Favorite Ginger Beer?

Torcams said:

BullGoose,

Enjoying your tasting notes. Keep 'em coming....

FYI, I was able to find Barritt's at Beverage Warehouse in Marina Del Rey a while back, but last time I was there, they were out. Not sure if they're discontinuing it or not.

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Thank you. Is Beverage Warehouse the same as BEVMO? I don't believe I have tried Barritts and I am definitely interested.

Darjeeling Express said:

Bullgoose, I too am very much enjoying your comments.

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Thank you. I think I will try Jamaica's Finest this afternoon. I have two varieties, Regular and Hot, Hot, Hot. Decisions! I will report back later.

I decided to go with Jamaica's Finest Regular for this afternoons tasting. Jaimaica's Finest uses Ginger Root Oil but it is not a brewed drink. Technically then it is a Ginger soft drink and not a true Ginger Beer.

Jamaica's Finest is spicy but in a different way than AJ Stephans. It tingles my throat and lips but does not give any nostril burn. It also seems to lack the complexity of the other Ginger Beers sampled so far.

Tomorrow I will try the Hot, Hot, Hot variety of Jamaica's Finest.

I tried the Hot, Hot, Hot variety of Jamaica's Finest this afternoon and was not too impressed. Like their regular variety, this is not a brewed beverage and thus is not a true Ginger Beer. Instead they add essential oils (which is definitely better than artificial flavoring).

I really did not find the Hot, Hot, Hot variety to be any spicier than the regular variety but it was less complex. This may be a great choice as a mixer for a Dark and Stormy but it is not the best choice as a stand alone drink.

Does anyone have a good recipe for a Dark and Stormy? I have several more bottles of Jamaica's Finest to consume.

Beverage Warehouse is definitely not BEVMO. I live close to the Bevmo in Torrance, and it's certainly worth the occasional trip out to Beverage Warehouse. Website here. It's in a little industrial area in Marina Del Rey, right down from a great warehouse wine store, LA Wine Co.

They have a great selection of tequila & rum and many other liquors. Scotch is weak overall but far superior to Bevmo. A decent soda selection.

I've been enjoying Dark 'n Stormies with either Barritts or Bundaberg and either El Dorado 5Y (Guyana) or Gosling's Black Seal (Bermuda) rum.

Add about 1.5-2 oz. rum, then 4 oz. ginger beer. No lime.

I like it better with the "gentler" ginger beers. I like hot brews as well, but not so much in this.

Thank you very much for the tip Matt. I am in El Segundo frequently so I'll just keep on driving to Marina Del Rey and check out Beverage Warehouse.

I sampled another Ginger Beer this afternoon....**** N Bull. **** N Bull has been around since 1946 and I was pleasantly surprised. Although this is not a brewed Ginger Beer, it lives up to its trademark of the extra ginger soft drink. I found it very refreshing and I love the way the Ginger burns the back of the throat and gives a nice nostril burn. This one can be enjoyed by itself or as a mixer for a Dark N Stormy or a Moscow Mule.

saltypete said:

I live 50kms from the town of Bundaberg, it is the nearest 'city' to my home. The ginger beer is outstanding but I'm surprised that anyone outside of Oz has heard of it.
Bundaberg is also home of Bundaberg Rum which IMHO is awful when compared to the likes of Coruba or Mt Gay. Then again I've never been a rum drinker.

Pete

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I love this stuff. i would i could get it by the pallet and store it.

BG, keep going!

Based on the Ginger Beers that I sampled my preference list is as follows:

1. A.J. Stephans -Nice and spicy without being overly sweet. Very Nice

2. Fentimans -an excellent choice. Only downside is the 9 OZ bottle and high price tag

3. **** N Bull -Not a brewed ginger beer but very nice. Spicy just the way I like it

4. Bundaberg -refreshing but not spicy enough

5. Jamaica's Finest - Drinkable but better as a mixer

* Note: Jamaica's Finest (both regular and extra spicy) was delicious when paired with Goslings Black Seal Rum for a Dark N' Stormy.

New Ginger Beer out now in Scotland

Crabbie`s Alcoholic Ginger Beer, had my first bottle last week truly brillant

Not sure of the difference between ginger BEER and ginger ALE, but I have to go with Vernors as my ginger ale choice. Their big claim to fame years ago was that it was aged 4 years in wooden casks. Not sure about that now, but it remains a big favorite in my neck of the woods---SE Michigan.

