Flat Mountain Dew

This might seem silly, but...

If the only pop/soda you drink is Mt. Dew, maybe you are "getting used
to" the way it tastes.

I get that sometimes. I drink something so much, for so long, that
eventually it starts to taste bland. I have to change it up every now
and then.

Try switching to another flavor, like Pepsi, or eliminating carbonated
drinks for a while. I alternate between tea, flavored water, Cherry
Pepsi, and Mt. Dew, and have not had a problem since.

They sent me a mailed response when I wrote them, so you should hear
back.

Very reasonable requests.

I have a feeling this is a distributor based issue. I have had maybe
two or three bottles of flat soda over the course of a year. One step
YOU can take is this:
when buying a 20oz out of a cooler, squeeze the bottle before you buy
it, if it squeezes easily its flat. the ideal soda bottle should be
rock hard and not have any play when you squeeze it.

Good Luck, Im sure Pepsico will get back to you quickly, i wrote to
them earlier this year and got a prompt response.

Did you check expiration dates? I was buying 20-ounce bottles of Coca
Cola (this was several years ago) from a certain coffee shop near
work, and they often would be flat. I finally saw the expiration (or
sell by) date on the bottle (not easy to see that dark grey print when
it's full of pop!) and noticed that the pop was expired. Even if it
was by just a month, the pop was flat.

I called Coca Cola and the problem was immediately taken care of. I
hope the same happens as a result of your letter.

Sounds like a local bottler issue, as I've had plenty of Mt. Dew
recently and this has not been my experience.

You'd think that if all their products, for this long, were flat,
there'd be hundreds of customers complaining. That being the case, it
sure sounds like the local bottler is simply ignoring the problem.
Which is a whole lot worse than having made the mistake in the first
place.

Even more, I'm surprised that bottlers weren't required to use cans
and bottles that met certain specs. The fact that they're using
too-thin cans and plastic bottles sure sounds like this is a terrible
bottler.

If you're in an area that's served by Pepsi Bottling Group, take
heart: PepsiCo is buying these plans, so hopefully that'll improve
quality.

And then I let most of the ice dilute. I know it's wimpy but a lot
easier on the throat and even the nose!

This is a very interesting letter. I know what it's like when your
favorite product suddenly fails to meet your expectations. I agree
that an inspection of the bottler in your area is in order. You
certainly tried enough ways to get non-flat Mountain Dew, and you
can't just be imaging this.

Have you noticed a date on any of these flat sodas? Also, is it more
syrupy than it used to be? Maybe there has been a change in
formulation in both regular and diet. Not likely, but possible.