A mostly clear label wraps the clear and colorless long-neck bottle, giving a clear look at the contents.  The logotype is gracefully understated, stepping back to let “Spicy Ginger” take the spotlight.  The streamlined banner enveloping them overlays a photograph of a sprawling ginger root, a hint as to what to expect from this craft soda.  The reserved, mature design sets it apart from most of its competition, suggesting a beverage tuned for the adult palate.  Conspicuously missing is a designation as ale or beer.

Carbonated water forms the bedrock here with sugar as the sweetener.  This 180-calorie drink gets its taste by way of the amorphous “natural flavor” and there’s citric acid for tang.  Altogether few ingredients are found, the only others being a preservative and caramel color.

There’s sweetness when smelling and ginger too in this amber-colored beverage.  How does it taste?  Imagine a party.  Walk through the door and a throng of sugars rush up, all speaking loudly at once, escalating in volume.  Ginger stands behind and waves a bit but can’t get more than a couple of words out without being talked over.  In frustration, ginger walks away.  The sugars ease up a bit and there’s a clipped glimpse of lime, looking bored.  Finally, the sugars thin out and exit a few at a time until they’re gone.  The last one there is earthiness who gives a smile on the way out. Heat never showed and prickles skipped this one.  Can’t blame them.

Interestingly, it feels a bit creamy in the mouth but the centerpiece is fruity sweetness, cranked up until it drowns out everything else.  A touch of heat could probably improve the experience.  After all it’s called Spicy Ginger; a little heat seems appropriate. 

Putting a designation on it proves difficult.  It tightropes between ginger ale and beer, not so sedate as an ale, not so aggressive as a beer. Either way it’s too sweet, not spicy enough and too little ginger flavor.  Find your next ginger beer fix somewhere else.

Final Decision: Fifth Tier – Skippable

Purchased locally at: Shell | Available online (often labelled Goose Island) at: Antiqology, Soda4u, Specialty Sodas

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See, Top Hat ginger beer was forged in the fires of festivals across America.  With thousands of people in attendance, storing and chilling enough to quench the masses becomes unwieldy at the very least.  But serving it bar-style (syrup mixed with carbonated water, same as a soda fountain) eases the difficulty of such a task and offers a fresher product to boot.

So this is a company that was never a bottler.  It rose to prominence serving ginger beer from a gun.  Craft syrup is their product so craft syrup is what you take home.  Mixing it with bubbly water and taking that first sip will make anyone a believer.

Buying craft concentrate means buying a lot of it at once.  While extra-large sizes for bar use are available, this personal-use Top Hat occupies a 32-ounce plastic bottle meant to mix 1:5 with sparkling water; that’s 32 six-ounce servings or 16 12-ounce.  One container of Top Hat and anyone is set for quite a while.

The plastic bottle is a dash of disappointment but no carbonation means no concerns of it going flat so it suits the application just fine.  The label design has a vintage vibe with its slightly unsaturated color printed upon textured paper.  Charming retrofuturistic flying machines and all the sprockets you can handle fill what is a busy background, requiring the logo and grungy, Victorian type to be wreathed in an outer glow in order to be clearly defined.  While not spectacular design, it is friendly and accessible.

56 calories make up a six-ounce serving; that’s only 112 for 12 ounces, quite economical for a ginger beer as full-flavored as this one.  Barring only one essential and unconcerning preservative, the ingredients are natural and enticing. Included: lemon, apple cider vinegar and natural ginger with sugar cane playing sweetener.

Mixed up, the drink is delightfully cloudy with lazily floating sediment throughout.  Carbonation gives the power to choose.  With Ozarka sparkling water it remained a bit flat but came alive with club soda.  The extra carbonation also amplified the heat level, a nice surprise.

The taste of apple cider floats across the tongue, a preamble to the ginger’s spicy appearance.  The notable burn wanders through the mouth and tickles the nose.  The sweetness falls in balance.  Traces of lemon are detectable and continue through to the finish.  The prickles linger for a couple beats, floating in the mouth and caressing the lips.

Top Hat ginger beer is daring, and perfect for sipping in a comfy porch chair on a delightful day.  All lingering syrupy concerns wash away with the unique and refreshing taste.  Who cares if the vessel isn’t included?  A palette of intriguing flavors await, regardless of the delivery system.

Final Decision: Second Tier – Alluring

Received as a gift. | Online availability at: Amazon

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