I first heard of it from a Maine native I worked with (in New York) when I told him I was vacationing in Maine.... "Hey, if you go to Maine, bring me back some Moxie". I thought it was like "Prince Albert in a Can".... but noooo..... he wasn't kidding.

So when we actually saw some in the grocery store I bought two six-packs, one for him and one for us... after all, this must be pretty special stuff.

I cracked a can....and got the "Moxie" surprise...let my wife try it....similar reaction. I got a similar aftertaste reaction from my kids as babies when I'd dip their Gerber green beans in banannas to get them to swallow it.

The other five cans stayed in Maine. I still have the can, I made it into a pencil holder for my desk. The orange can is wonderful, not so much the contents.

The other six pack made it back to my co-worker as a gift. Several weeks later I asked him if he enjoyed it. "You know.... I remember it tasting a lot better than that......"

I should clarify that I can stand regular Moxie in the orange can, for me to drink the diet I'd have to be desparately dehydrated to consider it. There is a BIG taste difference between regular and diet Moxie, same as regular Coke and caffine free diet Coke.

You know what I like too that I can't find around here, sarsaparilla. Never seen it in any supermarkets around here, Big Y, Stop and Shop, A&P, Price Chopper but I have seen it in Publix stores in south Florida.

I was only sending out the word on the event, not to start a debate on soda varieties...

Never tried Moxie and don't want to. I can't stomach regular "Root Beer", much less a burned variety. I flushed my dinner down tonight with Dr. Pepper. My uncle went to work for the local Coca-Cola bottler right after he came out of the Army at the end of WWII. I literally grew up drinking it out of a baby bottle, it was free at my grandparent's house. In my neck of the woods, Cheerwine and North Carolina BBQ qualifies as a gourmet meal. As far as beer is concerned, I do like that "Yankee stuff" like Yuengling and Sam Adams. Us Southerners are much better at "likker" and soft drinks than beer.

I've seen it in the fridge at the "Vermont Country Store" in Bellows Falls.

This goes a long ways in explaining the joke I've heard about the new tourism motto for "[West Virginia/Pulaski County/Mississippi/fill-in-the-blank]: We Do So Hab All Our Own Teef!"

Seriously. Stop it. Put down the sugar-filled sippy cup. Now. Break the Cycle. Before I have to turn into Michelle Obama.

<;-)

OK, we can forget Moxie and hope that the folks at SRI in Michigan will host a Vernor's Day.

Wesley

I was born and reared in Providence, RI. Moxie was a local favorite here as well. In fact, I used to drink it mixed with milk as a young lad: "moxie milk." I don't know whether any other people drank moxie milk, but I sure did and apparently I liked it.

Of course, my adult beverage of choice is Laphroaig single malt scots whiskey, so I guess that says something about my taste in beverages.

Sounds to me like "Cheerwine" ought to be on the banquet menu at TRAIN/ARM this fall at Chattanooga.... I had to look it up!

In all seriousness, for all that we do to develop visitation, working with what makes a region special (whatever that may be) is certainly not a bad idea with your rail attractions. The country is so homogenous with brands that I'm still amazed how I can travel and find the same stuff almost everywhere, particularly things that I 'thought' were regional and now aren't. The microbrewery craze is testimony to power of small and unique.

Definitely part of the fun!

Or maybe Spencer should have a "Cheerwine" festival

Dentists should sponsor any Cheerwine event, they will after all reap the profits. It is nasty cloying crap. North Carolina makes many better beverages, especially those from the Highland Brewery in Asheville, and the very fine developing wineries in the Yadkin Valley - it isn't just that Catawba grape junk any more. Surely we are more sophisticated than Cheerwine..........even NuGrape isn't as cloying.

dave

Dammit, Dave--- if this was Facebook I would "unfriend" you for that remark!

;>)


Matt Bumgarner

Being from near ET&WNC country (& restoring some of their equipment!) I am sure Matt knows of Dr. Enuf! I often bring back a 6-pack on my trips to work on the ET&WNC in Doe River Gorge, near Dr. Enuf's hometown of Johnson City, TN!

Ironically, Moxie is somewhat connected to trains..

One of the authorized bottlers is the Catawissa Bottling Company. Catawissa's big attraction is the following:

[url]
http://www.caboosenut.com/[/url]

They also make a really local version of an Anthracite Region beverage-blue birch beer.


is near Elysburg, where Knoebel's Grove runs a small steamer:

[url]http://www.knoebels.com/images/rides/OldSmokey.jpg
[/url]

(Note: Knoebels is a wonderful place, despite the tragic accidental death of a young guest July 6.)

The main way for most folks to get to Knoebels is to take I-81, and head West on Rt 901, if you head East, you head towards Minersville, home of CNJ 113

I just returned from visiting relatives who now live in New Castle, NH. On my first day, I stopped and bought a Moxie. I tried it. The only thing I can say is that "burnt rootbear" is too nice of a description. It must be an acquired taste that this midwesterner from the south does not have.