Stone jars were used to hold his new drink which he stamped with a picture of his dog Fearless.  He loaded them all up in a horse-and-cart and delivered them door to door.  Popularity quickly came and the business expanded to include several breweries in northern England.  To this day Fentimans remains in the family and though the product line greatly expanded, the ginger beer is still the cornerstone.

Tonics of the late 19^th century inspired the packaging design with its abundance of text, numerous descriptors and vintage silhouette.  A label featuring Fearless encircles the elongated neck of the 9.3oz (275ml) bottle and highlights the inaugural year of the business.  It’s entrancing, drawing in shoppers for a longer look and underscoring the uniqueness of the beverage.  There’s absolutely nothing else on the shelf like it.

Inside that bottle dwells a fascinating list of ingredients for this 130 calorie drink (translating to 168 for 12 ounces).  Into carbonated water go fermented ginger root extracts with cane sugar and glucose syrup as sweeteners.  There’s speedwell, juniper and yarrow extracts for the botanical burst.  Pear juice concentrate gives a depth of flavor and cream of tartar adds tang.  Citric acid is present as well.

Prominent fizz builds when pouring Fentimans.  The sparse sediment drifting in the cloudy, gold-tinted liquid isn’t all ginger.  Some bits hold a darker color, traces of the botanical emphasis on this ginger beer.  The nose is heavy in ginger, with an overture of botanicals and sweetness.  It’s that sweetness which touches the tongue first with ginger trailing close behind.  Alongside come the herbal tones.  The pine taste of the juniper comes through as does a tarragon-like flavor of the yarrow.  Breaths of lemon highlight the climax which also carries notes of pear.  There’s a bit of heat, prickles quietly playing on the tongue.  Botanicals then join the pear and whisper through the mildly sweet finish.

The flavor tells a story.  Pieces are introduced that entwine during the progression, building in intensity before settling into a satisfying denouement.  The herbs, the pear; Fentimans offers up an experience like no other ginger beer.  It’s complex and precise, infinitely creative and must be tried to be understood.

Final Decision: Second Tier – Alluring

Purchased locally at: World Market. Also available at British Isles | Available online at: Antiqology, British Food Shop, British Isles, BritSuperstore (a variety of options), Soda4U, Soda Emporium (singles & 4-packs), Soda Pop Stop.

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John’s son Peverel now oversees the venture which has grown into an international phenomenon.  Belvoir features creative beverages, including John and Mary’s original Elderflower Cordial, all made with the Vale’s own spring water.

Their ginger beer can be found in curvy little 8.4 ounce (250ml) bottles and larger 750ml varieties like this one.  The clear glass holds the silhouette of a wine bottle or maybe a spirit with an embossed logo swooping across the shoulder.  Orange is the branded color for the ginger beer with the label and seal both printed in it.  About the label, it’s uneven at the top and bottom, looking carefully torn and is adorned with the elegant script typically employed by Belvoir.  Seeing this on a shelf offers an impression of an upscale product but laced with warmth, personality and friendliness.

Belvoir was born amidst a growing concern regarding artificial ingredients so they carry that with them even today.  The label declares it to be free of preservatives, gluten, GMOs and assures readers it’s vegan.  Carbonated spring water kicks off the list.  Organic cane sugar provides sweetness, organic lemon juice provides tartness and organic fresh root ginger infusion provides ginger flavor.  Ginger extracts are also used.  Citric acid is present as is capsicum extract. An 8.5 ounce serving carries 110 calories, equating to 155 for 12.

The bottle must be tumbled before pouring as a layer of sediment rests at the bottom.  Afterward the color is tinted by ginger juice with the barest hint of an orange hue. A significant amount of light comes through, rendering it translucent.  The nose is of a soft ginger, accompanied by a bit of lemon.  Carbonation is virtually nonexistent.

Sweet notes arrive at the outset, joined shortly by the duo of an earthy ginger and sharply tart lemons.  The heat comes on, not the prickles of ginger but the jab of capsaicin.  Ginger falls away, leaving lemon to close the curtain.

The earthy ginger never stands in the spotlight, instead mingling as an ensemble.  It’s the soul of the progression with the lemon brightening the experience and at times taking over.  The heat weaves through without dominating but rapid fire sips will ignite the mouth a bit.  It’s an unusual take on a ginger beer but not necessarily a bad one.  Ginger beer enthusiasts might find it lacking however.  It could use more ginger and certainly more carbonation but as-is it’s satisfying and refreshing in its own right.

