Eventually Rackensperger moved to a better location and launched a new root beer.  Acceleration: the business soared as their new concoction flew off shelves and soon it became available nationally.  With the windfall Rackensperger bought up competitors and restaurants.

40 years after its inception Frostie was sold and it bounced around until the current owner, Detroit’s Intrastate Distributors, bought it in 2009.  Though it no longer enjoys the success of its heyday, Frostie root beer can be found easily across the nation.  Their ginger beer though is a little bit harder to find.

Their winter-themed label highlights this clear, 12oz, heritage-style bottle.  Interlocking triangles of alternating shades of green make up the background while the snow-capped, 50’s-style logo features up front.  Longtime mascot, the earmuffed elf, leans in just behind while a barrel — clear to let the liquid show through — sits just below.  It is retro through-and-through and nods to the origin of their famous root beer.

To carbonated water and cane sugar is added the ambiguous “natural flavor” and citric acid.  Sodium benzoate keeps it shelf-stable while quillaia extract piles on a little extra foam.  Tally them together and the sum is a whopping 200 calories for the bottle.

As can be seen through the glass, the liquid is light-colored and opaque with no trace of sediment.  Generous fizz generates when poured and in the glass it gives off the scent of ginger and substantial sweetness.  Those hints on the nose are dead-on as sweet hits right off the bat.  Ginger rushes in quickly, heat tagging along.  The abundant sweetness builds and builds as a touch of tart joins in for the climax.  There’s a burst of sugary sweetness before fading into the finish, accompanied by a subtle ginger.  Prickles jig upon the tongue, the residuals of a hefty heat.

While there’s nothing outlandish about it, Frostie does take a chance with its sweetness.  This is a sweet-forward ginger beer, likely too sweet for some, but the considerable heat attempts to balance it.  Both are above-average which imparts an intensity to the flavor.  This take on the formula can be called bold and interesting but the sweetness is ultimately a bit much.

Final Decision: Third Tier – Enjoyable

Purchased at: Beverages Direct | Also available online at: Antiqology, Soda4u, Specialty Sodas.

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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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The Naturally Light series eventually found itself replaced by Refreshingly Light.  More than just a name change, new formulas were devised for these versions of their Indian Tonic Water, Ginger Ale and Ginger Beer.  The notes for this review were originally written while the two options sat side-by-side on shelves but by now Naturally Light may be near impossible to find.

The 6.8 ounce (200ml) clear glass bottle possesses an elegant curvature and comes embossed with the fever tree found often in their branding.  The label, with a lighter background color, appears quite similar to the Premium.  It uses the same upscale look including the same uninspired typeface selections except for the addition of hand-written elements, notably the “Naturally Light” designation.

Carbonated spring water kicks off the ingredient list of this 40-calorie beverage (that’s 71 calories per 12 ounces).  In addition there’s fruit sugar, ginger root, other natural flavors, tartaric and ascorbic acids.  No preservatives are included.

There’s a touch of cloudiness to this fizzy, translucent liquid which carries a slightly more golden color than its full-calorie counterpart.  Ginger dominates the nose, nice and strong.  The first impression comes through as a dryness.  Then the ginger arrives, tasting not at all artificial.  It reaches a pleasant peak, joined by a tang, and continues to hang on for a few beats.  The heat goes easy at first but builds with each sip, prickling about the tongue.  The tang subsides into a clean finish.

Naturally Light has no intention of imitating Fever-Tree’s flagship ginger beer.  It’s quite comfortable doing its own thing and offers a lot of flavor for the calories.  The choice to go dry strikes as a clever idea.  When reducing calories, why not just reduce the sweetness instead of pursuing artificial options?  A dry ginger beer can be as good or better than a sweet one so there’s a reason to choose this variety other than just the reduced calories and sugar.  It’s a straightforward option that lacks the complexity of the Premium but nevertheless remains desirable in its own right.

