Phillips Ginger Beer

Phillips Ginger Beer is a tasty offering from Phillips Brewing Company of Victoria, British Columbia. It's sold in highly striking 650mL bottles, and clocks in at 5% alcohol. The label reads "With more Ginger than Gilligan can handle..."

PGB pours an almost clear, robustly carbonated brass colour, with a thick, white head. A heavy ginger profile dominates the aroma. Flavour-wise, there is actually a respectable dosage of malt and hops dwelling beneath the fulsome ginger taste, though I suspect that the base beer is pretty mild. Phillips Ginger Beer is notable because it's more like a conventional beer than many of the ginger beers that I've tried. For a spicy brew, this one is oddly refreshing.

If you don't care for ginger, you're probably going to want to stay away from this one. According to the label, PGB pairs nicely with sushi--I'd love to put that claim to the test.  I'd like the beery base to have a bit more punch, to shoulder aside some of the ginger bite, but, that said, this is an interesting and engaging brew.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Crabbie's Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer

I know, I know.  It's not technically beer.  Still, this "flavoured alcoholic beverage" came from the beer section of the liquor store and looked pretty good to me, so I figured I'd give it a review.  Besides, it looked for all the world like a pale lager--clear straw colour with a white head and moderate carbonation. It's produced by John Crabbie & Co. of Glasgow, Scotland. It comes in a 500mL bottle and weighs in at 4%.  The bottle recommended serving Crabbie's over ice with lemon, but I opted for the brew straight up at first and added ice and lemon half way through.

Crabbie's has a big ginger aroma, a lot like most of the non-alcoholic ginger beers I've tried. It's sweet, gingery, and oddly refreshing.  When I added ice and lemon, it became that much more of a summer drink.

I didn't rate this stuff as I would a beer, because it ain't beer.  But I'd definitely recommend giving it a try. It's delicious.