Help me shock my tongue again!
May 7, 2010 11:53 AM   Subscribe

Help me find a replacement for Stewart's Ginger Beer!

My absolute favorite ginger beer, made by Stewart's, was discontinued last year. I have yet to find a replacement that has the gingery powerful flavor that they provided... and I've tried a lot. Can anyone recommend a brand that both a) has the pure mouth-zapping power of old Stewart's, and b) is available in Northern VA somewhere? I'm looking for ginger *beers* specifically, not just ginger ale... altho I'm not exactly sure of the difference, I've always found that the ones I've liked have been marketed as g.beer and not g.ale.
posted by FatherDagon to Food & Drink (16 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Reed's is pretty dang gingery, and they make an "Extra Ginger" variety.
posted by zsazsa at 11:58 AM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]


Try any Caribbean-style ginger beer. Stewart's pales into wispitude beside them.
posted by scruss at 12:02 PM on May 7, 2010


Response by poster: I've had Reeds, but not 'Extra Ginger', I'll have to look for it. I've also had 2-3 different 'Jamaican' gingers, Kingston and D&G that I can think of off the top of my head, and neither had the sharpness I was looking for. What's a recommendable 'Caribbean' style line?
posted by FatherDagon at 12:04 PM on May 7, 2010


I think Blenheim should do the trick nicely. I have a deep and abiding love for teh spicy, and Blenheim is the only ginger ale/beer I've ever tasted which was actually HOT ENOUGH.
posted by julthumbscrew at 12:12 PM on May 7, 2010


lot's of good answers here
posted by caddis at 12:21 PM on May 7, 2010


I personally love Gosling's and Regetta, both taste super gingery but aren't what I would describe as sharp tasting. So there's some data at least. There was a quite sharp and delicious brand I had one time that I unfortunately do not know the name of, I remember it said in big letters on the bottle "It's peppery!"
posted by haveanicesummer at 12:21 PM on May 7, 2010


I like the Goya brand ginger beer.
I'm sad to hear that Stewart's has been discontinued.
My favorite was always Old Tyme Ginger Beer, but I haven't seen that in ages.
I find Reeds to be strangely salty.

You can brew your own - I know someone who did this recently who was very happy with the results.
posted by sciencegeek at 12:32 PM on May 7, 2010


What I said in the earlier thread: Ginger People and Jackson Hole are easily my favorites, and I like my gingerbeers very gingery.
posted by gingerbeer at 12:33 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]


Reed's has multiple varieties, as mentioned above (try their ice creams, too!) but in addition to their Extra Ginger, you could also try their Premium. I think both of those had the good solid kick required for a satisfying Dark 'n' Stormy.
posted by Madamina at 1:24 PM on May 7, 2010


Goslings, then Reeds (both already mentioned) get my vote.

Fentiman's is outstanding, and a bit pricy, but might be hard to get outside of a specialty store (or mail order).
posted by devbrain at 1:56 PM on May 7, 2010


Fentimans by far, then Barritts and Goslings (better with rum and lime!). Do you live near a Cost Plus World Market or BevMo? That's where I pick mine up and there are always several brands to choose from. Here's a make-your-own tutorial if you can't find the good stuff locally.
posted by tinamonster at 7:11 PM on May 7, 2010


I haven't had Stewarts, so I can't offer the best advice. My personal favorite is probably Maine Root. You can find various comparisons linked to here. Making your own is a fun project; it doesn't take much equipment or time.
posted by PueExMachina at 10:59 PM on May 7, 2010


You may want to seek the advice of this fellow, who probably knows exactly what you need.

http://www.sodapopstop.com/home.cfm
posted by holterbarbour at 6:28 AM on May 8, 2010


You could try brewing your own, it's very easy.
posted by pewpew at 8:12 AM on May 8, 2010


I use the Gosling's as a mixer and it's fantastic, for straight drinking I prefer the Budderim though.
posted by Jawn at 1:25 PM on May 8, 2010


I just bought some Stewart's Ginger beer at Fairway last night. Are they making it again?
posted by sciencegeek at 1:28 PM on January 10, 2011


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