SINCE this is a beer review column, I am not stepping that far outside the box when reviewing ginger beer am I?
After all, it is a type of beer is it not and whether you like it or not, it is a growing section in a lot of liquor outlets.
As a self-confessed fan of Stone's Green Ginger Wine (yes that's right), It had yet to try their ginger beer so looking for a change I thought why not?
Before you pour it into a glass or suck it from the stubbie, you'll note a layer of sedimentation – don't be put off as this adds to the flavour (or so I hoped). Once poured into a glass, this ginger beer is very cloudy with a thin white head, decent effervescence and a great nose. The aroma of this brings back memories of homemade ginger beer – back in the days when you added ginger root to a bucket and chucked cheesecloth over the top of it to keep the bugs out.
Unfortunately, Stones Ginger Beer didn't have that same robust flavour as did your gran's home made drop. Yes there's a ginger flavour, yes it's easy to drink but sadly I found this a bit thin. It was clean across the palate, not too heavy and offered that distinctive Stone's ginger wine flavour but I thought it lacked body. It is a good thirst quencher and you could certainly down quite a few on a hot day at 4.8 per cent but as for something which would draw me back to the bottle – I'd stick to home made..
It's a social drink and a great party starter and not too sweet but for those who like their ginger beers to have a bit of substance and beer quality to it, this is more like a soft drink with Stone's Green Ginger.
MY TIP: At $18 a 330ml six pack, it's about middle of the range and is available through all liquor outlets.