UPDATED 10:12 a.m. March 13, 2018: After this story ran in The Dallas Morning News in 2017, Dublin Bottling Works chose to stop producing their Dublin Original brand. Read more about the decision here.

DUBLIN — Five years after Dr Pepper rolled out of town, everyone wants to know: Is this new stuff the real deal?

The historic Dublin Bottling Works has been producing a variety of craft sodas ever since a headline-grabbing lawsuit halted production of Texas' beloved Dublin Dr Pepper in January 2012.

But there's one — they called it Black Cherry at first but recently renamed it Dublin Original — that has a reputation for tasting awfully ... familiar.

Curious soda drinkers are starting to come back to Dublin, stopping into Old Doc's Soda Shop at the bottling plant on Elm Street and asking for their old favorite.

They're Texans like Tracy and Jeff Everist from Houston. The couple was visiting Abilene last week and decided to swing by on their way home.

Soda jerk Kate McCrory walked Tracy Everist through each of the sodas, from Retro Grape to TeXas root beer. When she was done, she made sure to point out the one in the bottle with the red, black and yellow stripes.

1 / 5Kate McCrory and Head Soda Jerk Kenny Horton work behind the counter at Old Doc's Soda Shop at the Dublin Bottling Works in Dublin. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 2 / 5Dr Pepper memorabilia lines the wall and shelves in the W. P. Kloster Museum at the Dublin Bottling Works in Dublin, Texas Friday Feb. 24, 2017. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 3 / 5A cyclist passes in front of the Dublin Bottling Works, museum and soda shop in Dublin, Texas Friday Feb. 24, 2017. An old Dr Pepper sign is still on the roof even though it's no longer bottled there. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 4 / 5Students bussed over from De Leon Elementary form a line inside and out to get floats at Old Doc's Soda Shop at the Dublin Bottling Works in Dublin, Texas Friday Feb. 24, 2017. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 5 / 5Students from De Leon Elementary enjoy floats at Old Doc's Soda Shop at the Dublin Bottling Works in Dublin, Texas Friday Feb. 24, 2017. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News)

"This is our Original, which everyone switched to since the Dr Pepper lawsuit," she said. "All I can tell you is it's really good."

"So it's Dr Pepper?"

McCrory smiled. They get this question all the time in Dublin. The answer is always the same, delivered with the same big smile.

"All I can say is it's really, really good."

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Dr Pepper, Texas

For over 120 years, Dublin was synonymous with Dr Pepper. It was a Texas tradition.

The Texas-made Imperial Pure Cane Sugar that went into Dublin's variety of Dr Pepper made it special. Sweeter, sure. Ask a Texan, however, and they'd tell you it just tasted different. Better. Worth the drive down to Dublin for a case of the original-formula soda instead of the mass-produced recipe with high fructose corn syrup.

That was part of the allure. That long drive to Dublin to fill up the car with rattling glass bottles on a summer Saturday. Dublin Dr Pepper was distributed only in a 44-mile radius of the plant. Only six counties had the privilege of selling Dublin Dr Pepper firsthand. Anyone else who wanted to buy it had to drive to Dublin and load up the car.

Families would drive down Highway 377 and return with those old faded wood pallets full of bottles. A scoop of ice cream floated on a mug full of Dublin Dr Pepper was a treat no young Texan would miss.

A staple at summertime backyard barbecues, it was always, always worth the drive.

All that ended five years ago, when Plano's Dr Pepper Snapple Group sued the Dublin bottling company, claiming a violation of their licensing agreement. Cases disappeared from shelves, and bottles sold on eBay for extravagant price tags. Facebook groups mourned "DDP," flooding Dr Pepper with protests and complaints.

For many Texans, the message was that Dublin, not just the Dr Pepper plant, was closed for good. Tourists stopped coming down Highway 377. They stopped visiting Old Doc's Soda Shop and the bottling plant museums. They stopped getting lunch in town and spending money at the few shops still open.

The soda jerks in Dublin never stopped pouring sodas, however. Now they're trying to spread the word: Dublin is — as it always was — open for business.

Historic bottling plant

Nine times a day, head soda jerk Kenny Horton offers tours through the two museums that Dublin Bottling Works has to offer.

