Review - Dominion Ginger Ale

Bottler: Old Dominion Brewing Company

Calories per Ounce: 11.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: The difference between an ordinary ginger ale and a really good ginger ale is one of the most noticeable in the soda world. Dominion Ginger Ale is a really good ginger ale balancing just the right combination of spicy ginger with the sweetness provided by the cane sugar, which is quite a feat when one considers the relatively low calorie count of this soda. With ice, the ginger flavor is still there, but the sweetness is highlighted a bit more, throwing the balance off just a bit. Combining Dominion Ginger Ale with ice cream gives a relatively subtle, but still quite enjoyable ginger flavored float. And I think that more or less sums up this ginger ale - subtle and at the same time quite tasty and enjoyable.

Review - Goya Jamaican Style Ginger Beer

Bottler: Goya

Calories per Ounce: 15.8

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Goya Jamaican Style Ginger Beer has a pleasant, almost innocuous initial flavor very much like a standard ginger ale. Then the bite inherent to ginger beer sets in, and one realizes that this is one of the spicier ginger beers on the market. Ice makes the up-front ginger flavor smoother, but does almost nothing to cut down the spicy aftertaste, and in fact may even enhance it. Adding ice cream causes the soda to foam up, as usual for carbonated drinks, but the foam is exceptionally spicy, and will definitely burn if you inhale it. The combination of ice cream and biting ginger creates a fairly interesting combination of contrasts, resulting in a creamy mixture that is definitely sharp and spicy at the same time. I don't think it is a combination I would want on a regular basis, but it is good enough that it is definitely worth having once in a while.

Review - Cock 'n Bull Ginger Beer

Bottler: Pipeline Brands

Calories per Ounce: 11.7

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Bottled in North Carolina and billing itself as "the extra ginger soft drink", Cock n' Bull Ginger Beer offers a powerful ginger punch and a burning spicy aftertaste. As with most ginger beers, this soda is very strong, although it manages to do so while remaining relatively light on calories. Drinking it over ice does little to change the flavor, but it is slightly hazardous as inhaling the spicy aroma that rises off of the soda in a glass can irritate your throat. Adding ice cream makes the soda foam up, like most other sodas, but because of the heavy ginger of the soda, drinking that foam becomes a rather spicy experience. I may have odd tastes, but I find that ginger beer in general combines well with ice cream, and Cock n' Bull is no exception. The ice cream mellows out the ginger sting just a little bit, resulting in a vanilla-ginger combination that is really quite tasty.

Review - Red Rock Golden Ginger Ale

Bottler: Sensient Technologies

Calories per Ounce: 13.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Red Rock Golden Ginger Ale is a very strong ginger ale, with a substantial ginger-based "bite". For anyone used to the milder mainstream brands of ginger ale, the powerful ginger flavoring in this soda will probably come as something of a surprise. The ginger flavor is so strong that when it is put into a glass with ice, one can feel the sting when one inhales the carbonation. For those who are not in favor of heavy ginger, this could be quite off-putting, and even for me it was a little bit too much.Adding ice cream actually seems to emphasize the up-front spiciness of the soda, resulting in a float that combines the smooth creaminess of the ice cream with the sharp spicy bite of the ginger ale. Overall, I would give this soda a cautious nod. This soda is very spicy, so someone who liked spicy foods would probably find this appealing. On the other hand, someone who was not ready for a punch of ginger in the mouth with every sip would probably find this soda distasteful.

Review - Anchor Ginger Root Beer

Bottler: Orca Beverage Soda Works

Calories per Ounce: 14.2

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Anchor Ginger Root Beer is, as its name might suggest, a curious combination of root beer and ginger beer. The up front taste is that of a fairly spicy root beer: Vanilla, cinnamon, possibly anise or nutmeg. But underlying this root beer flavor is the taste of ginger which makes this soda unusual to say the least. The flavor is not appreciably changed with ice, although the ginger undercurrent is slightly muted. With ice cream, the soda foams up slightly, but not nearly as much as most other root beers. The vanilla of the ice cream highlights the unusual spice mixture of the root beer, bringing the anise and ginger to the front. This is definitely a quirky soda, but it is also a pretty good one.

A Big Thank You to Dustin

I went to Gen Con this past week and received a gift that I knew was coming and yet was entirely unexpected. Dustin of the Undergophers was involved in the discussions that led to the creation of this blog. Prior to Gen Con, he told me that he intended to bring me a care package of sodas from various outlets near where he lives. So I knew he was bringing me some sodas to review. What I didn't know was that he was bringing me two whole boxes of sodas. I simply didn't know the scale of his generosity, and I am so very grateful to him. This gift is without a doubt the most substantial gift anyone has ever given me as a result of my blogging. On my book blog Dreaming About Other Worlds I frequently get offered (and often accept) review copies of books. But those aren't gifts. The books are being offered to me with the expectation that I will read and review them - a benefit to the publisher and author. So there is something of a quid pro quo there. But this gift from Dustin is in a completely different category, and I am using this post to publicly express my gratitude at his magnanimity.

Review - Reed's Ginger Beer

Bottler: Reed's Inc.

Calories per Ounce: 12

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Reed's Ginger Beer is a higher quality soda than I have reviewed before - the label claims that it contains 25% fruit juice, presumably the result of the 26 grams of fresh ginger per bottle that this beverage is supposed to contain, although I'm not sure that ginger qualifies as a fruit. When I brought home a four-pack of this, Angela tried some, and absolutely hated it. My friend Dave is a fan of ginger beer, and tried a bottle which he declared to be pretty good. I'm pretty much somewhere in the middle with respect to Reed's Ginger Beer. I don't find it terrible - the initial strong ginger flavor of the beer is fairly good, but I don't find it all that enjoyable either - the aftertaste it leaves behind is about what I'd imagine drinking muddy gravel would taste like. Over ice, Reed's Ginger Beer is worse, as the ginger flavor is muted while the aftertaste is not. Oddly, when used in an ice cream float, it is tolerable, mostly because the ice cream flavor overwhelms the gravelly aftertaste.