B. Stiff & Sons Old Fashioned Soda Pop Company is the non-alcoholic arm of the Oskar Blues empire.  The brand name pays homage to a friend of founder Dale Katechis.  Brian Stiff was an avid biker who died suddenly, leaving behind a family including two children.  A fraction of the profit goes towards supporting them.

The original 2012 B. Stiff offering grew to be the fastest-selling craft root beer in Colorado and in 2016 it was joined by four more flavors, all with vintage appeal.  Among them came this ginger beer but also released were cream, orange cream and black cherry sodas.

The can is bewildering to behold.  Every inch of space has been crammed with something, from a portrait of a bird soaring over the Rockies to witty phrases like “Mary Ann and Ginger Beer” and “Try It, Mule Like It.”  There are starred ribbons, comedic capitalization and two prominent logos front and center.  “B. Stiff” appears in a circus font, “& Sons” in a grunge font and “Old Fashioned” is in script.  It’s insane.

There’s some sciencey-sounding words in the ingredient list for this 150-calorie soda like sodium benzoate and sucrose acetate isobutyrate but no point getting carried away.  They’re harmless.  The first preserves flavor while the second prevents separation.   The real attention-getter is ginger puree.  Not “natural flavors;” not even extract.  Puree!  With cane sugar providing the sweetness, expectations ride high.

In the glass the opaque liquid tends toward the white end of the ginger beer color spectrum and gives off only a mild scent of ginger.  The first performance is given by a dull sweetness which hands the stage to a very mild ginger with absolutely no prickling sensation.  Lime speaks, softly.  Just prior to the finish is an earthy, botanical blip, likely a product of the puree. 

The progression is a cloud.  Everything is soft with no hard edges.  Smooth throughout, no heat from the ginger, no tart from the citrus.  No excitement either.  It’s altogether pretty standard, feeling like a ginger beer developed in a focus group.  Absolutely inoffensive. 

Though the can is quite shouty, the taste is anything but.  The hype of ginger puree quiets after sampling, lacking the expected zing of fresh ginger.  But all is not lost here.  Disregard any expectations, judge it on its merits and here is found a gratifying experience. No, it won’t inspire backflips but it is pleasant, smooth and easy to drink and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Final Decision: Third Tier – Enjoyable

Purchased locally at: Spec’s

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The ginger beer sits stored in a silver can with royal blue trim.  The background is filled with wooden planks not unlike a backyard fence.  The hand-written logo floats above an illustration of a golden retriever, the most eye-catching feature of the can.  There’s a story there.

John grew up with a family dog like a lot of kids did.  His was a beloved pet lovingly named Bailey.  Bailey performed classic tricks, like fetching the newspaper, and loved boat rides to places where she could search for fish slipping by.  Bailey was cute as a button and in her picture sports a fetching red bandana.  Not many ginger beers have a mascot, and Bailey suits the job well.

Kure’s is comprised of only four ingredients with no arcane preservatives.  Carbonated water makes up the foundation with cane sugar, ginger juice and citric acid.  Ginger juice always feels good to see on a label.  This combination is good for 100 calories in the 12-ounce can.

On the nose floats the welcome scent of ginger, smelling freshly cut.  The cloudy white liquid holds plenty of sediment, that real ginger drifting through.  The inception tastes slightly sweet until a rush of fresh ginger storms through, accentuated with citrus.  A touch of heat tickles more than prickles.  Ginger persists after the swallow, then is joined by a jolt of tartness before a finish of sweetness, lazily lingering for a few seconds.  Heat builds as the can is consumed but never reaches a distracting intensity.

Kure’s began with home brewing and even now, canned, tastes like it was just created in the next room.  The ginger is a superstar, coming through brilliantly and the citrus emboldens the effect.  It’s not trying to do anything fancy, just deliver a great tasting traditional ginger beer.  It succeeds wildly.

Final Decision: First Tier – Exceptional

Purchased at: Mayfair Liquors in Denver, CO. Also available throughout Colorado and northern Illinois. | Cases available online at kuresgingerbeer.com

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The ingredient list does remain short with triple filtered carbonated water, evaporated cane sugar, natural flavors and citric acid.  The “natural flavors” element always feels a bit too nebulous, especially in a ginger beer.  The source of ginger flavor is pretty important when selecting one to your tastes but some things have to remain secret.  Something that’s not secret is the calorie count.  It’s 135 for the 12 ounces.

