Is this really Connecticut's favorite snack? | The Boneyard

Is this really Connecticut's favorite snack?

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when i first saw the title, i immediately thought 'beer' cuz around southeast New England, youse all are a bunch of alky's, and the national data proves it. but then i thought, 'nah, a beverage wasn't going to be it.'
reading the story shows that a beverage was it, to them,
but they be mo-rons when initially, they wouldn't use the phrase 'white birch beer' even tho we all call it 'white birch beer,' or 'birch beer' for short.
later on in the article, we finally find 'The soda, better known as birch beer'
so, forget them, too.
not a big soda drinker (there's really nothing wrong with normal sugar soda, just don't live on it), but my pantry always has my 3 favs stocked:
caffeine free Pepsi, ginger ale, and white birch beer. i eat a lot of pizza.
sometimes, in the spring when the sap is running, i collect birch sap, boil it down a bit, and add it and a touch of sugar, to fizzy water. tasty. refreshing. i bet that it has some health benefits, too. i know that pizza does, cuz it sure makes me happy.
 
mg just said 'hey, beernuts! when are the craft breweries gonna make a craft brew called white birch beer beer? it's got natural sugar to begin with. seems easy.'
'Alcohol fermentation is a complex biotechnological process in which sugars such as glucose, sucrose, and fructose are converted into energy molecules and produce ethanol, carbon dioxide, and metabolic by-products during this process.'
it always struck me as bizarre when folks who superfically pretend to be sugar avoidant, chug alcohol like water.
 
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From various sources, Birch Beer was popularized in Pennsylvania.
It can mostly be found in the northeast, New England and Canada, and also along the east coast.
Birch Beer is usually a clear soda that has the faint taste of wintergreen.

New England Today wrote about Polar Birch Beer which is made in Worcestor, MA, "Considered the cousin of root beer, birch beer is an East coast favorite, and Yankee fans that have moved away from their New England homes often tell us it’s one of the things they miss the most."

I also mentioned about it as being a New England food in a Boneyard topic in May saying, "Avery's Beverages in New Britain, CT still makes old fashioned Birch Beer and many other sodas using real cane sugar.
It's sold all over the country and they'll even ship it."

the-boneyard.com

Off topic: New England foods

Yum yum yum. I’ve had most of these. I like Florida a lot but desperately miss fresh corn on the cob (butter & sugar, not Silver Queen) and the smell of freshly made cider donuts on a crisp fall day. https://newengland.com/today/living/new-england-nostalgia/75-classic-new-england-foods/
the-boneyard.com the-boneyard.com
 
The only time I ever have birch beer is when I go to Blackie's in Cheshire for a multiple hot dogs. Perfect combo at Blackie's.
 
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I’ve been through the Foxon neighborhood of East Have many times. It’s near North Branford. You can get Foxon soda at Stop n Shop but I wouldn’t think it’s the favorite snack in Connecticut. Anyone who doesn’t answer “pizza” to any food related question isn’t in tune with the Nutmeg state.
 
UConnHometown said:
I am shocked so many here have not heard of it. It really is in every pizza place!
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Yes in the New Haven area ... not an attack just fact. I worked all four corners of the state and in between many years, often grabbing lunch out and it is most definitely anything close to state wide.
Having said that I should have just started with how foolish the author, editors and the magazine look on this one. A snack is a food eaten between normal meals by all definitions.
www.merriam-webster.com

Definition of SNACK

a light meal : food eaten between regular meals; also : food suitable for snacking… See the full definition
www.merriam-webster.com www.merriam-webster.com
dictionary.cambridge.org

snack

1. a small amount of food that is eaten between meals, or a very small meal…
dictionary.cambridge.org dictionary.cambridge.org
www.britannica.com

Snack Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

SNACK meaning: a small amount of food eaten between meals
www.britannica.com www.britannica.com
These all pertain to food not beverage, I'll not submit the Urban Dictionary of what the word means. Not real bad but off topic. ;) :D
 
I just want to add that I too am surprised so many haven't heard of it. This New Jersey native heard of it growing up.

