For all my pawpaw people, Ale 8 out of Winchester, KY is releasing these tomorrow for their new fall flavor. It was a hit for me!
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Wow! That’s so cool! Is this the first-ever pawpaw soft drink?!? I’ve certainly never heard of anything but spirits and beer…
Ingredients?
Thanks!
So, unsurprisingly no actual pawpaw but natural flavors could presumably have been derived from actual fruit.
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Looks like they do some processing of Pawpaw to get some chemicals out of it but we don’t know what. If it contained actual Pawpaw it would be listed. Deceptive labeling.
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Appears to only be selling in KY and online.
Where’s the pawpaw in the list of ingredients?
It’s pawpaw flavored so I’d assume that’s the “natural flavors”
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Ale 8-1 is sort of a ginger ale type soft drink. Mainly a ‘thing’ in Central KY…I used to pick up a six-pack for my wife (a central KY native and UK graft) whenever I had to go to Frankfort for meetings. I do see it in stores here on occasion.
I probably don’t drink a soft drink once a year…and Ale 8-1 with pawpaw flavor is not gonna entice me to consume more…
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My wife worked for a large flavor company right out of college. She took in fresh Pawpaws to have one of their flavorist make the flavor. She only worked their 2 years, so I’m not sure if anyone used that flavor, but their is definitely a commercial source of pawpaw flavor out there.
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One source, probably others out there.
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Same! Wouldn’t be able to finish a single bottle - just would be interested to taste it.
The brand is sold here in TN but seems like the pawpaw flavor may be limited to KY.
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I’m close to Cincinnati Ohio so I may take a little drive over to Kentucky and pick up a few to try. Sometimes the area will get things back and forth to their grocery stores that are on both side of the Ohio River.
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We’re in NE KY, Ale-8 is one of my favorite soft drinks. It’s funny I’m not a native, but my wife is, and she hates it. Hmm. I also like Mountain Dew, but she doesn’t, she’s more of a Diet Coke fan, I really can’t stand it, too acidic for me.
They’ve come out with other special flavors, like Blackberry, Orange Cream, and Cherry. Will keep a look out for this variety.
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Always interesting to try a different flavor now and again. Sometimes you might even find a flavor you actually like. A nice surprise.
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I didn’t even know what a paw paw was until I moved here. Tried a wild one from our next door neighbor, it was mostly seeds, and tasted like an overripe banana, not a big fan. But I’m sure the domesticated varieties are better.
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Sorry, for reference this is only a seasonal flavor of Ale-8 soda, not pawpaw soda. Their original soda is similar to a ginger ale without a strong ginger taste. They release new flavors periodically throughout the year. This is the first time they have released a pawpaw flavor.
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Was curious as to how were you able to get a sample if it hasn’t come out yet?
My family is all from Perry County so we drank a LOT of Ale 8 when I was a kid. 
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