The no-beer beer! (Old Jamaica Ginger Beer)

Member Name: hypno06

Product:	Old Jamaica Ginger Beer
Date:	09/05/09 (176 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to drink, refreshing, full of flavour.

Disadvantages: Lots of sugar

I have memories as a child in the 1970s of growing our own ginger beer, in bottles on the kitchen windowsill - there was some way of using the last bottle to start off the next batch of ginger beer, and we always seemed to have a supply on the go. I have always had a bit of a fondness for the stuff as a result.

Ginger is a root plant, and is widely used for cooking and for its medicinal purposes. It has a warming effect when taken, and can provide a kick to your food when used in cooking, and can give your body a wake up call and your skin a wonderful tingly feeling when used in shower products and body lotions.

So, it would be no surprise that ginger beer is going to provide you with more than just your normal carbonated soft drink!

Despite the name, ginger beer is not alcoholic - not at all. I have always likened it to a cloudy lemonade with a spicy kick! It is a soft drink, suitable for all ages, but not everyone will like it because it can be quite strong, and can take you by surprise.

The clue is in the title, and some ginger beers, including Old Jamaica, use the word "fiery" in their brand name or their description , so you should be prepared for something a little stronger in taste than 7-Up or Tango!

The picture above is of a bottle, but I buy my "Old Jamaica Ginger Beer" in cans - found in Asda and other supermarkets, often in multipacks on offer - so stock up when you find them cheap!

I have tried some brands over the years that really are too fiery for my taste - they have almost made me sneeze as I bring the glass to my mouth, as the smell is so strong, and the taste has made me cough - not a pleasant feeling. I like the taste of ginger, but I DO want to enjoy my drink, not splutter everywhere......apart from anything else, it is not a good look when you have company!


But Old Jamaica seems to have the balance just right for me - a real depth of ginger flavour, with a wonderful warming feeling as it goes down my throat, but without the overpowering heat and certainly without the eyewatering spluttering going on.

For me, I like the fact that I can pour this ginger beer from the can into a tall glass, and can get a refreshing drink full of flavour. It tastes great from the fridge - chilled and just perfect for a summers day, but it also tastes perfectly good at room temperature - the warming properties of the ginger just mean it doesn't NEED to be cold, like some cans or bottles of soft drinks, for it to be delicious! So a perfect drink all year round!

This is not a sugar free drink, so as you would expect, the calories are fairly high - 64 cals for 100mls.......with each can holding 330mls that is over 200 calories per can.....quite a lot if you are watching your calorie intake, so you might want to just be aware of that. However, if you are looking for a drink with a bit of a bite to it, then you can't do much better than this, so we can forgive the calories just a bit, can't we?

Plus, cans in the fridge are less messy and prone to spillage than bottles on the windowsill!

Summary: Not so much a "kick", more a decent "nudge".