Ginger Beer (31 reviews)
Ithaca Soda Co. Ginger Beer
There are a decent amount of breweries out that that make sodas along with their line of beers. I always wonder what prompts them to do so. I’m not complaining, but to be honest, I can’t see there being nearly as big of a market for pop as there is for alcoholic beverages. Maybe they do it out of nostalgia, or perhaps they do it because being around so much consumable liquid all day every day makes for some thirsty employees. They certainly can’t sit around drinking the beer all day, or things would most definitely get messy around the brewery. Whatever their reasons I thank them for following through. The soda that comes from breweries is generally of a higher quality than your everyday pops that you find at the corner store. They take more time in making their beverages and it shows in the flavor.
I recently met up with Night Birds to do a mid-west tour. I took a bus to meet them in Cleveland, which caused me to get to town a couple of hours before they were to arrive. When you’re in that town with some time to kill and an empty stomach they only viable option is to make your way to Melt. It’s a gourmet grilled cheese bar/restaurant with a ton of vegetarian/vegan options and a soda list that rivals a lot of bars beer list. After a public transportation mishap and a two mile walk, I found myself sitting at the bar eating one of the largest sandwiches I have ever handled and drinking this wonderful bottle of ginger beer. At first I thought it was really tame, but the more sips I took the greater the ginger burn. I wasn’t disappointed in that department. Actually, I wasn’t disappointed at all. It had a nice natural ginger flavor with a slight burst of lemon. It had more lemon than any other ginger beer I have tried, but it worked ridiculously well with the ginger. It’s also on the sweeter side of most sodas of this flavor, but you know what? I’m totally okay with that.
Someday I will actually make my way to Ithaca. It’s in NY only a couple of hours from where I live, but for some reason I’ve never been there, even though it sounds like a place I would totally love. When I go I shall drown my non-existent sorrows in bottle after bottle of their ginger brew.
- Website
- http://www.ithacabeer.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 4/8/2013
- Comments
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Royalty Ginger Beer
With a name like 'Royalty', I was expecting this to be a fancy ginger beer. Okay, maybe not THAT fancy since I got it for $1.30 at Spice Bazaar, but still. If ginger beer were as common as cola or root beer, I would call this a 'classic tasting ginger beer'. Mike and Jay will probably know what I mean since they are some of the few humans who have tasted around the same amount of ginger beer as I have. With that I’m saying that it has a good ginger taste, but a very minimal burn. While I prefer a good burn with ginger beer, this is still pretty tasty.
- Website
- http://sunmark.co.uk/
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Sweetener
- Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Derek Neuland on 1/17/2013
- Comments
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P.F. Changs House-Made Ginger Beer
I found myself at P.F. Changs a few days ago. The food was mediocre, and the service was horrible. But this review isn't about how the waitress brought out our appetizer 1 minute before our meal or how she brought us the wrong check. Nope, this is about their homemade ginger beer.
How have I gone this long and not heard that P.F. Changs makes their own ginger beer? I blame myself for not being friends with people who frequent the establishment.
Unlike most ginger beer's I’ve had so far, this has a very strong lemon taste to it. Based on the description, it's mixed with lemon juice and you can definitely taste it. As far as the ginger goes, it's mild at first but has a nice sharp after taste. Another interesting/unique aspect of this ginger beer is that it was served with a mint leave in the glass. I couldn't really taste much mint, but maybe if I had submerged it in the glass it would have been more abundant.
P.F. Changs: bottle this ginger beer and you will sell a lot.
(Note: All my photos of the glass didn't come out so I opted for a photo I took of the menu listing).
- Website
- http://www.pfchangs.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Derek Neuland on 12/18/2012
- Comments
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Capone Family Secret Ginger Beer
This bottle tells the tale of how in the 20’s police raided Capone’s warehouses 137 times looking for illegal alcohol, and all they found was soda. That is hysterical. I just imagine the workers of the warehouse pretending to be all scared and then laughing uncontrollably as police opened up crates filled with soda. I’d also like to believe that there was an illegal “hooch” ring going on as well, but it was just so well hidden that the cops couldn’t find it. Dumb cops.
