Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Gridlock Energy Review

Yes, this drink does actually exist. I found it at an Aldi's store, conveniently located right next to the "Red Thunder" (I'll pick some up and review it later, it was only $3 for a 4 pack). Aldi's a weird store, it's has about 2 aisles with the rest of the store being the checkout registers, where the typically overweight cashiers actually sit on chairs while they check out your food. I cracked up when I saw "Gridlock" energy, for some reason generic brand names always make me laugh.





The Can:
Much like a lot of generic energy drinks, Gridlock has a paragraph describing the drink on the back of the can, but this one makes absolutely no sense. I really can't figure out what they were trying to say, maybe you can:

"To those seeking fun and refreshment or performance-driven energy, xx. Summit is the quality brand of colas and carbonated beverages that brings flavor and function to fit your lifestyle."        

Trust me, there are no typos in that paragragh. The x's are really there and it really doesn't make sense. I felt scared when the can told me that I had to choose between fun and refreshment, or performance. I felt so confused and scared that I just cracked upon the can and waited to see what happened. The can actually has a green tab on top, which is sort of weird for a drink that only costed 95 cents total. The can design is pretty humorous but it's not horrible, it's pretty much what you get for paying 95 cents for an energy drink.

The Drink:
Upon taking a sip, it's a Monster knock-off. It actually tastes a lot like the Import variety of Monster, but those two taste almost the exact same. In a "blind taste test" or something, I probably wouldn't be able to tell much of a difference except for the fact that I only felt some "fun and refreshment" or just some "performance" from one of the drinks. I was hoping that the drink would provide "fun and refreshment" because since it was hot outside the last thing that I want to be is bored and thirsty. For anybody who likes Monster, this drink is very easy to enjoy. Like I said, it tastes a lot like Monster Import to me, but there's not much of a substantial difference between that and regular Monster taste wise.

The Buzz:
Very surprisingly, this drink contains the exact same energy blend that Monster does. It's the exact same thing, but for 95 cents. Honestly, I'm pretty surprised that they not only did a pretty good job stealing the flavor but they also did a pretty good job stealing the energy blend as well. Monster's energy blend is pretty impressive, so Gridlock's is also. I actually felt a mix of "fun and refreshment" and "performance", so Gridlock's magical telekinetic powers did not influence me too much.

With such an odd name and a pretty much identical taste and energy blend to Monster for only 95 cents, you really can't go wrong with Gridlock. If you can find one at your local Aldi's, pick one up. I seriously would not recommend picking up anything else from Aldi's though because I care about my readers' safety.

13 comments:

  1. Dude, I have news for you: Monster is the Actual contractor who was awarded the contract by Aldi....so it is indeed Monster! I enjoyed reading your review, but you need to do more research about Aldi's. (ie: there is a reason why the cashiers sit in chairs, there is a reason why their selection is extremely limited, there is a reason why you have to deposit a quarter into the shopping cart, there is a reason why you have to bring your own bags or purchase theres, there is a reason why they don't take credit cards and there is a reason why all their brands taste just like the name brands! Go to their web page and click on suppliers.) The two wealthiest men in Germany own aldi's and trader joes. ( well 1 of the brothers died last year) Anyways, I enjoyed reading your review. Good job!

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  2. Exactly d.c. I recently tried monster version hen came across gridlock
    The taste Ed identical although at Walmart I could get monster 4 ok for about 6$ why bother...

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  3. Is the caffeine content the same as a Monster? 160 mg per 16 oz can?

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  4. "where the typically overweight cashiers actually sit on chairs while they check out your food."

    Good accurate review, but is the above actually necessary? What's wrong with providing chairs for your employees, who don't need to move around much anyway? They do a good job checking people out quickly (at least in Texas), so perhaps it's possible Aldi is doing something correctly.

    Also, symbols like (xx) usually refer to fine print... ex. "not actually endorsed by the FDA"

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  5. Stuff is great, but can they make it in a smaller can. I never drink the entire can. Too much sugar in one drinking.

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  6. gmopro - they have low carb (no sugar?)versions. I particular like the gold can (limited availability).

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  7. I just wanted to point out that I tried Gridlock and had a horrible allergic reaction to it. Not sure what caused it, but it hasn't happened with any other energy drink I've tried.

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  8. Aldi's premise is that they can give a customer the basic foods at a lower cost. And the food is as good as name band. They save money by needing only 3-4 employees at any given time, and the quarter for the cart is so they don't need someone to retrieve it from the parking lot.

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  9. Lo-Carb version has a vicious musky body at about mid-swallow. I'll agree that the initial flavor is Monster, doubtless, but they did something to tweak the taste in the lo-carb version (unless I got old stock or something).

    Definitely do NOT like the lo-carb version.

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  10. The blue low-carb version takes away the sugar rush and all the unwanted calories.

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  11. I can't imagine what the problem is with the reviewer Matt. He doesn't like anything about Aldi's, so I'd advise him to simply STAY OUTTA THERE! There often too many people in there anyway! I discovered Aldi's several years ago and they just keep getting better and better. None of the cashiers in either of the stores I frequent is overweight--so what was that all about??? He resents them being able to sit down? Get a life, Bub! And why don't you do something constructive with your time instead of just being so negative--and uninformed!

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  12. My husband works at Aldi and he's not like the overweight individuals you describe. In fact, he's lean and built like a marathon runner (which is not built but more so thin he may get blown over by wind). Wherever you live just may be more prone to the obesity epidemic than here. The fact it's Aldi has nothing to do with their weight nor is it pertinent to the review of the product. Also, I agree with DC. Aldi is built that way for a reason. You should do some research into this great company or just stick to product reviews rather than give your 2 cents on the facility until you don't make yourself sound a bit foolish. Just saying.

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  13. I work for Aldi it's a very demanding job I lift boxes and everything in the back then essentially sprint to the front to ring 43 items per minute. Then I do it all again for about the next 9 hours

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