Dr. Tima Honey Ginger Ale

Don't let the fact that I'm too lazy to take or find a picture of the bottle mislead you--this is a wonderful drink. It has a honey sweetness, balanced by a slight fruity tartness, good ginger flavor, and a balanced amount of carbonation. It comes in a clear bottle, with the label pictured wrapped around it. Apparently Dr. Tima has other honey sodas--being a lover of honey as well, I'm intrigued.

This was a good drink on which to end the gifted ginger ale reviews. I plan to continue this, though. I'll post reviews up of ginger ales that I come across, as well as ones I've had before but have never documented how I feel about them. Maybe I'll include other sodas as well.

Jackson Hole Ginger Beer

I really didn't like this one. It was way too sweet, with barely any ginger flavor, and the flavor it did have was sort of detergent-y.

Regatta Ginger Beer

Regatta Ginger Beer is a sweet, mildly fruity soda, with a flavor somewhat resembling Fresca. It has mild carbonation, and slight ginger taste that's stronger as an aftertaste. It's a decent drink, and is even kind of refreshing, but it doesn't wow me at all.

Sprecher Ginger Ale

Cute bottle with a penguin, but only a so-so drink. I think some ginger ales have more of a root beer taste to them, and this is one of those. Not that I dislike root beer, but it's not what I'm looking for when I pick up a ginger ale. Medium-bold ginger taste, good carbonation, decent sweetness, but overall, I'm just not that impressed with this one. There's almost a bitter aftertaste to it.

Cock 'n Bull Ginger Beer

Clearly a provocative name, and an attractively designed label, the bottle also says "Since 1946, The Extra Ginger Soft Drink." This is a pleasant, bold, and balanced soda. The good strong ginger taste goes with the heavy (for ginger ale) carbonation, and sweetness.

Blenheim Ginger Ale

This is a lovely drink, all around. It's nicely sweetened, with a healthy amount of fruity tartness, and a good ginger bite that shows up more after you swallow it than when it's in your mouth. It almost tastes Jamaican, but it would have to have a stronger ginger and fruity flavor, and probably be sweetened with honey.

It's also a beautiful bottle. I wouldn't have expected something in a clear bottle to be so flavorful, because they say beer (and other beverages) in clear bottles degrade over time because of the molecules' exposure to light. Maybe that's part of their process? Regardless, a really nice drink, and I'll definitely have another when I can.

Empire Bottling Works Ginger Ale

I drank this one just before I traveled, and didn't get around to taking a picture of it to post. In the "group" picture 3 posts below, it's the bottle on the far left.

It was a tasty sweet (but not too sweet) soda, with nice light carbonation, but I could barely taste any ginger in it. The ginger level was about on par with Canada Dry's ginger ale. As a soda, it does taste better than most sodas, so it does make me kinda interested in checking out other Empire sodas. However I'd like something labeled "ginger ale" to have at least a little bit of a, well, gingerness to it, and I'd hope that, for example, Empire's orange soda does actually taste like orange.

AJ Stephans Jamaican Style Ginger Beer

AJ Stephans makes a ginger drink with very good flavor, where the spiciness balances the sweetness that one might expect in a Jamaican style ginger beer. It has good carbonation, and a slight but appreciable frutiness. There's just a slight soapy aftertaste that doesn’t last very long. The spiciness lingers a for a little while after you swallow—it's a pleasant sensation if you’re into that.

Capt'n Eli's Ginger Beer

This one has the cutest bottle label ever. It has a pretty good mild flavor going in, without being too sweet, and a nice smooth texture with mild carbonation. However, it's got a not-so-nice aftertaste resembling detergent—honestly, I had to stop drinking it after only a few sips.

Don't judge a drink by its label, hmm?

Ginger Ale and Beer Reviews

I got one of the best birthday presents ever this year: a collection of 9 different ginger drinks! I happen to love ginger ale/beer, and would consider myself a connoisseur if I'd only had a chance to try a lot more than a handful of varieties, not including the standard Canada Dry and Schweppe's fare. Now, here's my chance, and I can't think of better way to (finally) get me to start posting on this fancy blog than an opportunity like this.

I'm definitely going to review these 9, but I will also gradually include reviews for other kinds I've already tried outside of this batch--most of the Reed's flavors, Maine Root, Natural Brew, and the like.