Of course, Root Beer was more popular, but Birch Beer was a niche market. Neither were anything I drank, although I believe my father on rare occasions did drink Root Beer. Presumably out, since we didn't have soda in the house.
 
I'm willing to broaden my definition of a snack to include anything that goes into my stomach.
More than one reference considers beverages to be a snack.
Don't get upset over newfangled uses for words, dictionaries are always being updated.

"CHICAGO — Consumers increasingly are reaching for bottled beverages to curb hunger between meals. Sipping soups and bone broths, plant-based lattes and cold-pressed juices are emerging as popular snack options, said Jill Houk, corporate research and development chef at Olam Spices."

https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/12954-is-it-a-beverage-or-is-it-a-snack-the-answer-is-yes#:~:text=The%20answer%20is%20yes,-Source%3A%20Coca-Cola&text=CHICAGO%20—%20Consumers%20increasingly%20are%20reaching,development%20chef%20at%20Olam%20Spices.

This source considers water to be the ultimate snack because it says the body can confuse thirst with hunger.
And it also mentions fruit & herbal teas as being snacks.

listonic.com

12 Healthy Snack Ideas to Keep You Healthy and Feeling Full

Dieting is hard when you have to fight those cravings. ☹ But you can give in to them with these healthy snack ideas that keep you fit and full.
listonic.com listonic.com

Earlier entymoloy of the word snack from the 13th century onward suggests that it was related to snout (a dog's snout) sniff, to breath, the bite of a dog, pant, nasal mucus, snatch, to take from someone's hands.
That's shows how the meaning of words can change over time.

www.etymonline.com

Snack - Etymology, Origin & Meaning

"to bite or snap" (of a dog), perhaps from a Northern variant of snatch (v.) influenced… See origin and meaning of snack.
www.etymonline.com www.etymonline.com
 
I would consider Foxon Park soda to be "regional" in CT, why some have not heard of it, as others have mentioned if one goes into any Pizza place in the New Haven area there will be Foxon Park soda to be had...on the other hand if you are 15-20 miles away from New Haven you would not know it exists.
 
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Back in the late 50's and early 60's, the lubricant for my Cub and Boy Scout events was a few cases of soda from
Screenshot - 8_14_2022 , 14_01_16.png

which I was stunned to find out still exists at the same location (15 Spencer St, Manchester, CT) where it was in those times. (Near the suprisingly-still-extant Holiday Lanes duck pin bowling alley.)

The majority of the contents of those cases was root beer, cream soda, birch beer, sarsaparilla and orange-ade --

Screenshot - 8_14_2022 , 15_18_35.png


flavors they've apparently been making since 1912 in Willimantic.(That's a link to their website). There were a few new-fangled things like lime, grape, strawberry and such like mixed into the cases, but they were out-numbered by the old-fashioned flavors.

I certainly looked forward to the birch beer and occasionally pestered the folks to stop at the shop when we went by to get some for at home. (This is not to denigrate the other traditional flavors, which I still remember very fondly. But this was the only place I knew of to get the birch beer.)

The soda shack is a short way off of I-384, so you can stop there on your way to or from a Huskies game if you're so inclined!
 
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sun said:
]

Earlier entymoloy of the word snack from the 13th century onward suggests that it was related to snout (a dog's snout) sniff, to breath, the bite of a dog, pant, nasal mucus, snatch, to take from someone's hands.
That's shows how the meaning of words can change over time.

www.etymonline.com

Snack - Etymology, Origin & Meaning

"to bite or snap" (of a dog), perhaps from a Northern variant of snatch (v.) influenced… See origin and meaning of snack.
www.etymonline.com www.etymonline.com
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The study of word origins is etymology. Entymology deals with the study of insects. Sorry to bug you.:)
 
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ClifSpliffy said:
mg just said 'hey, beernuts! when are the craft breweries gonna make a craft brew called white birch beer beer? it's got natural sugar to begin with. seems easy.'
'Alcohol fermentation is a complex biotechnological process in which sugars such as glucose, sucrose, and fructose are converted into energy molecules and produce ethanol, carbon dioxide, and metabolic by-products during this process.'
it always struck me as bizarre when folks who superfically pretend to be sugar avoidant, chug alcohol like water.
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You do understand that once sugar is converted into alcohol, it’s no longer sugar, right? So it has that alcohol burn rather than anything remotely resembling sweetness.