He shows off the Peggy Pepper cut-outs from the 1940s, so scantily dressed that they were quickly pulled off shelves. He shows off the original Hutchinson glass bottles with a metal stopper, used long before the crown caps became popular. He points out the original cash register and historic photographs with the name "Dublin Bottling Works."

1 / 3The name "Dublin Bottling Works" dates back to the earliest days of Dr Pepper in Dublin. This historic photo shows Sam Houston Primm's bottling plant in the early 1900s. (Dublin Bottling Works) 2 / 3The original bottling works in Dublin is now Old Doc's Soda Shop. This historic photos from 1912 shows some of the first bottles of Dr Pepper in original Hutchison bottles. (Dublin Bottling Works) 3 / 3The Dublin Dr Pepper bottling plant in the 1930s. Throughout the 20th century, the plant became popular for using Imperial Pure Cane Sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. (Dublin Bottling Works)

Finally, he shows tourists the massive, antique bottling equipment that produced Dr Pepper in Dublin for decades.

The machines run only when tour groups come through. The Dublin Bottling Works craft sodas are all bottled out-of-state these days. The 1936 machinery is too slow to keep up with growing demand, but the company hopes to invest in a new line to bottle in-house this year. They're already available in most Texas grocery chains — H-E-B, Central Market, Tom Thumb, Kroger and more — and they're still expanding to new out-of-state markets.

They've also had to go grassroots. Dublin Dr Pepper used to market itself. Now, general manager Kent Crouch has to introduce his products to new vendors and customers one at a time. At the State Fair of Texas, for example, they set up a booth to give customers a new taste, one Dixie cup at a time.

By the end of the fair, it was the highest-selling bottled beverage. Others may have sold more fountain beverages in the XXL Big Tex cups, but no one — not Coca-Cola Co., not PepsiCo and not Dr Pepper Snapple Group — sold more bottled soda than Dublin Bottling Works, according to fair organizers.

The syrups are all made in the Dublin bottling plant and shipped out. There are the basics like ginger ale, cola, root beer and cream soda, but there's also new mixes like Dublin Fru Fru Berry, Dublin Cherry Limeade and TeXas Sweet Peach.

Of course, there's also the Dublin Original, a proprietary blend of 24 flavors — one up on Dr Pepper's 23. Its logo features three little hearts with initials IMK, WPK and DDP. The first two are for longtime owner W.P. Kloster and his wife, Iona Mae.

The last heart, "DDP," is sometimes substituted with "Matthew 5:44." But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.

Which makes you wonder: Really, are they still making Dublin Dr Pepper?

"We don't have a knock-off Dr Pepper," Horton said. "But you ought to try our Dublin Original, it's really good, and I know you'll love it."

Come on. It's Dr Pepper, isn't it?

"Dublin Original is an excellent soda. You'll have to try it."

So, what you're saying is, if you miss the old Dublin Dr Pepper ...

"You'll have to try it. It's a great dark soda," he said with a smirk. "I know you'll love it."

The Dr leaves town

In Dublin, especially around the bottling plant, you just have to say "the lawsuit" and they'll know what you're talking about.

In 2011, Dr Pepper Snapple Group filed suit against Dr Pepper Bottling Co. of Dublin. The Plano-based corporation argued that the bottler was diluting the brand by adding the word "Dublin" to their bottles. The company also claimed that by selling online, the Dublin company violated a contract to only distribute within a 44-mile radius.

It was David and Goliath. Rocky and Apollo Creed. A $7 million bottling plant and a $7 billion corporation.

The Dublin company said $15 million was spent fighting the suit for six months. On Jan. 11, 2012, Dr Pepper Snapple announced it had bought the franchisee's sales and distribution assets for an undisclosed sum.

"Our main focus has always been on protecting the strength and integrity of the Dr Pepper trademark," said Rodger L. Collins, Dr Pepper Snapple's president of packaged beverages in a release the day the settlement was announced. "We're pleased to reach an agreement that accomplishes that while also preserving the history and the special relationship Dr Pepper has with the Dublin community."

That afternoon, crowds started showing up at the bottling plant. News cameras tried to interview Dr Pepper fans who were snatching up the last few bottles. Townspeople meandered in, shell-shocked, trying to find out what they could. Karen Wright, director of the Economic Development Council in Dublin, said the clamor was "disturbing."

