped me come to a definite answer.

So what do I think it is?

Take the first letter of every sentence in this review, which I’ve separated for convenience, and put them all together for my guess as to what this delicious VooDEW mystery flavor is.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 20 fl oz bottles
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 270 calories, 0 grams of fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 73 grams of carbohydrates, 73 grams of sugar 73 (including 73 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 91 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Fanta Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Haunted Apple and Haunted Spritz

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Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetl—SHHH!

While he’ll eat anything we want him to eat, swallow anything we want him to swallow, let’s not summon him to try any of the new Fanta and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice movie collaboration beverages.

In anticipation of the upcoming sequel, Fanta created four specially marked packages featuring the actors’ faces. There’s only one new limited edition flavor – Haunted Apple – on shelves, which features the bio-exorcist himself!

I specify on-shelf because there’s another new collaboration flavor on Coca-Cola Freestyle machines only: Haunted Spritz.

I will also say that Betelgeuse’s Haunted Apple flavor has pretty sweet packaging with the iconic black and white pinstripes of his suit. It looks even better on the can versus the 20-ounce bottle, which is clear with the label featuring the pinstripes.

The rest of the packaging doesn’t really stand out as much; it looks best all stitched together on the movie theater fountain cup. The special Beetlejuice cup was only available in the medium size at my local theater.

Both Haunted Apple and Haunted Spritz are delightfully hued. The former is a neon green, and the latter is a deep, haunting purple – both apropos of the spooky season and movie.

I also enjoyed watching the blending colors pour from the Coca-Cola Freestyle for the Haunted Spritz. My human eyes could only see purple and then red syrup. Maybe ghosts, like The Maitlands, can see more spectral colors in this.

However, neither is “spine-tingling,” as stated. It’s not even the slightest bit stimulating as this is caffeine-free, like most Fanta flavors.

Haunted Apple reminded me of drinking a caramel apple pop and a fall candle in that overly fragrant artificial way. There was a distinct crisp apple flavor, but it was quickly taken over by caramel and a hefty dose of cinnamon. It’s not a red-hot cinnamon but more of a fall spice, like in apple cider. It was unexpected and a bit jarring, so I petition to rename this to Haunted Spiced Apple or Haunted Fall Apple to help better explain what to expect. Also, I don’t know about you, but I don’t love drinking the smell of air fresheners or candles. Lastly, it’s really just not as good as other apple sodas out there.

As for Haunted Spritz, it’s always fun to guess a mystery flavor, and this one was no exception. The purple was unmistakably a candy-like grape, but I couldn’t identify the red syrup being mixed with it. Grape and cherry do NOT create what I was tasting. But what I tasted was Fruity Pebbles. Trippy. While it was a fun couple of sips, there was no way I could consume a whole cup of it as it was incredibly sweet. However, I may consider siping this again when I watch Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in the theater.

The new flavors are great for the novelty and got me to buy lots of Fanta, but I wouldn’t rank these as favorites. So, I won’t be sad when these limited edition items float away in the Lost Souls room.

Purchased Price: $7.99 (Haunted Apple), $6.25 (Haunted Spirtz)
Size: 12 fl oz cans/12 pack (Haunted Apple), Medium (Haunted Spritz
Purchased at: Meijer (Haunted Apple), Emagine Theatres (Haunted Spritz)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Haunted Apple), 6 out of 10 (Haunted Spritz)
Nutrition Facts: Haunted Apple (1 can) – 160 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, 42 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein. Haunted Spritz – 400 calories.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Infinite Swirl

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I’ve enjoyed every Dew blasted with pineapple flavor, from Maui Burst to Baja Gold. Although, I enjoyed the former more than the latter. And that adoration extends to the 7-Eleven exclusive Mtn Dew Infinite Swirl, a Dew with a blast of pineapple berry flavor.

Its Smurf blue color brings to mind other recent Dew varieties, Liberty Chill and Summer Freeze. That blue hue looks good with the soda’s yellow and red-colored label.

Infinite Swirl has a pineapple-forward taste with some berries on the back end. At first, the blue color made me think it was blue raspberry. But, as always, the label artwork gives a clue. The red ribbons with seeds on them seemed to indicate strawberries, and when I realized that, I began to taste that berry more prominently. The two flavors make a delicious fruity combination. As someone who is a fan of pineapple and strawberry-blasted Mtn Dew varieties, this is definitely a favorite. In fact, I love it as much as the Dollar General-exclusive Maui Burst, one of my favorite Mountain Dew varieties.

Unfortunately, like Maui Burst, it’s a store-exclusive product. But 7-Eleven locations (and sister stores, like Speedway and Stripes) I think are a bit more plentiful than Dollar General locations, so this might be easier to come by. (UPDATE: Did a quick Google search to fact-check, and it turns out there are as many 7-Eleven locations the US as there are Dollar General locations, which is very surprising.) Also, for those of you wondering if there’s a zero sugar version, there isn’t one at this time. But I’ll try to buy enough of it to perhaps give PepsiCo a reason to make one because this pineapple berry Dew is that good.

I hope Infinite Swirl’s time on shelves is infinite. I read that this is a permanent flavor, and I really hope that ends up being the case because it’s a DEWlicious tasting Dew.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 20 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 280 calories, 0 grams of fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 76 grams of carbohydrates (including 76 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 94 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Star Spangled Splash, Freedom Fusion, and Liberty Chill

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Do the Dew in red, white, and blue! Woo hoo! Although one isn’t really new. Get into the Fourth of July groove!