Reviving a thread while I'm enjoying experimenting with Dark 'n' Stormy recipes.....

BullGoose said:

Based on the Ginger Beers that I sampled my preference list is as follows:

1. A.J. Stephans -Nice and spicy without being overly sweet. Very Nice

2. Fentimans -an excellent choice. Only downside is the 9 OZ bottle and high price tag

3. **** N Bull -Not a brewed ginger beer but very nice. Spicy just the way I like it

4. Bundaberg -refreshing but not spicy enough

5. Jamaica's Finest - Drinkable but better as a mixer

* Note: Jamaica's Finest (both regular and extra spicy) was delicious when paired with Goslings Black Seal Rum for a Dark N' Stormy.

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I grew up with original **** 'n Bull, and after getting some this month from BevMo (Cupertino, Sunnyvale), I don't think this is quite like the original. Jack Morgan's **** 'n Bull restaurant on Sunset, Los Angeles, closed in 1987 and I have a sneaking suspicion that the brewed drink they served and retailed went down with them. They sold the name to a proprietor in Santa Monica; they may well have licensed the drink's trademark to the company in Jefferson (?), North Carolina, that bottles it.

Actually A. J. Stephens tastes more like I remember CNB tasting, with a sharp tingle in the upper gums and a prickling feeling in the sinuses if you breathe just right while sipping. I tried Regatta and like it. Other nice brands that I'd resort to in a pinch: Bundaberg, Fentimans, Fever Tree. Barritts in a bottle (imported) doesn't taste quite like the canned stuff I bought on St. John and sipped every night after snorkeling; I suspect they add a little citrus for the foreign market. If you want citrus (and other, subtle, flavours), try Regatta instead.

I forgot all about this thread. A Ginger Beer sure would be refreshing on this hot summer afternoon. I have not tried Regatta yet...I may have to see if I can find it. And I definitely have to pick up more of the A.J. Stephans.

Sioux City Brand Ginger Beer is a brand that I really enjoyed when I lived in Chicago. I cannot find it for the life of me in Los Angeles though.

Drinking a Granville Island Limited Edition Ginger Beer right now because of this thread. It was the only ginger beer I could find at a BC liquor store. Not spicy at all but you can definately taste the ginger. Was hoping for something hotter though.
Next time I'll try a specialty store.

Tacheless said:

New Ginger Beer out now in Scotland

Crabbie`s Alcoholic Ginger Beer, had my first bottle last week truly brillant

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Oh yeah my local bottle shop has this. Gotta try it.

I have yet to see an alcoholic ginger beer in any of the local "packies" (package stores = authorized to sell liquor).

For the non-alcoholic mixer for my Dark N' Stormy I use Maine Root Ginger Beer. It is readily available from Whole Foods Mkt and has a hard ginger bite that you don't get with most commercial ginger ales.

None of the liquor distributors in South Dakota carry a ginger beer so I'm brewing my own. Just waiting to get some honey and fresh ginger root!

I love Vernors. Vernors, Diet Coke and coffee was all my grandfather drank. I was so happy when I could find Vernors in some shops in SD since it was easy to find in NW Ohio but not SE Ohio...

Almost 30 years ago I developed a taste for Dark & Stormies while on my honeymoon in Bermuda. In those days (1985) there was little ginger beer availability back home, so I made my own ersatz version, which I continue to use to this day. I make a light simple syrup then simmer some coarsely chopped (not peeled) ginger in it for 30 to 45 minutes (now I also add a few Szechuan peppercorns). This gets strained into a container and refrigerated. When I want a ginger beer or Dark & Stormy I pour some of my ginger syrup into a glass and add seltzer. Very tasty. The ginger syrup is also a nice addition to BBQ sauces, salad dressings and dribbled over fruit.

+1 on the Fentiman's. Have you had Fevertree? It is sold in small bottles (think mixers size for Moscow Mule). While not a light ginger beer, more of a ginger ale, but superb is Blenheim's. It comes in medium and hot varieties.

Disclosure - I work at a company that sells these products, that is how I have tried them all. YMMV.