"It was almost like a crime scene," Wright said. "That night we felt sadness, a little anger and a whole lot of apprehension."

1 / 4Jeff Kloster, owner of Dublin Bottling Works, looks over one of the last bottles Dr Pepper produced in Dublin during an interview in 2012. Under an agreement with Dr Pepper, the Dublin Dr Pepper bottler will end production of the drink that Kloster's family has been bottling for more than a century. ((File Photo / The Associated Press)) 2 / 4Crowds gather on the last day to get Dublin Dr Pepper after the Dr Pepper Bottling Co. of Dublin agreed to a settlement in a trademark infringement case on Jan. 12, 2012. (File Photo/Nathan Hunsinger/The Dallas Morning News) 3 / 4About noon on Jan. 12, 2012, Dublin Dr Pepper put a sign on the door announcing it was out of stock. (File Photo/Nathan Hunsinger/The Dallas Morning News) 4 / 4A sign out in front of Three Sisters of Dublin gift shop one block from Dr Pepper Bottling Co. of Dublin relays some sentiments of the town on the last day to get Dublin Dr Pepper on Jan. 12, 2012. (File Photo/Nathan Hunsinger/The Dallas Morning News)

The next morning, groups of folks all around town got together to start plotting a path forward. With a pad of paper and pen, Wright and others began writing down every asset Dublin had to offer — besides Dr Pepper.

The whole town had relied so heavily on the bottling works for so long, the sudden divorce gave Dublin an opportunity redefine itself.

"This company was the bread and butter for Dublin for years," Horton said. "The legal battle wasn't good. There's no part of me that thinks that was a good thing. But it did force businesses to rethink how they do business."

After the settlement, news outlets all across Texas aired footage of folks in Dublin carrying out the last cases of Dr Pepper, clearing shelves, closing doors and flipping off lights. It gave the impression that Dublin was closed for good.

But the bottling works never closed. Not even for one day. Within a few months, it was making its own line of craft sodas.

"When life hands you lemons," Horton said, "you make Dublin Tart N Sweet Lemonade."

1 / 7A limited stock of collectible Dublin Dr Pepper from one of the last runs before the bottling contract ended is available for $4.99 per bottle (not meant for consumption) in Old Doc's Soda Shop at the Dublin Bottling Works in Dublin. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 2 / 7Head soda jerk Kenny Horton (left) and general manager Kent Crouch sit for a portrait in Old Doc's Soda Shop, part of Dublin Bottling Works. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 3 / 7An old Dr Pepper neon sign shines as Cory Barbee moves cases of Dublin Bottling Works sodas to the soda shop next door. Dr Pepper is no longer bottled by the company, but a variety of new flavors have been introduced. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 4 / 7Dublin Bottling Works employee Charles Ditmore puts up one of the American flags on the old display truck outside the facility in Dublin. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 5 / 7Kathy Wells of Miles loads up a case of various flavors of sodas for her grandson's birthday at Doc's Soda Shop in Dublin. Dublin Bottle Works has about a dozen flavors of soft drinks and carries a few other brands from out-of-state bottlers. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 6 / 7A statue of W. P. "Bill" Kloster handing a Dr Pepper to a girl, titled The Inspiration, stands in front of the old bottling business he owned in Dublin, Texas Friday Feb. 24, 2017. The Dublin Bottling Works now produces a variety of flavored soft drinks even though they no longer make Dr Pepper. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 7 / 7Bottles of soda line a vintage delivery truck used as a display outside the Dublin Bottling Works in Dublin, Texas Friday Feb. 24, 2017. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News)

Unfortunately, tourists didn't get the memo. Used to, Dublin would get as many as 100,000 visitors a year stopping in for Dr Pepper. The year after the lawsuit, it dropped to 10,000.

There were layoffs too. Fifteen Dubliners lost their jobs immediately after the settlement.

Horton remembers Crouch calling him into his office a few days after the news broke. Crouch said he'd have a job for now, but he couldn't guarantee anything long term. Horton just asked that he get a month's notice, if at all possible, if the ship was going to sink.

They began having monthly meetings to check in. February 2012, he knew he'd have a job. March 2012, he knew he'd have a job. April. May. June. July.

