A Push for Ginger Beer

Recently, I mentioned in a Facebook post how excited I was to have found diet ginger beer in Walmart. It’s one of my fav beverages and it was my first time finding a sugar-free version. Later, after letting it chill, I tried it. It was delicious! Since then, I have a new favorite brand of one of my most favorite drinks!

The info prompted a few friends to leave comments on the post. Some weren’t familiar with ginger beer. Others, like me, love the stuff and wish it were more readily available in our local eateries.  

I added a suggestion in the comments, that we should launch a campaign to raise awareness about ginger beer, why we love it, and to encourage our local food sellers to consider keeping it in stock. My friend and literary colleague, Steve Roller of Cafe Writer, liked the idea and agreed to participate. He’s also a dedicated fan of ginger beer and says it’s the only thing he orders when dining out.

And so, here I am to put together a description of ginger beer for you and a short list of reasons of why I hope you’ll help spread the word to your own local restaurants, encouraging them to add it to their beverages list.

Read on--it’ll be worth it!

What is ginger beer?

Here’s a superb description via Taste of Home blog: “...a non-alcoholic beverage with a robust, spicy and aromatic flavor. It’s made with a blend of ginger, water and sugar that’s fermented with yeast, then carbonated and bottled.”

The article there has more than a great description, but also includes the history of ginger beer, which is pretty intriguing for both foodies and history fans.
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“Are ginger beer and ginger ale the same?”

Nope. Ginger beer is fermented before carbonated. Ginger ale is only carbonated, not fermented, therefore producing a flavor that’s milder than the stout, ginger beer.​

I love both but prefer ginger beer over the ale because of the richer flavor.

As of recently, my favorite brand is Goslings’ Stormy Ginger Beer (diet version). Due to diabetes, I haven’t tried their regular version but the diet is so outstanding, I’m confident the regular is every bit as good. Goslings makes this unique blend as an aspect of a recipe for a famous mixed drink, Dark and Stormy, the national drink of Bermuda. ​

​I don’t drink alcohol, but I emailed them a note of thanks, letting them know that although I’m not an alcohol consumer, their specialty ginger beer has landed at the top of my favorite beverages list, sitting equally with my other favs of Ale-8, coffee, coconut water, and tonic water.

My second favorite brand of GB is Fever-Tree. I’ve not found it in a sugar-free/diet version, but if you’re not on a carb restriction, their regular version is delicious. It’s not quite as robust as Goslings, but it’s close. It also comes in smaller serving sizes and it’s a little more expensive. It may be the taste-topper for you and easily win-out the favorite slot. 

On a side-note, I’ve also found Fever Tree’s Tonic Water to be outstanding. I’ve not found a diet version of this either but can attest to the regular version being delicious.

Thankfully, Canada Dry (one of my fav brands of all things ginger) has stepped up to produce sugar-free tonic water that’s delicious and amazingly affordable. I found it for $1.50 in a 1 liter bottle at Walmart, right next to Goslings Ginger Beer. (This is a Walmart in southern Indiana. I can’t attest to prices elsewhere.) How cool is that? 

Also, in doing some research on their website, seems Canada Dry has a new product out called Bold Ginger Ale (not your grandma’s ginger ale), and yup, I can’t wait to try it and hope it comes in a diet version as well. If you beat me to it, please come back and tell me all about it!

“Can I get lit sipping ginger beer?”

Not likely since most ginger beer makers produce it in non-alcoholic versions, although, it can be made as an alcoholic beverage. Although many folks love it all by itself, it’s also often a recipe aspect for a variety of alcoholic mixed drinks.​

Why it’s a great choice for a refreshing beverage!

Beyond its delicious flavor, it’s appropriately because ginger is it’s main flavor ingredients. Ginger-root is one of the most prolific members of the world-wide organic medicine arsenal. It’s a broad-spectrum antimicrobial and tough enough to inhibit swine and avian flu (at least per my research, and that’s saying something since much of my career has been in medicine and directly linked to research and pathology). 

This is why it’s my primary go-to drink to help alleviate cold and flu symptoms, and to drink it often during the seasons those viruses are getting easily shared, here, there and yonder.

Ginger is also my favorite medicine to combat motion sickness. Since I was a child, I’ve struggled with motion sickness, most when riding in automobiles. My elders relied on an over-the-counter med, Dramamine, to keep me from making a mess whenever we went pretty much anywhere. It worked but it made me terribly sleepy and the effect lasted for hours.

When I traveled to British Columbia a few years ago, to work with my friend and colleague, Vicki Warner, of WarnerWords, I wasn’t able to get Dramamine in Canada so, Vicki sent me an organic alternative used there, called Gravol. I used it and whether I was on a plane, riding in a car through the mountains or sailing on one of their massive ferry-ships, I never got sick, even once, even a little. It was amazing! And, no side effects! I actually got to enjoy the travel-time there, thanks to Vicki’s gift of Gravol!

Vicki also makes one of my most favorite sweets, candied ginger, that she grows herself. It’s the most wonderful stuff and it also helps with vertigo and to calm upset stomach. 

Ginger beer is effective in providing the same type of relief. It’s also a good immune system booster, so, it’s not just a great drink option when you’re not feeling well, but anytime you’re in the mood for a rich-flavored, carbonated beverage!

If you haven’t tried ginger beer, I encourage you to at least venture a sip! Hoping you’ll love it as much as I do and that you’ll help spread the word of why we need more restaurants serving it.

If you’re already a fan and have a fav brand of your own, please leave a comment and tell us about it!

My thanks to my cousin, Melanie Gambrel East, for introducing me to ginger beer, way back when we were in high school. I’ve been a fan of the stuff ever since, so please try it and see if it’s the same for you.

In the Bible’s book of Revelation 2:2, a tree is talked about, a tree that bears 12 kinds of fruit and whose leaves will heal the nations. We don’t have such a tree, yet... 

In the meantime, our great, gracious and loving God, creator of all things, has graced us with ginger!

Shalom!​