The brown, long-neck bottle features a lovely bright yellow label which looks fun and retro.  There’s an etching of deer, framed in a way that’s almost reminiscent of art nouveau but looks 19^th century.  Distressed banners on either side of the logo proclaim “all natural” and “small batch.”  Rocky Mountain Soda says their central goal is quality through fine ingredients and these proclamations are a testament to that ambition.

The scent emanating from this near-clear, sediment-free, slightly cloudy liquid is of a sweet ginger with a hint of spiciness. Tasting, a taut balloon of sweetness gives the first impression, coming on quickly.  Then the ginger swiftly swings into play, curiously offering more heat than the amount of ginger flavor would imply.  The dense but restrained prickles feel like a carpet of heat, clinging to the soft palate and touching the tongue and back of the lips.  Acute sweetness takes over for the finish, with a character not unlike a cherry soda, lingering but fading until just the heat remains.

Sweetness makes up the overriding trait of Golden Ginger Beer, but isn’t overpowering enough to ruin the experience.  Sugary ginger beers often overwhelm the drinker, drowning the sought-after characteristics.  This one avoids that pitfall so fans of the sweeter selection of ginger beers should prioritize Rocky Mountain.  It does sweet right.

Final Decision: Second Tier – Alluring

Purchased at Rocket Fizz in Highlands Ranch, CO | Available online at: Rocky Mountain Soda in 12-packs, Antiqology has singles, Beverages Direct also has 12-packs.

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Gabriel Oliver-Kose calls Boulder his original home.  He worked dining and bar jobs there and in Denver and on the side nurtured a passion for fermentation. 

The early history of ginger beer walks hand-in-hand with fermentation.  Yeast bacteria and sugar were stirred into a solution of water, ginger juice and other desired flavorings.  The mixture was left to ferment, producing a flotilla of bubbles (and if left long enough, alcohol too).

Inspired by the classic history of the drink, Oliver-Kose founded OliKo, producing a fermented ginger beer made from cultures and fresh ingredients.

The packaging is stunning.  There’s nothing else on the market like it.  The logo features a beautiful typeface adorned with just enough detail to generate interest and a modern look that’s not so trendy that the design will expire when a fad passes.  The geometric artwork carries a freshness, appearing modern and young, though upscale without being stuffy.  The clear glass bottle holds a shape unseen in the ginger beer world, offering an impression of a carefully crafted small-batch beverage.  The sum design defies convention, implying a one-of-a-kind product, no less than a disrupting force.

There’s four ingredients: filtered water, ginger vinegar, cane sugar and cold pressed ginger juice.  Nothing else.  No preservatives at all, not even the gray-area occupying citric acid.  The label calls for constant refrigeration.  It goes on to say that the 12-ounce bottle holds 100 calories, two six-ounce, 50-calorie servings.

On the nose floats a tangy ginger, fresh smelling, strong too, with a hint of fermentation.  Shaking and pouring reveals minimal carbonation.  Nestled in a glass, the liquid is opaque and just a perfect color.  Very enticing, very tempting.  And that temptation pays off.

There’s first a zing, the tang of the ginger vinegar.  Sweetness hovers there, suspended low like a cloud of dry ice.  It’s tamed, well-behaved, minimal, just enough to avoid dryness but attracting little attention.  The ginger rushes in, strong and energetic, tasting remarkably fresh-squeezed.  Botanical notes follow.  The finish is lively, prickly and tangy.  Going back in for more immediately crosses the mind.  The moderate heat builds a little with each taste, prickling mostly on the tongue but brushing the roof, lips and back of the throat, lingering on long after the sip.

Exciting describes the progression.  Fireworks.  The flavor comes in phases, constantly reinventing itself.  This is such a fresh-tasting ginger beer, alive with the sights and smells of a farmer’s market.  The ginger flavor feels like you dug it up there at the farm itself, sliced it open with a pocket knife and pressed it directly to your nose.  The hints of vinegar, the acid, it just deepens the experience.  The sweetness stands behind, with dignity.  Most ginger beers are built on pillars of sugar and ginger, the two starring roles.  Here the sweetness is a supporting actor, or even an extra, enriching the scene but not featuring in it.

There’s no doubt about it.  This is one of the best ginger beers ever made.

Final Decision: God Tier – Untouchable

Purchased at: Mother Tongue in the Broadway Market in Denver, CO. Their website has a list of other locations in Boulder and Denver. Their online shop currently says “under construction” so maybe one day you can order it? Maybe?

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