Pop Stars: 5 New England Craft Soda Standouts
Discover New England’s best craft sodas, from maple seltzer in Vermont to Rhode Island classics and Maine-made root beer.
By Courtney Hollands|Apr 23 2026|
You may know Moxie, but don’t miss a chance to sip these other New England–crafted sodas, too.
Photo Credit: Adam DetourMoxie may be the most infamous, but it’s far from the only New England craft soda. Across the region, small producers are bottling everything from maple-infused seltzer to old-school sarsaparilla, so whether you’re after nostalgia or something new, these fizzy bottles deliver.
5 New England Craft Soda Standouts
Vermont Sweetwater
Poultney, VT
Since 1993, Vermont Sweetwater Soda co-owners Bob and Rich Münch have taste-tested every flavor around the kitchen table with friends and family, growing their line from one offering—maple seltzer—to 11. And while the company is a relatively new kid on the carbonated block, the brothers embrace tradition, producing their sodas on a restored 1940 Crown Cork and Seal Dixie bottler.
Superlative sip: A full ounce of maple syrup goes into every 12-ounce bottle of maple soda, making for a caramelly, slightly woodsy quaff that’s nice over ice.
Harmony Springs
Ludlow, MA
The founders of this circa-1908 soda company moved operations from Northampton to Ludlow in 1948 for a very specific reason: More than 400 feet below the Yale Street factory is a spring-fed aquifer that supplies all the chilled water for Harmony Springs’ 20-plus pop varieties, which range from the expected (cola, ginger ale, lemon-lime) to the surprising (peach, pineapple, grape).
Superlative sip: Boasting herbal notes and anise on the nose, a Harmony Springs sarsaparilla is root beer’s more sophisticated cousin.
Photo Credit: Adam Detour
Avery’s
New Britain, CT
When Patrick Moore was a kid, his dad used to pick up Avery’s birch beer on his commute home from work in New Britain. Moore grew up to launch Simsbury’s Hilltop Apiaries, and a collaboration with Avery’s on a honey-sweetened flavor five years ago led to a full-circle moment: Last summer, he took over the 122-year-old soda producer from retiring owner Rob Metz. “It’s more than just a soda,” Moore says, “it’s nostalgia.”
Superlative sip: With a round, almost buttery flavor, Avery’s popular cream soda cries out for an ice cream float.
Yacht Club
North Providence, RI
Yacht Club Soda is so Rhode Island. Not only has the same family run the company in North Providence for three generations, but each flavor shows pride of place with labels featuring Ocean State scenes painted by local artist Mike Bryce (Rose Island for blue raspberry, for example, or Warwick Neck for orange). But you don’t have to be local to enjoy Yacht Club: Expats can score 12-packs online.
Superlative sip: Reminiscent of Cherry Coke, the subtly sweet Rhody Red—decked out with a Misquamicut State Beach label—goes down smooth.
Capt’n Eli’s
Portland, ME
In the mid-1990s, Fred Forsley pulled the first pints of root beer made from his dad Eli’s recipe at his restaurant, Federal Jack’s in Kennebunk (Fred also started Shipyard Brewing Company). It soon hit the drinks menu at other Maine bars and restaurants, and today Capt’n Eli’s seven flavors—including that classic root beer—can also be found at grocery stores around New England and beyond.
Superlative sip: A fizzy tribute to Vacationland’s state fruit, the Blueberry Pop gives off Table Talk pie vibes.
Did we miss your favorite New England craft soda? Let us know!
This feature was originally published as “Pop Stars” in the May/June 2026 issue of Yankee.
One specialty deserving mention is Foxon Park, in East Haven, CT. Their white birch beer is well known to New Haven apizza fans. It’s a tradition!
I am not a big soda drinker, but I do enjoy a nice blueberry soda or root beer. I like Cap’n Eli’s, Maine Root, and am especially fond of those flavors from Atlantic Brewing in Bar Harbor.