ginger_beer_mast_2
Yes, it’s been awhile since I wrote on my stable of ginger beers I’ve had in the wings but, frankly, that’s primarily because there are only so many ways one can describe “ginger-y” and various levels of “gingeritude” before becoming that guy at the party that asks everyone about their mortgage refinancing rates. In other words, I grew bored of myself. But, with the advent of one particular product coming to market and seeking to maintain consistent posting around these parts33 I felt it was time to reopen the vault. In this installment I’ll be looking at Fever Tree Ginger Beer, AJ Stephan’s Ginger Beer, and Ginger People Ginger Beer. This was an interesting line-up with a couple of surprises. As always, I’ll be testing the products on their own and in the timeless Moscow Mule (See the original post to review my testing process).

I’ll start this round-up with a brand highly-regarded among cocktailians for its tonic water with all the best hopes and goodwill alongside me.

Fever Tree Ginger Beer:

fever tree ginger beer

Fever Tree has yet to create a product I’ve disliked33 , and they maintain that streak with their ginger beer. The first thing you notice in the bottle is how quickly the solids (presumably ginger root extract) separate to the bottom of the bottle making this one you must up-end prior to serving. Once you do, the cloudy sediment permeates the bottle and builds your anticipation.

As with all Fever Tree products, the first thing you notice is the quality of carbonation. This fizzes lightly in the bottle and then explodes into a champagne-like cream once it’s poured. Tasting it on its own its simplicity and direct approach come through. It strikes you with a gently balanced sweet and an almost ginger ale quality. I was prepared to be disappointed by its lack of punch. Then, as it settles in and proclaims its desire to be friends, it builds into a long-lasting, fresh, and quite welcome heat that is focused on ginger almost exclusively. This plays out in a Moscow Mule by letting the lime come very forward at the start (almost too much so) and then building into familiar ginger/spice territory.

“Spring water, ginger extract, cane sugar, natural flavour33 , ascorbic acid,” proclaims the bottle, almost daring you to assume otherwise. The simplicity of that list plays out in the product. My only complaint, and it’s a minor one, is that the heat seems reminiscent of what you get from dried ground ginger instead of ginger root. Instead of the rounded-off and bright flavor that comes from fresh root this has a sharp bite capsicum-bite quality at the back of it that I associate with an inferior attempt at building heat. All in all a great ginger beer that does nothing flashy but executes wonderfully.
AJ Stephans Ginger Beer:

aj_stephans_ginger_beer

AJ Stephans hails from Boston, MA and lists its ingredients as “pure carbonated water, cane sugar, flavor, coloring, sodium benzoate (preservative),” and it’s that vague “flavor” item that always causes me pause. This ginger beer has two levels, the first is a mild version of what I’ve come to call “old bookstore” and the second a huge, and uncomplicated, blast of burn. The source of that burn, I can only assume, is the “flavor.” AJ Stephans also has a pronounced edge that using cane sugar brings. This isn’t a bad thing but it’s more pronounced in AJ Stephans than some others.

This beer performs admirably in a Moscow Mule as the musty “old bookstore” flavor is muted and the bite comes in at the back in a clear, if uninteresting, way. It does seem to over sweeten the drink a bit so if you use this you might consider increasing the volume of the lime juice and vodka. AJ Stephans isn’t exactly bad, but it won’t be winning the hearts and minds of exploratory drinkers anytime soon. I put it squarely in the middle of the pack and, if you like the whole crusted paper/dusty bookstore thing, I present it as a superior alternative to Cock ‘n Bull.

The Ginger People Ginger Beer:

ginger_people_ginger_beer
Ginger People is best known for two things – 1: their unerring and slightly deranged commitment to ginger and all products that can possibly be conceived of possibly including ginger and 2: having a ginger-homunculus as a mascot that falls unnervingly into the “uncanny valley.” I had high hopes for their ginger beer. This will teach me.

Attractive packaging boldly announcing “Made with natural ginger juice,” featuring the ginger-homunculus riding a tiger a ‘la Harold & Kumar, and a showing a visible amount of sediment and solids floating in the bottle all had me hoping for the best. These were dashed against the unforgiving rocks of reality upon the first taste. On its own Ginger People Ginger Beer is overly sweet and insipid and smacks of ginger ale wrongfully cut with limoncello. I was more realistic going into tasting it in a Moscow Mule. Vodka fixes everything, right? RIGHT?!!

Not quite. As difficult as it is to kill something as simple as lime juice and vodka it manages to bludgeon it with a flabby ginger-man arm of lousy. Comprised of water, cane sugar, naturally pressed ginger juice, natural ginger extract, citric acid, and natural flavor, this tastes like a ginger beer designed by people who had ever tasted ginger beer and focused solely on wanting to make it a stand-alone, and unchallenging, drink to sip. They need to lay off on the citric acid and, based on this drink’s flaccidity, I recommend creepy ginger dude go see a urologist. Stat.
Fever Tree Rating: ★★★★☆

AJ Stephans Rating: ★★★☆☆

Ginger People Rating: ★½☆☆☆

Things you should also read:

cocktailnerd’s Ginger Beer Extravaganza Part I, Part II, and Part III

From Eric Felten’s “How’s Your Drink?”

Serious Eats’ Ginger Beer Taste Test

SLOSHED!’s Sparkly Showdown

Wikipedia’s entry on Ginger Beer

Scottes’ Rum Rundown of Ginger Ales and Brews

A nice discussion at Ministry of Rum3

  1. EGADS!!!333
  2. and that’s saying something when it comes to Bitter Lemon333
  3. The Queen’s English, if you please333

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