Anyone Remember Hoffman Soda

[ACORN]

There used to be a local company in Swissvale (home of US&S) that bottled Regent pop. They made a citrus mixer called 4%. We’d drink it straight, as is. We loved it. I’ve never found anything that tastes like it.
Lately I’ve been on the lookout for diet Barq’s rootbeer. No one I’ve tried has it anymore.

 

[lihpster]

Never heard of Hoffmans, but I remember Nehi. I really liked Dads Root Beer, especially with a scoop of French Vanilla.

Dad's is still around. I find it occasionally. They have it at the local hardware store.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

They bottled Barq (Root Beer) in Okinawa.
It kind of gave me that Biloxi Redneck Rivera feeling, but something was different.
One Sat during a water outage period we were circling in line behind the bottling plant to get some drinking water.
I began to see huge piles of empty Henikens beer bottles.
Got it! They were bottling Barq in Heniken Beer bottles.
Barq never claimed to be Root Beer. To avoid conflicts with Hires and others.

 

[Mark 40]

Loved Brookdale Celery soda. Nice thing, you could go and take an empty wood case and fill it with any 12. In the ‘60’s, maybe a buck and change as long as you brought the empties back. Joe

Joe, Yes- Forgot about the mix and matching. Fun memories thanks for the post.

 

[len917]

You do not have to go to university, to know what you should do when you are thirsity. Call for Hoffman's

 

[len917]

I grew up in NYC in the '40s and '50s and we had a "Seltzer Man" who delivered seltzer in the old siphon bottles as well as quart bottles of Hoffman sodas right to our door. I still remember the old advertising jingle:

"You don't have to go to university
To know what you should do when you are thirsity.
Drink Hoffman's, call for Hoffman's
Hoffman's is the finest when you're thirsity."

Tough to get the Spell Checker to ignore "thirsity".

Loved the seltzer delivered to the door. Great for chocolate sodas or egg creams because of the power it had when you pressed on the lever. Also good for seltzer fights.

 

[len917]

You likely remember Rheingold and Ballantine.

Add Schaefer and Piels. Shaefer for the Dodgers, Knickerbocker for the Giants and voting for Miss Rheingold, Ballantine Ale.
"Baseball and Ballantine" said Mel Allen

 

[quikdraw67]

Anyone from Eastern PA should remember A-Treat.

Based out of Allentown, it was a mainstay of beer distributors and grocery stores.

Known for their Birch Beer (natch, since it is Eastern PA), and they also has Sasprailla, a real old time flavor that was a cross between birch and root beer IMHO

They went bankrupt, but someone picked up the company and are now out of Orefield, PA.

I hope that they make it.

 

[Skeet 028]

Heck I remember A-Treat. you could find it even in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Md

 

[len917]

Mission: Orange and Grape

Nedicks Orange

White Rock

RC Cola

 

[John_M52]

I think that's supposed to have some bourbon in it

 

[pharmer]

You likely remember Rheingold and Ballantine.

Oh man, let's not go there. I remember the brewery by the tracks in Orange. "My beer is Rheingold, the dry beer
Ask for Rheingold wherever you buy beer,
it's not bitter, not sweet
it's the extra dry treat
Won't you try extra dry Rheingold beer."
60 years later and that **** is still in my "file cabinet." Joe

 

[John_M52]

Stewart's root beer

You from Jersey? What exit?

 

[Old_Cop]

My beer is Rheingold the dry beer. Think of Rheingold whenever you buy beer. It's not bitter, not sweet, it's the extra dry treat Won't you try extra dry Rheingold beer?

 

[Rustyt1953]

When I lived in NC I got real fond of this. The Kroger by me carries it.

 

[ladder13]

For the non alcohol crowd, the Piragua aka icy man was always around after school.

Cherry, root beer, and coconut, were my favs.

 

[stuartg74]

I grew up in NYC in the '40s and '50s and we had a "Seltzer Man" who delivered seltzer in the old siphon bottles as well as quart bottles of Hoffman sodas right to our door. I still remember the old advertising jingle:



"You don't have to go to university

To know what you should do when you are thirsity.

Drink Hoffman's, call for Hoffman's

Hoffman's is the finest when you're thirsity."



Tough to get the Spell Checker to ignore "thirsity".

Might have had the same soda guy, he would deliver soda, seltzer & ubet chocolate syrup.
Those were the days.

8/19/42

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Nehi was the brand Jean Shepherd referenced-not by name- in "A Christmas Story."
Another NY/Northern NJ brand was Cott's-"it's Cott's to be good."
When I moved to Central NJ in 1961 there was a local bottler in Trenton, NJ called E. L. Kerns. Can still see the bottles with the elk on it. Their cream soda was red, which I thought violated some law of nature. Drank it anyway. There were all sorts of local bottlers that have all disappeared, alas. Dr. Pepper was basically a Southern brand until the 1970s-1980s. In those areas where Coca-Cola was not the producer of Dr. Pepper they created a knockoff called Mr. Pibb.
In 1960-61 I lived down the street from the Knickerbocker brewery in Manhattan. I can still smell the mash cooking. PHEW!!!

 

[Nevada Ed]

I remember as a youngster, taking a lot of care to remove the old bottle tops with my bottle opener.
A dent in the top was not acceptable, for most of us kids.
We, then would take care to slowly and carefully remobe the cork section
that was in the top of the lid, and it had to be in just one peice!!

Then we would place the top on the outside of our "T-shirt" and the cork section
placed on the inside of the shirt and press it into the bottle top.

Wa la..............
and instant "Badge" to wear and to show off, to all the other kids.

 

[SMSgt]

Stewart's root beer

You from Jersey? What exit?

Doesn't matter, it's still Jersey.