Then things started to stabilize. Later, Crouch told Horton they'd be good through the summer. In January of this year, he was able to say the doors would be open in 2018.

The tourists are just now starting to come back, too. They're about halfway to where things were before the lawsuit. For Dublin, things are finally looking up.

A tale of two sodas

It's still an awkward relationship between Dublin and Dr Pepper. The old signage is everywhere in town, not just in the two massive museum collections. The historic shadow of the old brand looms over the whole town.

"Dublin Bottling Works and the community of Dublin have a special place in the history of the Dr Pepper brand in Texas," said Dr Pepper Snapple spokesman Chris Barnes. "We know it's hard work to build and sustain a brand in this competitive and fast-changing industry, and we wish them well."

1 / 4Cashier Jessica Mudd takes care of a customer's bill at Granny Clark's in Dublin. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 2 / 4David Leatherwood, mayor of Dublin, watches his son playing in a high school baseball game as his brother, Jim Leatherwood, sips from a bottle of Dublin Original cola. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 3 / 4The town's link to Dr Pepper is visible all around, along with flags signaling that the Dublin High School Lions basketball team is in the playoffs. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News) 4 / 4A Welcome To Dublin sign is seen not far from the Dublin Bottling Works in Dublin, Texas Friday Feb. 24, 2017. (Guy Reynolds/The Dallas Morning News)

A sign over the business office of the bottling works reads: Dr Pepper Bottling Company. Many faded murals around town advertise what used to be "Dr Pepper, Texas." Up at Granny Clark's chicken fried steak buffet, folks can still order Dr Pepper, but they'll get Dublin Original.

Even third-generation Mayor David Leatherwood has to correct himself when talking about the plant.

"So you went to the Dr Pe ... the Dublin Bottling Works?" he asks. "You know, everybody still says Dr Pepper plant. It's going to be that way forever."

He said he's had to stop people at the grocery store from buying Dr Pepper instead of the local fare. He tries to persuade them to try the new Dublin Original.

Turns out, people still drive through and buy Dr Pepper, even though it's not of the Dublin variety.

A gas station not three blocks from the bottling works features a big ice chest full of Dr Pepper bottled with Imperial Pure Cane Sugar — a variety the corporation rolled out nationally in special packaging made to look like the retro Dublin-style bottles. A sign out front advertises Dublin Bottling Works "sold here," but go to the refrigerators and it's all Dr Pepper, Diet Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper TEN and all the rest.

Worth the drive?

OK though, really. Let's get down to brass tacks here. This whole thing boils down to one question on every soda-swilling Texan's mind.

Is it as good as Dublin Dr Pepper?

Texas soda taste test We're tasting Dr Pepper and Dublin Bottling Works' Dublin Original, which has a reputation for tasting awfully familiar. How familiar? Our staffers are about to find out. Read our story here: http://www.dallasnews.com/life/texana/2017/03/02/five-years-dr-pepper-left-dublin-texas-town-bubbles-new-sodas Posted by The Dallas Morning News on Friday, March 3, 2017

Let's say you head down Highway 377 through Erath County. Maybe you're detouring from Waco, maybe you're making a day-trip out of it. You pull up to Old Doc's Soda Shop. The faded Dr Pepper sign says they're open, so you try the knob and sure enough, the fountain is running and ready for you.

You go to the bar, ask if they've got the one that tastes like Dublin Dr Pepper.

You oughta try Dublin Original, it's very good.

The soda jerk is smiling. He doesn't wink. You look for a wink but it never comes. Just a friendly smile, and an extended hand, and a Dixie cup full of dark brown, perfectly bubbling, ice-cold soda.

So you take a sip, and there it is. You're in the backseat of a station wagon halfway to Fort Worth, stacked cases of glass bottles clinking in the trunk. You're in the T-ball dugout after the game, with a spoonful of Blue Bell floating on top of the sweet, carbonated mixture. You're sitting on a blanket, watching July Fourth fireworks high above with an ice-cold bottle in your hand. You're sitting on a sidewalk in Dublin, sipping ever so slowly so it won't disappear too fast.

Well? Is it as good as you remember?

Dublin Original is a very good soda with 20-plus flavors. You oughta try it.