Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage (or food) that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
I am not an energy drink connoisseur by any means, but I’ve been around the block.
Basically, anything that gets down to about $1 per can at Costco or my local Woodman’s gets purchased. This has led to a stockpile of good (Monster, Rockstar, Red Bull, Zoa sometimes), bad (Venom, Xyience) and weird (Gorgie, the C4 pre-workout cans that make my skin feel like a beehive).
That generally disqualifies HappyPop! from the conversation at roughly $3 per 8.4 ounce can. The brand’s buzz led it to my fridge anyway with promises of “mood boosting” ingredients and the idea rainbows are, deep down, made of tropical fruit.
Can it meet my energy drink desire of “sweet, fizzy and slightly acidic while propping up my eyelids an extra centimeter?” Let’s give it a shot.
Rainbow Drip: B-
I’m not sure I could start anywhere else but the flavor I know absolutely nothing about. “Rainbow Drip” is some nonsense but the can is pretty and, upon closer review, promises tropical fruit flavors that should start my morning off nicely.
Cracking the can unleashes a heavy current of pineapple, strong enough to be surprising. That’s a good sign, for sure. It pours a rich magenta, with a thick and heavy form forming on top to pay tribute to the fruit juice inside.
The taste is a little dry for an energy drink. There’s a sweetness that’s lacking, especially given the “pop” on the label. If I had to guess, I’d chalk that up to the tart cherry juice within. The flavors themselves are dense; you do get bit notes of pineapple and orange here and, at the tail end, that dry sour cherry.
Pouring it over ice helps thin it out, and since I typically water down my energy drinks anyway — yeah, I’m a weirdo — a little H2O keeps that flavor intact. It does lead to a bit of fatigue by the end; I wound up happy these cans are only 8.4 ounces instead of 12 or 16. I’m not sure I feel like I’m in a better mood after drinking them, but I’m alert and moderately focused so, not bad.
Ginger Spice: B
You get a kick of ginger root right from the can after you crack it. Like the Rainbow Drip, it pours with a dense, juicy head. The color isn’t super appealing, but most people will be sipping straight from the can so it’s tough to criticize.
That ginger kicks off the first sip with expected crispness. Then comes the lemon, which adds to the overall clean flavor profile. It also leaves a bit of a sticky aftertaste that isn’t 100 percent pleasant, but also not really a problem.
Unlike the Rainbow Drip, this gets better as it goes. the balance of spice/sour/bubbles snaps each sip off more cleanly than its predecessor. And I do feel like I’m in a better mood after two. Maybe a little manic, but it’s a different feeling than most high-caffeine energy drinks would provide (in this case, 200 mg over 16.8 ounces).
I don’t know that I’d stake my wellbeing on it, but it does seem like it would be a good chaser after hydrating the morning after a night of drinking.
Tangerine Dream: B
This pours a fainter orange than I expected and the dense foam of the last two cans is lighter and fizzier this time. It smells great, like sweet, fresh orange juice.
The first sip is a little underwhelming. The flavor starts off with big orange notes, then sorta fades into nothing. You’re left with a stale, citrus aftertaste that lingers longer than I’d like.
It’s less of a problem from the can, where the orange is more focused and sweeter. And same from sipping with a straw, so I’ll chalk that up to a too-watery sip at the top of a glass filled with ice. Don’t do that.
On its own, the citrus flavor is potent and runs 75/25 sweet vs. acidic, which is right where I want it to be. This has the broadest appeal of the bunch. It’s personally not a flavor I’d seek out, but it’s solid enough that I’d pick up a can on a Saturday morning to get through my kid’s swim class.
Would I drink it instead of a Hamm’s?
This is a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink HappyPop! over a cold can of Hamm’s?
Eh, maybe the next morning after a few Hamm’s. Ultimately the drink doesn’t quite live up to its price. But if you’re looking for something closer to an artisanal energy drink, then you might have a better time than I did.