Final Decision: Third Tier – Enjoyable

Purchased locally at: World Market. | Available online at: BritSuperstore, World Market

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Powell & Mahoney feel an affinity towards Moscow Mules so this blood orange variety marks an attempt to expand horizons and offer variety on that front.  The can draws eyes to this bold step with its wrought iron logo, rough-hewn type and hand drawn illustrations of ginger root and sliced blood oranges.  There’s a personality to it, classy but fun, and it communicates an expected level of quality.

The can declares an absence of preservatives, artificial ingredients and high fructose corn syrup but citric acid is present.  While it primarily imparts a bit of citrus tang, it also possesses a preservative effect so there’s a bit of a gray area on this one.  Either way there’s a best-by date on the bottom of the can so it can’t be doing much.  It’s worth overlooking.

In addition to citric acid, there’s filtered water and cane sugar for sweetness.  Blood orange juice from concentrate and natural orange extract give the signature flavor while ascorbic acid adds tang.  Vegetable juice imparts color.  The ginger flavor comes from ginger extract and capsaicin adds a degree (or a few degrees) of heat.  There’s 130 calories in the 12 ounces of liquid, ten less than their Original Ginger Beer.

In a glass it appears a soft salmony pink color not unlike a rosé or a pink lemonade.  On the nose is a strong scent of sweet orange with a bit of ginger.  A moment of sweetness precedes the arrival of the blood orange flavor and a bright burst of tart acid.  A ginger weaves its way through, prickling the tongue and back of the throat.  The capsaicin brings a moderate burn throughout the mouth, building with further sips.  The tart carries on through to the finish, gradually fading away until only the heat is left.

Like the original, the heat is strong if not sincere, carrying a different character because of the capsaicin.  The blood orange comes through brilliantly but the ginger is not quite so flamboyant, needing a bit of a boost.  However the result is another solid entry for Powell & Mahoney, a nice change of pace from the standard ginger beer.  There’s an elegance to it with its rich flavors and bright tartness, great for an afternoon in the sun or as a mixer in the evening.

Final Decision: Second Tier – Alluring

Purchased locally at: Total Wine. | Available online at: Powell & Mahoney

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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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Inspired by a love of Moscow Mules, their ginger beer wears a dapper can, looking both upscale and accessible. The wrought iron logo feels vintage and quality while the soft frame of ginger root illustrations offsets its formality.  The typeface choices look spot-on and the eye flow from top-left to bottom-right is smooth.

Turn to the back and the ingredient list for this 140-calorie beverage offers comfort.  Everything listed is either water or flavor.  Cane sugar provides sweetening while both juice and extract contribute the ginger flavor.  Capsaisin adds a touch of heat.  The foundation is filtered water, not the more common carbonated water.  Perhaps this ginger beer’s bubbles appear through fermentation? (An email including the question went unanswered.)

Pouring reveals a mild carbonation to this pale gold liquid.  The nose is clean, giving off only the slightest hint of ginger. In tasting, we’re greeted by a dry note before an earthy ginger smoothly slides in, landing mid-tongue.  The appearance of tart adds a bit of sparkle.  Prickles pitter-pat the tongue while heat drifts into the throat.  There’s a clean finish with dim echoes of tartness.  Then they’re gone and only the heat remains.  It builds slowly in the mouth but never overpowers.

The capsaisin provides an interesting touch.  It emanates a different heat than that of the ginger, yet integrates seamlessly.  There’s a fullness to it, occupying the mouth.  It’s less active, lacking the dynamic tingle of ginger which allows it to lie just beneath, filling in space like a picnic blanket.

There’s a reassurance when dealing with a concise list of ingredients.  Extremely rarely do complicated-sounding ingredients ever require concern, but their absence is not missed.  Water and flavor.  That’s all there is in this excellent ginger beer. And excellent it is.  Dry and earthy, with outstanding balance, it’s wonderful as both a drink and a mixer and would make a fine guest at your next party.

Final Decision: Second Tier – Alluring

Purchased locally at: Target | Online availability at: Powell and Mahoney, Amazon, Target

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