Bloom Pop is one of the more authentic (and tasty) prebiotic sodas out there

For more than a century, America has tinkered with the idea of a healthier soda. The first step, still in the midst of decades of tweaking, was to bring down the sugar and caloric content. But recently a new crusade has gained momentum: Sodas that promote healthy gut bacteria.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I do not understand the difference between probiotic and prebiotic and I probably don't care enough to find out. All I know is all that tiny gut bacteria helps regulate how your body processes food and helps set the tone for how you're going to feel. And as someone, given the content of these regular weekly articles, whose diet resembles that of an alcoholic raccoon I'm on board with something capable of improving my general well-being.

But, more importantly, I also like soda. Especially diet sodas, because I am getting old and weight that comes on stays on nowadays.

This is where Bloom Pop comes in. These prebiotic sodas clock in at around 20 calories per can with only three to four grams of sugar. They promise classic pharmacy counter flavors like root beer float and Shirley Temple.

Well, OK. Bloom's energy drinks have soundly won me over . I have high hopes for their latest drink extension. Let's see what we've got.

Root Beer Float: B+

There's a surprising lack of head when poured into the on-theme sundae glass Bloom sent out with its mailer. It never gets more than an eighth of an inch high before dissipating, though it's followed by a steady stream of bubbles ascending long after the pour.

It smells like root beer barrel hard candy. It tastes like you'd expect. There's a mild root beer here that gives way to some creamy vanilla that sticks on your lips. It's soft, but the carbonation helps snap off each sip in a way that invites you back for more.

There's more flavor involved here than in similar healthy sodas like Poppi or Olipop. While I'd prefer a sharper bite -- I've been a Barq's man for too long -- there's no denying Bloom hit its target with this one. While it lacks the density of a float, it backfills that with enough vanilla cream to be a passable substitute. Which, at 30 calories, is a solid accomplishment.

Shirley Temple: B-

It pours the familiar magenta of a Sprite-and-maraschino kid's drink. It tastes, yep, like a Shirley Temple, albeit without the reward of a syrupy cherry at the bottom of the glass. There's enough cane sugar to offset the stevia underneath it, keeping it from feeling sickly sweet.

The difference between this and a bar-made Shirley is in the lemon. There's a hint of that citrus sour at the end of each sip. It's a little unexpected. It also snaps off those sips and keeps a sugary drink from feeling overwhelming. It gets there anyway -- it's a Shirley Temple after all, that's the point -- but it's mostly fine.

Strawberry Cream: B

It doesn't pour like a strawberry soda, with a clear body and a minor rush of bubbles sliding upward around a handful of ice. The smell is sweet strawberry candy, however; not authentic but still familiar.

And, yep, that's exactly what it tastes like. It's as though someone liquified and carbonated old Cream Savers candies. The bubbles work with a slight acidic tang to clock in at the end and make things a bit more crisp, but there's still some sugar (or sugar substitute) fatigue that clocks in as a result.

Still, the flavor is bold and delivers what it promises. I won't want to chug it, but I'm enjoying it as an afternoon, low-key sweet.

Classic Orange: B

It pours clear, which is not a classic orange soda trait whatsoever. The taste, however, is a pretty accurate Sunkist tribute. The finish isn't quite as crisp or tangy thanks to the slick sweetness of the stevia within. Even so, it's solid enough -- even if it's basic enough for this review to effectively be "yep, that's orange soda all right."

Raspberry Lemonade: A

It pours with pungent raspberry/citrus flavors and is a pale pink in my glass. It's carbonated, which is a little weird for a lemonade but not a problem.

The first sip bursts with flavor. Not especially authentic ones, but they're there nonetheless. Raspberry jam and Lemonheads candies hit your tongue, reeled in from being too sweet by the bubbles and acidic sourness underneath.

It's incredibly easy to drink, balanced, refreshing and juuuuust sweet enough to cast off dessert vibes.

Watermelon Lime: C

I'm expecting something between a bag of sour watermelon gummies and a Bomb Pop. The smell lands right in the middle of those two, which excites me but gives you a pretty good idea of where this is going.

The first sip is sharp but juuuuust slightly off. The watermelon clicks in with that candy vibe and then transitions to something more realistic, which splits it between two worlds. It's not good or bad or just a little weird.

It's crisp, sweet and tart but not balanced like the raspberry lemonade. There's just something a bit weird about it that makes it feel like health soda in a way the other flavors did not. It's a bit more dense on your tongue, leaning a bit harder into that melted popsicle aesthetic.

This is the flavor I had the highest hopes for. It's also the worst, even if it's perfectly drinkable.

Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?

This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Bloom Pop over a cold can of Hamm’s?

Yes. The flavors are well realized and full bodied enough to fool you into thinking you're drinking a regular soda. While the watermelon lime was a bit of a miss, the rest of the lineup was solidly sweet without being overwhelming.

This is part of FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey .

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bloom Pop review: Prebiotic sodas that don't taste like health food