# What Does Ginger Beer Taste Like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [November 23, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667 "2009-11-23T18:30:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Constant\_Reader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8edcca/32.png) [@Constant\_Reader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Constant_Reader)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/41 "2009-11-24T22:26:11Z")
Everyone has already remarked upon the taste of ginger beer and how very different from ginger ale it is. I’m just here to offer up a very tasty drink I had recently: ginger beer + vodka + fresh lime juice It had such a fresh bite! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/42 "2009-11-24T22:38:15Z")
Otherwise known as a Moscow Mule. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/43 "2009-11-26T08:52:22Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Chop up some ginger root into a saucepan, add water and sugar, boil, strain, add club soda and \*voila \*- you’ve got homemade ginger beer… That’s why I thought ginger beer = root beer; ginger beer is made from ginger root. Ignorance fought again. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/44 "2009-11-26T15:33:45Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > It’s good. Try some. If you like ginger ale, you should love ginger beer. > > Lots of tasty brands out there: A. J. Stephans, Reed’s, Old Tyme, Bundaburg, Stewart’s, Sioux City, Regatta, Cock & Bull, and many others. **Qadgop** , would you mind elaborating on your list there? I love the stuff but I’m poor and I don’t like experimenting as much as I want. Out of your list the only one I’ve had is Reed’s and I think it’s weak. What’s the ginger strength of the others? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/45 "2009-11-26T15:52:23Z")
> [@chique](#): > > **Qadgop** , would you mind elaborating on your list there? I love the stuff but I’m poor and I don’t like experimenting as much as I want. Out of your list the only one I’ve had is Reed’s and I think it’s weak. What’s the ginger strength of the others? You gotta go with Reed’s extra ginger brew. The rest are indeed too weak. Otherwise, all the others I listed had a pretty strong ginger flavor. As does the Ginger People brand. My favorite is A. J. Stephans, but I can’t get it easily. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/46 "2009-11-26T16:22:08Z")
I happen to be lucky and live in a place with a very large Carribean population. Which means I can get [Carib Shandy products by walking to the corner store.](http://www.caribbeer.com/shady.htm) I like Old Tyme and and Reed’s ginger beer better than Carib’s ginger beer with beer in it, which is not to say I’d turn down a ginger shandy. But the sorrel shandy is sooooo tasty! ---
**Author:** ![Constant\_Reader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8edcca/32.png) [@Constant\_Reader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Constant_Reader)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/47 "2009-11-28T00:32:39Z")
Aha! Thanks **silenus**! Now I know what to order. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/48 "2009-11-28T03:02:36Z")
Ginger beer is what ginger ale is supposed to taste like. When I was a kid, I learned that at restaurants, soda and the like are called soft drinks because they’re not alcohol, which are hard drinks. I then went on to think that ginger ale was so called because it was not alcoholic like real ale (ginger=soft, right?). It wasn’t until my first sip of ginger beer when I was 20 that I had this huge revelation: oh, ginger ale is supposed to taste like **ginger**! In conclusion ginger ale sucks. (actually, I like it. But not when I want something that tastes gingery. Were there ginger beer available everywhere, I’d never drink ginger ale again.) ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/49 "2009-11-28T04:51:06Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > You gotta go with Reed’s extra ginger brew. The rest are indeed too weak. > > Otherwise, all the others I listed had a pretty strong ginger flavor. As does the Ginger People brand. > > My favorite is A. J. Stephans, but I can’t get it easily. Merci. 🙂 It’s too bad you’ve not had Barritt’s; I’d love a comparison between that and the others. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/50 "2009-11-28T06:05:10Z")
Thanks to this thread, I tried the Reed’s extra ginger brew. It’s slightly less wimpy and vile than the other Reed’s products, but still not actually worth drinking. Stick with the Stephan’s, Blenheim red-cap, or Fentiman’s. ISTR that A-Treat Golden Ginger Ale (local brand in eastern PA) was also good, but haven’t had it in probably 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/51 "2009-11-28T06:42:37Z")
The ginger beer I’ve had was…strong. Not alcoholic, just kind of intensely flavoured. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/52 "2009-11-28T08:46:49Z")
> [@gregwarwick](#): > > Greg Warwick, here, from Fentimans. We’re now producing Fentimans Ginger Beer on both sides of the Atlantic, in Newcastle and in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Since there are two websites, I’m providing this as a public service. The North American site is [drinkfentimans.com](http://drinkfentimans.com) and the UK site is [fentimans.com](http://fentimans.com). We don’t yet list retailers on our website, but our Ginger Beer is available at Cost Plus World Market in the US and also at specialty and gourmet foods stores and quality restaurants around the country. If you want to purchase on-line, you can find it at [jollygrub.com](http://jollygrub.com) or [kegworks.com](http://kegworks.com). > > What makes Fentimans different from most other ginger beers is that it is both brewed and fermented with bruised ginger, creating an aroma and flavour unlike any other. It does have lots of ginger in it, so you’ll get a little burn at the back of the tongue and throat. It is much stronger than ginger ale. Does make a killer Dark & Stormy (rum) type drink or a mean Moscow Mule (vodka). Cheers! I’ve drunk Fentimans. Expensive for a soft drink (especially since it was from a tourist-trap cafe) and so never a regular with me, but I’d agree that you get what you pay for. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/53 "2009-11-28T16:40:15Z")
I went to an “ethnic” grocer in my neighborhood and they wanted $8.00 for four 12 ounce bottles for ginger beer. I passed on that. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/54 "2009-11-29T03:22:52Z")
I understand that no major brand of “Ginger Ale” (Schwepps, Canada Dry) actually uses ginger. ---
**Author:** ![boshemie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@boshemie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boshemie)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/55 "2010-04-09T01:48:46Z")
When I first tried Old Tyme ginger beer I was not at all prepared for it. If you live in Canada you can get it at the Superstore, in the aisle with the rest of the pop. It may not be available at all Superstores but it is at mine…in N.B. I picked it up thinking it was just a naturally-flavoured ginger ale (okay, I also liked the cuteness of the bottle), and I took a big swig in my car and choked it up all over the steering wheel. It is very strong, especially if you are expecting the relatively mellow taste of ginger ale. Mine was a Jamaican-style variety. My immediate thought was ‘do they now secretly sell liquor at the grocery store?’ And then after a few tastes I thought it tasted like medicine, and by the end of the first bottle it had grown on me. I want to try the Moscow mule (ginger beer, vodka, and lime juice). I think it might clear my sinuses…I think you’ll like it but it is of some service to know what you are getting into; it is better to take small, piquant sips rather than reckless gulps. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/56 "2010-04-09T01:53:02Z")
Mary-Ann Beer is sweeter and hotter. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/57 "2010-04-09T01:55:26Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Mary-Ann Beer is sweeter and hotter. What about Lovey Beer? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/58 "2010-04-09T01:56:45Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > What about Lovey Beer? Richer. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/59 "2010-04-09T01:57:13Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > What about Lovey Beer? Well, I guess for _some_ people… who like an aged beverage… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667/60 "2010-04-09T02:02:40Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Richer. Bravo! Nicely done! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-ginger-beer-taste-like/518667.md?page=4)