What's the difference between Ginger Beer and Ginger Ale?

Is it just a bit of lemon, I'm confused.

I've wondered that myself.

Darn good question. Maybe it's like the square/rectangle relationship. Maybe all Ginger ale is Ginger Beer but not all Ginger Beer is Ginger Ale?

Isn't ginger beer ... beer (alcohol)?

Ginger ale is pop like Vernors? Like birch beer is pop or carbonated soda not 'beer'.
Sue

Ginger beer is supposed to be ginger, sugar, water, and "Ginger beer plant", allowed to naturally ferment and carbonate.

I suspect less traditional types of both ginger beer and ginger ale are the exact same creature, but one with lemon one without.

Sue said:

Isn't ginger beer ... beer (alcohol)?

Ginger ale is pop like Vernors? Like birch beer is pop or carbonated soda not 'beer'.
Sue

Click to expand...

Not anymore according to wikipedia. tho, I'd imagine that alcohol versions can still be found.

Sue said:

Isn't ginger beer ... beer (alcohol)?

Ginger ale is pop like Vernors? Like birch beer is pop or carbonated soda not 'beer'.
Sue

Click to expand...

Same here. Around my neck of the woods, ginger ale is a soda. Like root beer is soda.

Ginger Ale is weak watered down and fizzy compared to ginger beer, which in my experience has a much stronger ginger taste.

Ginger beer is a much stronger version of ginger ale, but still a soft drink. They had it in vending machines in Bermuda. Much stronger ginger taste and, as I recall, it seemed like it had more body.

The only way I liked it was in a Dark & Stormy:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_%27N%27_Stormy.

That was very tasty.

Ginger beer has a much sharper spicy hot ginger flavour, where ginger ale has a sweet very mild ginger flavour. But they're both soda(or pop).

Ginger ale costs a lot more for a tiny bottle to ruin your Scotch with...

Gareth

Ginger beer is spicy . . . as someone else said. . . and if I may add . . . that spicy is a hot and zingy spicy.

Personally I don't find a big difference. They both mix well with beer, however.

ginger ale is sweet and fizzy,nice.
ginger beer is "hot" spicy,has a bite to it.may even make your eyes water a little.
once in a great while you can run into an alchoholic version.
i tried making some at home,did not turn out well.

MCsommerreid said:

Ginger beer is supposed to be ginger, sugar, water, and "Ginger beer plant", allowed to naturally ferment and carbonate.

I suspect less traditional types of both ginger beer and ginger ale are the exact same creature, but one with lemon one without.

Click to expand...

Yes, I think one basic distinction you can draw is that ginger beer traditionally involved fermentation, not to produce alcohol necessarily but for the resulting fizziness. I have had English friends who make it at home regularly.

Ginger ale, however, typically refers to a carbonated drink with varying amounts of ginger flavoring. Not fermented.

Yeah same here in australia. Ginger beer is traditionally feremented, strong and spicy, avaialble as a soft drink version without any alcohol, or as a beer with alcohol (very rare, only some micros or home brewers make a ginger beer with alcohol in it).

Ginger ale is a weak flavoured carbonated drink which never has any alcohol or any fermentation, usually used just as a mixer, but some drink it like soda.

I think they're nebulous terms used at the maker's whim. I've always considered them to be soft drinks. ie: birch beer, root beer, etc.

Anyone can sell a product and call it anything they want. Ginger ale is just plain soda with some ginger flavor either artificial or natural or both. Its garbage. Ginger beer if its quality stuff like Reed's is brewed like beer and tastes totally different. If you think they are the same you have never had true ginger beer before.

Its like going for a ride in a Yugo and then a BMW 5 series and saying there is no difference.

ginger beer is spicy like actual ginger, and if your not a fan of ginger , its tastes like crap,

ginger ale is like, watered down sprite ,lol

The difference? A whole lotta flavour!!