Thirsty Thursday

Thirsty Thursday: Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer

Keegan Barber | Staff Photographer

Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer has just 4.8 percent ABV. The beer has a strong taste that lingers on the tongue after the first sip. It is best paired with a lemon or lime.

I’ve had plenty of ginger beer before. When I was growing up, I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. At age 10, I would chug it in the school cafeteria and joke to my friends that I was having a beer. Before you get alarmed, no, I wasn’t drinking Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer, but that’s what I’m drinking today.

I really expected to taste something that resembled ginger beer, but with added alcohol, as if you just poured vodka into the non-alcoholic beverage. I thought that it would dilute the ginger flavor and make it far less enjoyable.

The sweetness and potency of the ginger was the first thing to hit the tongue. It’s powerful, and for someone who doesn’t like ginger, it’s probably too strong. In order to enjoy this beer, you have to be a ginger lover. But the ginger adds a really interesting, almost spicy element to the aftertaste that lingers on the tongue.

The beer is extremely carbonated and surprisingly refreshing. It’s perfect for a warm summer day, and — as the label on the bottle recommends — it would be fantastic served over ice with a slice of lemon or lime hanging on the side of the glass.

To be clear, this isn’t beer brewed with ginger. This is specifically a ginger beer with an entirely different brewing process and taste. It isn’t brewed with malt or hops, so if you’re expecting anything resembling a traditional beer, you’re out of luck.



What’s dangerous about this ginger beer is that you can’t taste any of the alcohol. I honestly wouldn’t be able to tell you if this had alcohol in it or not in a blind taste test. I could sit on my porch on a warm afternoon and drink this all day, which is common when a beer has just 4.8 percent ABV like this one.

Regardless, if you’re looking for a great pop in flavor, a strong ginger taste and a perfect beverage for lounging by the pool, the Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer is for you.





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