Even though I don’t drink alcohol I’m pretty sure I would have been involved in the bootlegging side of life back then. It just seems fun and exciting. Also, have you ever seen speak easy’s portrayed in movies? They look like a complete blast. Since I’m no narc I would just hang out while everyone got trashed on bootleg liquor. I would join in the party sipping on bottles of “secret soda.” I would have no problem drinking bottle after bottle of this ginger beer. It has a nice sweet ginger ale flavor that is quickly overpowered by a decent burn. It’s not enough to make me pause after every sip to calm myself, but it’s enough that I think it might bother your average person. It lingers a little, and that’s the way I like it. I’ve realized that unlike every other soda on the face of the planet ginger beer tastes better when it’s sweetened with HFCS. Strange times.
I say bring back prohibition, because I’m getting a little bored with things lately and I could use a little boost in excitement.
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 9/15/2012
- Comments
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Yacht Club Ginger Beer
Boat shoes? Check. Polo shirt? Check. Madras shorts? Check. Book on how to tie knots? Check. Ray Ban Sunglasses? Check. Those are the prerequisites for buying a bottle of Yacht Club ginger beer. We have put together the necessities and have gone to the store where they unlocked the case. Then and only then did we pay the required $1.50.
We got it home, took all our fancy clothes off, put that book of knots back on the shelf, put back on our obscure band shirts and a pair of dusty old jeans and took a sip. All of our hard work at J. Crew was not for naught because this is pretty great. It's got a nice sweet start and then burns you. It's not terribly hot but it's on the warmer side of the ginger beer scale. That side is also known as our "good side" since we like it hot. Some like it hot. We like it hot. It left a nice tingle in our throats, which left us wanting more.
Now we've got all these clothes and the know how of sailing, maybe we'll put it to good use someday. Us Thirsty Dudes out at sea, eating sea fare with pirates and golfers is going to be in our near future. That's what sailing is right? Jib? Right? Stern and bow? Right? Starboard and the other one. Right?
- Website
- http://www.yachtclubsoda.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 8/14/2012
- Comments
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KA Abbott's Jamaican Style Ginger Beer
If the labels on can and bottles are any indication everyone in Jamaica ingests nothing but ginger beer all day long. Okay, sometimes they mix in a little pineapple pop, but other than that straight ginger beer. I think that is a place I would like to visit. You wake up in the morning turn on the tap and out flows ginger beer. Even the “water” in the toilets is actually ginger beer. It’s heaven for those who crave the burn. For those who are babies and can’t handle the spice it’s akin to the lake of fire in Hades.
I find it humorous that I bought this drink in Canada by way of the United Kingdom. It’s like playing Seven Degrees of Jamaica. I was up in Toronto with Night Birds, and I was the definition of a glutton. I don’t think I stopped consuming food and beverages from the moment I stepped out of the car until I was driving back to Buffalo. At the point when I saw this I was already ridiculously full and had to pee like nobodies business, which is terrible in a city with no bathrooms. I’m shocked that Toronto doesn’t ever really smell like urine. Good job guys. Anyway there I was walking around and I passed a candy shop that had a bunch of coolers inside. I really didn’t have a chance but to enter. One of the coolers was pretty much all British drinks. Unfortunately I was almost out of Canadian money and I needed to save some for veggie dogs on the way home. Ever the sucker for ginger beer I went with this can. Sure I could have just held on to it, but the gluttony was calling my name, so I cracked it open the moment I finished off my bubble tea. It smells very spicy, but I thought it had a medium burn. I let (read: made) my friend Dave Dluga try it and he said it burned the hell out of his mouth. I guess I’ve built up a tolerance. It was extremely flavorful with a bit of a kick. It was actually a nice blending of burn and flavor. If I ever find myself back in the UK I’ll be sure to drink a bunch of these, especially with a 49p price tag on it. I ended up paying $2.25 Canadian. Ouch.
- Country
- Scotland
- Sweetener
- Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 6/16/2012
- Comments
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Buderim Ginger Yank Style Ginger Beer
Dear Jason Draper of the Thirsty Dudes,
This is a ginger beer for you. Do you want to know why? It is because it tastes like ginger. You love ginger. I have seen you put it on tacos on multiple occasions. Is it a sickness? Possibly. Is it an obsession? Probably more so. I know you are crazy about the stuff and for that, I'm sorry. I drank this expecting the spice that I feel I deserve.
