Natrona Bottling Company

The almond cream soda was truly the most amazing soda I have had in a long time! I have never heard of this company until the Unilocal event this evening! I will definitely be seeking their soda out!

At the Unilocal Burgh Bash, I had the opportunity to try the Almond Crème Soda… WOW! It literally tastes like an almond desert in soda form! Awesome! I loved it! I ended up finding the Almond Crème Soda at Sinful Sweets downtown and snagged two bottles! I cannot wait to drink them!
5 stars for that particular product! I plan on trying more of their sodas soon and will update my review as I try them!

I’m not a huge soda (or pop, as native PGHers call it) fan, but I go out of my way for Natrona’s sodas. To date, I’ve tried four flavors – the cherry, the grape, the cream soda, and the mint julep – and all of them have been fantastic. I recommend the mint julep in particular – it’s just sweet enough without being overly so, and for those of you who don’t enjoy mint-​flavored beverages, it may just win you over. You can tell that they use high-​quality ingredients in their product, and the sensation of drinking it is pleasantly refreshing due to the pinpoint carbonation, rather than fizzy to the point of producing a burning sensation in your throat, like many of the sodas you’re used to.
I’ve never bought directly from them, but I’ve purchased their sodas by the bottle at the Porch, Yinzburgh BBQ, and Union Pig and Chicken. If you’re like me and you don’t have a convenient means of transportation, you don’t have to go all the way to Natrona to try some – it can be found right in our fair city of PGH. If you’re someone who enjoys sodas or sweet drinks, you have to check it out – and even if you’re not, you should give it a try. So, pick some up today and see how soda (or pop) should really taste!

I have several bottles of Red Ribbon in my fridge right now from my last trip down «home». I look forward to it everytime I’m in the area. Best stuff around!

I want a case of their cream soda NOW! Sooooo gooooooood!

This weekend, I was fortunate to have quenched my thirst with two bottles of NBC’s (not the network) Red Ribbon sodas: Cherry Supreme and Almond Cream.
«Red pop» and cream sodas are two beverages I had been patently avoiding since I was a small child. Red pop always tasted like watered-​down, carbonated cough syrup. Cream soda was too rich, too heavy to refresh, and would seemingly clog my throat with mucus.
NBC’s soda’s were opposite numbers of my formerly despised sodas. I could taste the juice and cane sugar in the cherry soda without any bite as it washed down my sandwich smoothly, brilliantly. The cream soda was laced with a vanilla that astonished my tongue with a subtlety and economy that was not at all smothered by anything. After each sip, the nutty aftertaste of the almond extract did not go undetected, making the soda not only gourmet but also a tad peregrine in a flavorful way. Both were only lightly effervescent, which only served to make them all the more replenishing.
For 108 years, NBC has been standing up to the big soda bottlers using glass, quality integrants, zero caffeine, and overall attention to craft. I am ashamed that in all my years this was merely my first brush with their effortlessly pleasurable soft potations. It surely will not be the last.
P. S. Below is a list, surely not exhaustive, of all the local establishments that sell NBC’s products. Mine were had at Crested Duck Charcuterie in Beechview.

I am ever so grateful to Steve P. for reminding me to support Natrona Bottling Company. Their ginger beer is the BEST! I urge anyone who appreciates quality sodas to head over to Natrona to stock up on summer refreshments. These sodas make the finest mixers (my favorites: bourbon with ginger and root beer floats with the occasional shot of espresso)! Mary Jane will be sure that you get some recipes. If the twenty minute drive from Pittsburgh isn’t for you, or you just want to try them one at a time, they are available at some great locations about town, such as Spak Bros. and Morning Glory.

It’s such a shame that there is a 5000 character limit for Unilocal reviews, this is a business that hits a different cord and deserves so much more than that. Unlike the large conglomerate corporations that don’t give a damn about their customers. The Natrona Bottling Company understands that people are the lifeblood of their survival. In a world that thrives on greed, money, pathetic product, cutting corners, and the «easy way out» NBC is a shining example of a big middle finger pointed at the business world.
The Natrona Bottling Company produces some fantastic sodas and it has been around for more then 100 years (
). It is a small plant, in a dinky little town, in the middle of literally nowhere. But while I was there I met a few of the nicest, albeit long winded, people I have ever known. You see since it is a small place, they rely a lot on actual customer service and customer support. They have a sincere kindness about them that is lost with many places today. They know that you are their livelihood and if you are going to come back, they had better work on keeping you happy. I arrived at the plant at 12:30 in the afternoon with the intention of buying a few cases and then getting back on the road for the 3 hour trip. What ended up happening is that I was introduced to the entire 4 person crew, got a grand tour of the facilities, and received a whole lot of freebies to take with me. These people knew I came in to buy their product, and were so pleased with my visit they gave me almost 40 dollars worth of free pop. It’s something that you don’t get very much any more. People are too busy with wanting to be greedy and make their millions. That visit was a few months ago.
Unfortunately I discovered that, Paul, the youngest, and last brother of the family who originally bought the plant died. I only heard about it recently and was saddened to hear of his passing. I feel privileged that I actually met him. The last vision I have of him is on my way out of the plant, I spied him in his office, he was staring at nothing, leaning over his desk with a solemn expression on his face, glasses hanging at the tip of his nose. This was the same man, not 30 minutes ago, was telling me grand stories about his family and the whole bottling plant business that he had been a part of for close to 70 years. Paul, you’ll be missed. The plant is now being kept alive by his wife and the few employees they have. Not trying to advertise or anything for them, but they also received an award and a spot on the show «What makes Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh? (
)
If you find yourself in the area, and you want to taste something that is almost forgotten in the soda industry, come here and get anything they make. Mary-​Jane is a fantastic person who is more than willing to accommodate anything you want to find. She even gave me the grand tour and came in when the plant was closed to get me my sodas. The Cherry Supreme, Mint Julep, and Ginger Beer are my top three favorites, but I urge you to try them all. They still use real cane sugar and dry ice for their carbonation which makes the fizz bubbles much smaller, doesn’t sound like much I know, but it makes all the difference in the world.