Author: Fallon Christian and Emme Haiken
There must be a thousand bottles. Beautiful, colorful rows of different glass silhouettes, with intricate labels bearing names such as “The Prohibition,” “NuGrape,” “Original Moxie” and “Champayno.” And John Nese can tell you something interesting about every one. The aisles not only contain some of the most unique drinks you will ever see-they also invoke a sense of history. Each bottle has been made with care and effort; the label, the flavors and the packaging have been handed down through generations and families.
An older man is asleep at a table, snoring audibly. Nese, the owner of Galco’s Soda Pop Stop, wakes him gently-he is clearly a regular. The neighborhood market is located just down York Blvd., a walk well worth it for the thirsty or those whose taste buds need a lift. Galco’s started out as an Italian grocery store, family-owned and operated in an area the business has been connected to since 1897. Nese began working at the store, which his father operated, before he was tall enough to see over the counter. Now he owns it, as his father passed away two years ago. The store specializes in soda and beer, but also houses a retro candy section and an Italian deli that hasn’t changed since it opened.
Nese made a conscious choice to change the market’s selection in protest of the dominance of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. These corporations were buying the shelf space of grocery stores like his, but Nese refused to sell his shelves to the vendor who was inflating the prices of the cola. “I own my shelf space, they don’t,” he said.
A representative from PepsiCo. warned Nese that his customers would demand Pepsi and Coke, but Nese has found a niche in his Highland Park shop. Over the years, he said Highland Park and his business have changed dramatically, as well as his selection of sodas and beer.
Nese gives us a grand tour, barely pausing to take a breath. He passes boxes labeled “Cheerwine” and “Wild Fruitz,” and with every new bottle comes a new story. Nese has built up his collection of soda and beer over the years through recommendations from nostalgic customers who haven’t been able to locate their favorite drinks and through his own exploration. A great portion of his job involves coordinating deliveries from distant places, as well as finding new sodas. “They’re in little tiny areas in the country. You have to go out and get them,” Nese said.
When he picks up a soda, he seems to know the first names of almost every bottler, some of whom are small, family-owned companies. “We’ve been working with little, tiny bottlers,” he said. Galco’s is the only store on the West Coast that sells the Wild Fruitz line. He has even persuaded the makers of drinks to start remanufacturing for his shelves.
Relating a story about how he came to carry Fentiman’s Victorian Lemonade, based in London, he recalled telling the owner, Jeff, “I’ve been tracking your sodas for two years now.” They then figured out how to get it delivered from London. The drinks are naturally carbonated-“fermented, like a beer,” Nese said, with an “undertone of a beer flavor to them.”
When asked if he had a favorite drink, Nese balked. “When you have 500 sodas, there’s no such thing as a favorite,” he said.
But he did seem partial to “Wild Fruitz,” the drink he showed us first. It’s made from real fruit and has fruit sediment resting on the bottom. There are many different flavors, including watermelon, lemonade, raspberry and peach. “Nature Gone Wild,” the label proclaims. “Ready for a Squeeze?” the box asks.
In the same refrigerator, Nese points out a green bottle from a tiny bottler in Pennsylvania. It’s “Mint Julep” and Nese’s face lights up when talking about this unique drink. He found the soda after a woman called the store and asked for it. When Nese said he didn’t know where to find it, the Pennsylvania native knew of a manufacturer in her state.
Nese then walks down the aisle and stops at “Red Ribbon Cherry.” The bright red drink is made from real cherries. Nese said that when he first started carrying it, one of the first purchasers bought a bottle and took a sip on his way out. The shopper stopped, turned around and bought a crate of it.
He continues to give us a tour of his store, stopping to point out a variety of drinks: “Ginger Beer” from Jamaica, “Donelli 100% carbonated juice,” “Pennsylvania Punch,” “Vanilla Cream” soda with remnants of vanilla beans in it, Original “Dr. Pepper” made with imperial cane sugar and “Original Moxie,” which tastes like “carbonated cough medicine” unless you sip it slowly.
“[Customers] should have choices. That’s why I did what I did. Everyone should have freedom of choice,” Nese said.
