Rachel's Ginger Beer: A Seattle-based venture, Rachel's ginger beer is available at restaurants around the city but has a mix of ginger + fruit concoctions available on tap at its Pikes Place shop. I opted for the classic, and it definitely tasted fresh, inducing a sharp tingly feeling in the back of your throat. I've made ginger beers from scratch at home that taste very similar. In other words, there's an important distinction to make: it tasted homemade, but not artisanal. Not as balanced as I hoped it would b... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks soda seattle gingerbeer rachels ginger beer 3.0
Seabold Ginger Beer: When in LA, you may stumble across a glass bottle of ginger beer with a hand-written expiration date less than a month away. It feels hefty, matching its $7.50 price tag, with a misty yellow hue. Its packaging instructs you to invert and gently mix, enabling the ginger sediments disperse throughout. The drink is balanced – not too sweet with a good dose of lemon juice and a decent level of spice that fades as quickly as it arrives. It's not quite as good as the absolute best ginger beer ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional drinks gingerbeer soda losangeles seabold ginger beer 4.5
Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Brew: I was super excited to finally get a chance to try this seasonal item, which our cashier informed us was an item people protest about once it leaves the shelves. It comes in a really handy and reusable glass soda bottle and is well sized for a small gathering. Wanting to impress my Taiwanese family, who knows a thing or two about ginger, I brought this out during a dinner and poured everyone a cup. My aunt said it tasted like Spirte with a tiny bit of ginger aftertaste, but I disagree – o... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional drinks gingerbeer traderjoes triple ginger brew 4.5
Bette Jane's Ginger beer: Created in San Francisco, this bottled soda had a good level of potent ginger spice but also has a slight diluted taste overall. Level of sweetness and fizz is appropriate. 3.0/5.0
drinks soda gingerbeer bettejanes ginger beer 3.0
Natural Brew Outrageous Ginger Beer: I'm likely to purchase any ginger beer I haven't tried before, and this brand was no exception. Its spicy ginger flavor is more potent than most, though I did find the drink overall to be on the sweet side. Generally decent - probably somewhere in the top 40% of ginger beers I've had. 3.0/5.0
drinks soda gingerbeer naturalbrew outrageous ginger beer 3.0
Superbee sparkling honey and ginger soda: The final drink I purchased in Australia was another ginger soda I had never seen before. Incorporating Australian honey, the champagne-colored drink comes in a long, frosted glass bottle. The bubbles are small and delicate. Beyond this, though, the flavor was underwhelming, like a Canada Dry flavored with honey. There was very little spiced ginger aftertaste, and the honey dominated the drink. 3.0/5.0
drinks soda superbee australian ginger gingerbeer honey 3.0 sparkling