Summit Cherry Cola and Cream Soda

While browsing recently in the soda aisle at Aldi, I spotted the regular canned options such as as Summit Cola and Summit Diet Cola. The discount grocer also stocks name-brand Coca-Cola, and I sometimes see name-brand Sprite along with an Aldi house brand lemon-lime soda. Aldi also occasionally sells bottled craft soda, such as root beer, which my family enjoys very much.

Then, I found some new bottled soda flavors that caught my eye: cherry cola and cream soda. I’m always a fan of fruity soda or any soda that isn’t a traditional cola, so I picked up a case of each flavor to try with my family at home.

Summit Cherry Cola and Summit Cream Soda each cost $3.49 at the time of publication for four 12-ounce bottles, with a total of 48 fluid ounces. That comes out to about 87 cents per bottle, or 7 cents per ounce.

The price tag on the store shelves indicated these sodas are new. Then, I noticed my receipt calls these both “winter craft soda.” I’m assuming these are a new Seasonal Item that will be available only during the colder months, but I’m not completely sure about that. Aldi does not offer online ordering for products that are not in stock at your local store, so if these sodas are a Seasonal Item and you really like them, you might want to stock up so you still have a supply for the off season.

Ingredients for the cherry cola flavor are carbonated water, invert sugar, phosphoric acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), natural and artificial flavors, and caramel color.

Ingredients for the cream soda flavor are carbonated water, invert sugar, sodium benzoate (preservative), citric acid, caramel color, and natural and artificial flavors.

Nutrition information and ingredients. Cherry cola on the left, cream soda on the right. (Click to enlarge.)

These are loaded with added sugar, but they’re sodas, so that’s not a surprise.

Both flavors have 165 calories per 12-ounce-bottle serving.

The cherry cola flavor has 8 mg of sodium (0% DV), 44 grams of total carbohydrates (16% DV), and 44 grams of added sugars (88% DV).

The cream soda flavor has 38 mg of sodium (2% DV), 42 grams of total carbohydrates (15% DV), and 42 grams of added sugars (84% DV).

As far as how these taste, my family thought these tasted as expected.

The cherry cola tastes like … cherry cola. It has that classic cola flavor with a hint of fruity cherry flavor. I am biased because I prefer Cherry Coke, and this Aldi soda doesn’t have that distinct Coca-Cola flavor that I like, but this Aldi soda is fine.

The cream soda is very sweet, as cream soda often is. It has vanilla notes and tastes kind of like an ice cream float. I probably like A&W cream soda a little better, but this Aldi version is decent.

The Verdict:

Summit Cherry Cola and Summit Cream Soda appear to be winter seasonal sodas at Aldi. They’re sold in glass bottles in cases of four. The cherry cola tastes like a non-distinct cola (not Coke or Pepsi) with cherry flavoring, while the cream soda has a good sweet, vanilla flavor. If you like craft-style sodas, these might be worth trying.