October 16, 2019
Werewolf Howling Ginger Beer | A Review
This time of year excites the children but gives fun-loving adults a reason to get together too, shake off the shackles of the workaday life, be someone else for a change. If you’re the type to decorate the house, have friends over for some candy and drinks, then finding Werewolf on the store shelf probably felt like serendipity. A bolt of inspiration strikes. The party’s signature drink will be a Mo-scare Mule.
Werewolf Howling Ginger Beer, bathed in moonlight, emerges from Orca Beverage in Mukilteo, Washington, north of Seattle. Orca bottles a ton of retro sodas, over a hundred, many well-known like Dad’s Root Beer. To be clear, they don’t own many of these brands but they do manufacture and bottle them. Who owns Werewolf isn’t immediately clear but the smart money is on Orca.
The bottle’s a standard brown-glass long-neck with a generic cap but creativity dwells in the label. On it the silhouette of a furry werewolf howls at the giant full-moon dominating a green sky. An ominous castle perches on the mountain behind him (or her). Red eyes narrow in its skull, the color matching the “Werewolf” logotype. It’s got a classic horror look to it and is absolutely perfect for Halloween.
A serving generates 160 calories. As expected, carbonated water makes up the lion’s share of the content. Cane sugar and honey provide the sweet taste and “natural ginger flavor” gives the natural ginger flavor. There’s a bit of citric acid too and hot pepper extract (almost certainly containing capsaicin) to add some heat. Maltodextrin is listed too, usually affecting mouthfeel, and sodium benzoate acts as a preservative.
Generous fizz appears when poured, the liquid a pale pink the hue of a rosé yet cloudy like a proper ginger beer, filtered though, no sediment drifts within. It smells richly of ginger, sweetness entwined.
The taste is a treat. Sweetness comes on but in control, finely tuned, not as strong as the nose would indicate. Ginger swells quickly with a pleasant intensity as prickles blanket the tongue. There’s the brief zing of citrus at the climax followed by an earthy sweetness as the progression fades. A formidable heat persists, strong, yes, but not overpowering. The hot pepper extract blends perfectly with the ginger’s heat, the line between the two indiscernible.
Werewolf possesses an excellent ginger flavor, tasting not at all artificial. The balance is bang-on too. While the branding portends a novelty, something bought for a Halloween party to generate a few chuckles, the quality here is undeniable. The taste is abounding and flavorful, far better than it needed to be to sell briskly during the season. Surprises this time of year usually bring on a bit of fright, but in this case there’s a smile, some nodding and an enthusiastic thanks.
Final Decision: Second Tier – Alluring
Purchased locally at: World Market. Also available online at: Antiqology, Soda Pop Stop.
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