Jay, we have been friends for a long time. We have lived together, "spent time" with the same girl, and written many songs about barbecues. I know you and I know your taste buds and I know you would have given this at least a four. You love the earthy qualities of ginger and you love the sting. We love the sting. We love our ginger beer hot. This is a medium burn. Less than a Blenheim but more than a ginger ale. Less than a Goya but more than a...water...
In closing, Jay. I am sorry that I drank this and didn't have the hindsight to give it to you. If I find one again, I will buy it for you.
Lovingly,
Mike.
PS: Tacos tonight?
- Website
- http://www.buderimginger.com
- Country
- Australia
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 3/22/2012
- Comments
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Squamscot Old Fashioned Ginger Beer
With a label like this one would think that this soda would be incredible. It looks so classic and classy. One would be slightly wrong. It's not incredible. It's merely average.
It tastes like an everyday store brand ginger ale, but with a nice aftertaste burn. The thing is that I don't believe the burn is actually from ginger, as it's not listed on the ingredients. I believe it's actually the sodium benzoate that causes that reaction. It feels different than a ginger burn, and it's not as strong. If I had never had a ginger beer before I would probably be pretty stoked on this, but since I've had a lot of the good stuff this just doesn't cut it.
- Website
- http://www.nhsoda.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 12/10/2011
- Comments
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Grace Island Soda Ginger Beer
Dear Mike,
Our search ends here. You wanted the ultimate ginger beer and I believe I have found it. Put away your Goya and your Blenheim red caps. Those are kids stuff compared to this.
The smell of this stuff was so strong that it almost made me sneeze. I took two sips and I needed to take a break because it burned so much. It's been over an hour and I'm still not done with the bottle. You take a sip, it doesn't seem to bad, then a decent burn kicks in, you think you're going to be fine, then a third intense ginger burns drop kicks your throat. That's right this is a "three alarm" ginger beer. The thing is that it's not just crazy hot, this bottle is also full of flavor. That first wave tastes like a great ginger ale. The second wave is a great ginger beer. The third wave? Well that is just pure burn. Well-played Grace. You know how to make a great soda. If I got this in a Jamaican restaurant I think it would be a toss up as to what was hotter the soda or my jerk.
What is wrong with us that we've been searching out the hottest ginger beer? I'm pretty sure third world countries use this stuff in their torture methodologies. Us we sit back and relax with a nice cool bottle of liquid fire. We sure are idiots.
- Website
- http://www.gracefoods.com
- Country
- Canada
- Sweetener
- Sugar/Glucose-Fructose
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 11/15/2011
- Comments
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Jones Ginger Beer
Sometimes I feel like I need to go to a S.S.A. meeting (no that has nothing to do with the Nazi SS, I'm not a scumbag). I would walk right up to that podium and say, "Hi, my name is Jason, and I'm a soda snob." I would then talk about how I bashed some sub-par soda or another on this site just because it wasn't as good as some crazy specialty pop I had drank at some point months ago. I'm using the restraint I learned at these completely made up meetings in reviewing this soda.
I would like to start by saying that had I found and drank this pop in the time before Thirsty Dudes ruled my life I would have absolutely loved it. The thing is that in the past year or so I have had the pleasure of tasting some of the best ginger beers this world has to offer. At this point a normal ginger beer just seems okay to me. I've also have this undying need to drink insanely strong ginger beers that burn your mouth/throat for hours. My girlfriend has the taste buds of an infant and she would probably say that this is too spicy for her. To me it's very mild. For a normal drinker, it would probably be somewhere in the middle.
This has the typical Jones sweetness to it. I was expecting it to be very candy-like and for it to basically be a glorified ginger ale. Luckily it does taste like a real ginger beer, and I'm thankful for that. I need to search out what other flavors Jones has as Canadian exclusives, but until then I'll have to keep attending these meetings in the church basement.
- Website
- http://www.jonessoda.com
- Country
- Canada
- Sweetener
- Inverted Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 9/19/2011
- Comments
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