According to their cans, Mtn Dew Star Spangled Splash (red) is a Dew with a blast of red berry, while Freedom Fusion (white) has peach and lemonade flavors, and Liberty Chill (blue) is a combination of 50 flavors. If you have an encyclopeDEWia of Dew knowledge in your head, that last one might seem familiar to you, and it should be because it’s the same description as the equally patriotic-named Liberty Brew. I get the feeling that the name change was brought upon because some folks might think with “brew” in its name, it might have alcohol since Mtn Dew has gotten into the adult beverage game.

Let’s start with Liberty Chill and its 50 flavors, which I assume represent the 50 states. If Puerto Rico and/or Washington DC become states someday, we can look forward to Dews with 51 or 52 flavors. From what I’ve read, this is just a renamed Liberty Brew. I don’t remember drinking it, but we did review it when it came out in 2019. It comes in a color that makes me want to feed it cookies and then remind it that cookies are a sometimes food. And all those 50 flavors amount to a soda that reminds me of blue raspberry with a floral finish. It’s a pleasant soda I wouldn’t mind tasting and feeding cookies to every summer.

Star Spangled Splash has a familiar Dew taste. It smells like fruit punch, and it kind of reminds me of fruit punch. There’s a noticeable cherry flavor, which Mtn Dew uses in a couple of its most popular varieties — Code Red and Game Fuel Citrus Cherry. But I also notice some strawberry, which needs to be in more Mtn Dew releases. Maybe my mind is taking the “red berry” thing a bit far. Overall, it’s good, but it isn’t really a unique-tasting Dew. If you like the other red flavors I mentioned in this paragraph, then I imagine you’ll like this.

Finally, we have my favorite of the bunch — Freedom Fusion. The Dew rumor mill (DEWmor Mill?) said there was supposed to be a peach-flavored Dew exclusively at Wawa earlier this year, but that was scrapped. Instead, the entire country gets to enjoy this peach and lemonade Dew. I’m not sure I taste the lemonade, but I do taste the peach, which reminds me of other peach drinks I’ve had. It even has a pleasant peach aroma without a hint of lemonade. There’s a slight sourness, but lemonade doesn’t come to mind when I drink this, even though it totally looks like the sugary, citrusy beverage.

If the idea of drinking 36 cans of Mtn Dew to get all three flavors is daunting, they’re also available in 20-ounce bottles. All of them are good to great and tasty beverages to help keep you cool this summer.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 12 oz cans
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Star Spangled Splash), 7 out of 10 (Liberty Chill), 8 out of 10 (Freedom Fusion)
Nutrition Facts: (12 ounces) Star Spangled Splash – 160 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 43 grams of sugar (including 43 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 54 milligrams of caffeine. Freedom Fusion – 170 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 43 grams of sugar (including 43 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 54 milligrams of caffeine. Liberty Chill – 170 calories, 0 grams of fat, 55 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 46 grams of sugar (including 46 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 56 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Pepsi Peach

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I think I’ve said it before on this website, but I’ll repeat it for those who don’t meticulously consume each of my reviews like the delightfully greasy bacon-double cheeseburgers of words that they are: I love flavored Coke. And by “Coke,” I mean, soda, and by “flavored,” I mean, well, you know… something other than the soda’s normal base.

But I don’t discriminate by soda type. I love the Strawberries and Cream Dr Pepper, as well as the Cream Soda version. I like Sprite when it gets weird with Cherries or Cranberries. Cherry Vanilla Coke is incredible, and I still lament the fact that poor sales (maybe?) killed its Orange Vanilla brethren. And Mango Pepsi is the best Pepsi.

And so it was with great anticipation and arousal that I awaited the appearance of Pepsi Peach at a retailer near me. I was so excited, in fact, that when I finally spotted it at my local QuikTrip, I went ahead and got it EVEN THOUGH they didn’t have the zero sugar version, which, in the case of all the aforementioned sodas, is generally my go-to.

Was it everything I hoped for?

Sadly, it was not.

If you don’t want to read a lengthy explanation, just know this: if you blindfolded me and had me drink this, I’d be extremely hard-pressed to tell you what soda flavor this was. The end.

But I’ll go a little further if you’re into details. The scent you get when opening the bottle is very identifiably peach, which makes the absence of actual peach flavoring all the more puzzling. I took a drink— riding high on hope and scent— and then went, “Wait, what?” But the thing is, this doesn’t taste like straight-up Pepsi, either. It’s Pepsi, but it’s a little sweeter than usual, and there’s a unique aftertaste that sets it apart as well. But at no point in the consumption process did I think, “Mmmm, peachy!” It was just mildly fruity.

And that’s a shame, really, given the way they do a great job capturing mango flavor. I was expecting so much more.

While it’s not bad, per se, it’s also not what it’s supposed to be. If it had been marketed as “General Fruit Pepsi,” it would have made so much more sense. I’d buy it again, I guess, if I was ever in a situation where I couldn’t find Mango Pepsi. Or Strawberries and Cream Dr Pepper. Or Cherry Vanilla Coke. Or… you get the idea.

Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 20 oz
Purchased at: Quiktrip
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 250 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 68 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 68 grams of sugar (including 68 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

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