Hard Ginger Ale
Coney Island Brewing Company

 

 

 

I am using the previous Cream Ale to segue into a brief foray into some "alchopops" as a part of the Eradication of the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody. I had some former colleagues who were really into these sorts of things, which kind of illustrated to me that I am probably not the intended audience.

From the bottle: "Feast your eyes on Coney Island Hard Ginger Ale: a tantalizing libation enhanced with exotic West African ginger. Are you tall enough to ride?""; "What we have behind the curtain will amaze you! Astound you! Astonish you! Hailing from deep in the ground in a far off land comes so fragrant and so delightful that a single sip will wash away your worries like waves crashing on our sunny shores."; "Coney Island, where anything is possible if you're ready to #TakeTheRide."

Well, if I am going to take the ride, then first, I need to Pop! the cap. Once again, even an aggro pour failed to raise anything more than a brief finger-plus of fizzy, foamy, bone-white head that quickly dissipated into wisps. Color was solidly Amber (SRM = > 7, < 9) with NE-quality clarity. Nose smelled like fresh ginger and I suddenly wanted to run over to my nearby sushi restaurant and begin gobbling their wares. I actually like Ginger Ale as a pop, especially as a mixer with Rye whisky & once I get through the bulk of this review, I will use the remainder as a set-up. Mouthfeel was definitely thin on this one, watery with just enough carbonation to keep me interested. The taste, while spicy with the presence of ginger, was still a bit too sweet for my enjoyment. I would have preferred full-on ginger for a greater dryness. As it was the finish was more semi-sweet than semi-dry and struck me as lacking. I have had ginger ale (pop) that was dryer than this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 ounce bottle into Sam Adams pint glass, best before 8/2016. Pours clear pale golden straw color with a small foamy white head with poor retention, that reduces to a ring of lace that lingers. Minimal spotty lacing on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Good appearance. Aromas of big ginger, honey, caramel, cracker, and herbal/floral earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of ginger and sweet malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of ginger, honey, caramel, cracker, and herbal/floral earthiness. Minimal herbal/ginger bitter/spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of ginger, honey, caramel, cracker, and herbal/floral earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Nice robustness and balance of ginger and sweet malt flavors; with a good malt/spiciness balance and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth and fairly creamy/slick mouthfeel that is good. Zero warming alcohol as expected for 5.6%; with some slight heat from the ginger as well. Overall this is a pretty good ginger cream ale. All around good robustness and balance of ginger and sweet malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink. A pleasantly enjoyable offering. Could have used more carbonation, but what was there was solid.

12oz bottle, the third flavoured offering to arrive up here in Alberta in as many weeks from this Brooklyn outfit - cheers! Now send us your 'regular' stuff, again, already!

This beer pours a clear, medium copper amber colour, with one finger of uber-fizzy dirty white head, which dissipates into the ether before I get a chance to get halfway through this sentence. Zero appreciable lace.

It smells of zingy and earthy fresh ginger, grainy pale malt, simple syrup, and a subtle musty bitterness. The taste is craft ginger ale, bready caramel, sugary citrus candies, an earthy and leafy bitterness (maybe hops, maybe not), and a sense of ill-integrated alcohol astringency.

The carbonation is fairly gentle in its barely palpable frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and smooth, I suppose, as all that sugary character does well to gloss over any potentially invasive spiciness. It finishes sweet, gingery, and vaguely boozy.

Overall, not a particularly interesting or robust version of this unheralded style, as the sugar and alcohol really start to take over shortly after take-off. Kind of disjointed, and not something that I could see wanting another (or another) of while considering my summertime patio options, as such.

I picked this up at the Binny's store in Bloomingdale, IL as part of a build-your-own six pack for $9.99, making this single 12oz bottle $1.67. Best before date of Aug. '16 is notched into the side of the label so it's still plenty fresh.

The beer poured a clear, pale yellow color and started to make a white head but it fizzled out before I could even put the bottle down. Lots of carbonation bubbles like you would see in a ginger ale soda.

Smells like a ginger ale soda with perhaps more ginger aroma than you get in the soda.

Sickening sweet syrupy mess that tastes like ginger ale with a bit more spiciness plus the addition of alcohol.

Too sugary and syrupy to be called light, but not heavy either. Medium high carbonation - about what you'd get in a ginger ale soda.

I don't think too many beer lovers will like this, but could be popular with the novices.

I gave this 4 for look because the bottle is cool looking. it doesnt have much of a smell. The taste is way too sweet and not very much ginger like. Didn't feel like a beer or a gingerale. next time I will have a Moscow Mule or a Vernors or just Ginger-ale with some Vodka.