And when it comes to choice, customers can also choose from a sizeable beer selection. There are 450 different kinds of beers in the shop. “We have a lot of things you won’t find anywhere else,” Nese said. Galco’s certainly brings new meaning to the old road trip song, “Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall.”
They carry “Lonestar” and “Pabst,” which won gold at a recent American beer festival, along with microbrews. There is a whole section of Belgium beers, along with beer from Central America, South America and Africa. Nese carries 60-70 German beers alone.
“We have chili beer,” Nese said. And this chili beer actually has a whole chili in it. “No matter how cold you get it, it’s still hot,” he said.
Galco’s also has seasonal beers, so their inventory changes. You won’t find these drinks at any convenience store: “The Prohibition” from San Francisco, “Bitch Creek,” and a French beer called “Blonde Malt.”
One of the more unusual beers is “Heather Ale,” a Scotland beer that’s been made the same way for 4,000 years. Another is the oldest continuously brewed beer in the world, “Weiherstephaner.” “It goes back to like, 1040,” Nese said.
He recommends sodas and beers for us to try. The first is a heavier brew, “Erdinger Hefe-Weisen.” It’s a wheat beer that was once made with different a different recipe because Germany passed a law banning the use of wheat for beer, so more bread could be made. “There’s political motivations for everything, even beer,” Nese said.
Nese walks us over to the case and cracks open a gleaming green bottle of “Quench” for us, and he watches our reactions. It tastes like fresh grapefruit, but is sweet instead of sour. “That thing just snaps and pops,” he said, pointing out the distinct taste of a soda with real sugar in it, as opposed to corn syrup.
He also opens a “Red Ribbon Cherry” for us. The carbonation is delicate and fine and the taste unlike anything we’ve tried.
“That’s cherry beyond cherry,” Nese said proudly.
We part with Nese to pick out some of his recommendations to try on our own. As we make our selections, we are stopped by a shopper standing in front of Nesbitt’s soda. She points to the beverages. “This is the way it always came,” she said. “None of that pop top stuff.”
Knowing that Nese has handpicked every bottle in the store, customers can be sure that whatever they’re getting is of a certain special quality.
Galco’s Soda Pop Stop is located at 5702 York Blvd. and is open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Beverages can be bought individually or by the box. The store has been featured on PBS and the Food Channel, as well as in the L.A. Times and Sunset Magazine. Visit Galco’s online at www.sodapopstop.com
The Weekly staff tried some of Nese’s recommended beverages and provided their input:
St. Peter’s Cream Stout: A heavy ale from the U.K.
5 likes; 7 dislikes
Weekly says:
“Tastes like bitter breakfast syrup–too sweet for a stout.”
“I have a new favorite stout.”
Erdinger Hefe-Weizen: A wheat beer from Germany
10 likes; 1 dislike
Weekly says:
“Smooth . . . even the froth has flavor.”
“Creamy and foamalicious. A casual beer for anyone.”
Wild F
ruitz-Watermelon: 100% natural sparkling juice
8 likes; 5 dislikes
Weekly says:
“Mild sweetness that doesn’t impose.”
“Love this. It’s light and would be super refreshing on a hot day.”
Mint Julep: Plantation style, soft drink and mixer
5 likes; 7 dislikes
Weekly says:
“Like a mix between Sprite and grasshopper pie, both things I love.”
“Mouthwash without the aftertaste. It’s alright.”
Samuel Smith: Oatmeal stout from England
3 likes; 8 dislikes
Weekly says:
“Just like my last girlfriend. Started well and ended bitterly.”
“My tongue is pissed at me.”
Xingu: Black beer from Brazil
12 likes; 1 dislike
Weekly says:
“Super smooth–and I don’t even like beer!”
“I thought it was soda.”
Nuky: The original rose soda
11 likes; 2 dislikes
Weekly says:
“Kind of sweet, and I don’t know what rose tastes like, but it’s good.”
“Tastes like 8th grade makeup.”
Manhattan Special: Espresso Coffee Soda brewed since 1895
7 likes; 6 dislikes
Weekly says:
“The perfect afternoon pick-me-up.”
“Coffee-licious, cold and mild. The best alternative to an energy drink.”
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