Final Decision: Second Tier – Alluring

Purchased locally at: Spec’s

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Quite a brag it is but a hollow one it is not.  Dozens of awards followed and their tonic water stands as the top selling brand.  Fever-Tree’s availability spans more than 70 countries and it almost certainly adorns a shelf in a nearby grocery.  For them the success has rained down in sheets.

The bottle suits the mission.  With a curvy, elegant silhouette, the 16.9 ounce (500ml) glass container sports an embossed fever tree and attractive labelling with a metallic finish.  The logotype feels a bit mundane and the font choice below it the same.  On the neck label, the logo’s tree is printed over the logo’s tree, which looks messy and seems unnecessary. The total effect presents as upscale but better packaging exists.

Within live 100 calories per 8oz serving, translating to 150 for 12.  Carbonated spring water makes up the base layer, sweetness blooms from real sugar and on top of that it touts natural ginger flavoring as well as actual fresh ginger.  The ginger used arrives from three different, far-reaching origins.  Ivory Coast contributes one, Nigeria the second and the third grows in India.  Each rides a slightly different spectrum of flavor which Fever-Tree claims compliments each other perfectly.  No preservatives are present.

The enchanting scent of fresh ginger bursts from the bottle upon opening.  Nested in a glass, spiciness entwines for a heavenly nose.  There’s sugar too, subdued.  Moderate carbonation permeates a liquid given a frosted glass appearance by the powder of fresh ginger softly drifting within. 

A reserved sweetness blankets the tongue a moment before a satisfying dousing of fresh, earthy ginger.  Prickles play about in the mouth and tickle the nose.  Botanical notes arrive as the prickles travel back in the mouth and touch the top of the throat, offering a spicy finish.  The ginger taste holds for an extended portion of the progression, remarkably long.  Heat rests upon the tongue in its wake, a lasting token of the experience.

Like an orchestra, elements each lay down their parts, harmonizing into a symphony of flavor.  Notes come from everywhere in a sublime complexity, assembling into a sophisticated ginger beer, both exotic and accessible.

The objective at the outset was to create the best mixers ever made and it’s hard to imagine a ginger beer better than this one.  It ticks every box and creates several more.  It holds the perfect balance of sweet and heat and the ginger tastes freshly grated off the root.  It’s spectacular.  It’s perfect.  It’s everything a ginger beer aspires to be.

Final Decision: God Tier – Untouchable

Purchased locally at: HEB

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Plans emerged about 45 years later to revive everything that made the original so great, including that magical root beer.  Bottling it became a priority but using new machinery didn’t seem to fit the mission.  A nationwide search turned out successful when a vintage 1940’s bottling line was located in a Wisconsin barn.  That bottling line was installed into the new restaurant and now, while they munch on burgers or pizza, patrons can watch Fitz’s assortment of classic sodas poured into bottles and served up cold.

The label is mostly gray and black with a halo of green ringing the logo.  Most other Fitz’s varieties come in brightly hued wrapping but the Pi Ginger Beer, a later addition, appeared after most of those saturated colors were taken.  Perhaps that’s why the palette runs so dark.  Even so, they complement the vintage design and even lend to the classic feel.

A long-neck bottle was chosen, dark brown and very appropriate.  There’s a reasonable 140-calorie price for this ginger beer.  Flavored naturally, it uses filtered carbonated water and pure cane sugar.  There’s the omnipresent sodium benzoate working preservative duty and some caramel color was used.  The final result is a clear, golden liquid with no sediment and little carbonation. Not much scent either.

Sweetness starts off the show as planned.  The ginger appears but never fully materializes, light and mild, virtually no heat.  A hint of syrup passes through.  Sugary describes the finish.

The taste here is not that of a ginger beer, but of a ginger ale, plus it demonstrates the syrupy characteristic found in a brown soft drink.  Considering there’s minimal ginger and no kick, it’s hard to make a case for ginger beer fans to prioritize sampling this.  A stop at Fitz’s while in St. Louis is still on the to-do list, but the best idea is to probably stick to something they’re renowned for: the root beer.

Final Decision: Fifth Tier – Skippable

Purchased at: Beverages Direct | Online availability at: Fitz’s, Antiqology

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