That said, beer yeast doesn’t ferment 100% of the maltose. That’s what hops are for. Those who like sweetness can drink oktoberfests, white beers, and cream ales/stouts. Those who truly eschew sweetness have dry stouts and pale ales.
 
Watch & learn about Lifesaver lightning which you're only able to see with Wint-O-green Lifesavers candy.



"When this happens with most sugars, the light is largely ultraviolet, which you aren't able to see with a naked eye. However, wintergreen flavoring, as highlighted by Cool Science, "is a natural fluorescent dye called methyl salicylate." It creates a brighter, longer-lasting flash of light after absorbing ultraviolet light and re-emitting it in a way you can see."
www.thrillist.com

Watch Slo-Mo Video of the Blue Lightning Made When You Bite Wintergreen Candy

Awesome.
www.thrillist.com www.thrillist.com

Is wintergreen good for inflammation?

The active ingredient in wintergreen oil, methyl salicylate, is closely related to aspirin and has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. As such, products containing wintergreen oil are often used as an anti-inflammatory and topical pain reliever

www.healthline.com

What Is Wintergreen Oil, Its Benefits, the Evidence, and Risks?

Wintergreen oil (or oil of wintergreen) has a lot in common with the active ingredient in aspirin. Read up about what it’s used for, tips to find quality oil, and the potential benefits and risks associated with it.
www.healthline.com www.healthline.com

What flavor lifesaver makes a spark?

Image result


wintergreen

The emission from wintergreen candy is much brighter than that of sucrose alone because wintergreen flavor (methyl salicylate) is fluorescent. Methyl salicylate absorbs ultraviolet light in the same spectral region as the lightning emissions generated by the sugar. The methyl salicylate electrons become excited and emit blue light. Much more of the wintergreen emission than the original sugar emission is in the visible region of the spectrum, so wintergreen light seems brighter than sucrose light.

Triboluminescence is related to piezoelectricity.

www.thrillist.com

Watch Slo-Mo Video of the Blue Lightning Made When You Bite Wintergreen Candy

Awesome.
www.thrillist.com www.thrillist.com
 
Beemer said:
I have lived here my entire life (59 & counting) and have never heard of it. I call BS.
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72 years and I've known about and loved Birch Beer since I was 3 and the bubbles tickled me. It actually comes as a clear soda and as "golden birch beer" which tastes the same but is a bit darker colored. It has been a staple flavor among the many small soda bottling companies in CT for a long long time. You Coke and Pepsi addicts need to get out more. ;)
I still get a birch beer when I visit Blackies for a hot dog or 3.

As for the article everyone needs to understand that to "Food and Wine", Connecticut consists of Greenwich and a few surrounding towns in Fairfield County.
 
Alydar said:
72 years and I've known about and loved Birch Beer since I was 3 and the bubbles tickled me. It actually comes as a clear soda and as "golden birch beer" which tastes the same but is a bit darker colored. It has been a staple flavor among the many small soda bottling companies in CT for a long long time. You Coke and Pepsi addicts need to get out more. ;)
I still get a birch beer when I visit Blackies for a hot dog or 3.

As for the article everyone needs to understand that to "Food and Wine", Connecticut consists of Greenwich and a few surrounding towns in Fairfield County.
Expand ...
Oh I've heard of birch beer but I had never heard/seen it referred to as CT's favorite snack until now.

Regarding your last sentence yes, I had that impression too. :rolleyes:
 
Foxon Park Gassosa > Foxon Park White Birch

But White Birch is also very good.
 
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