Ginja Ninja Ginger Beer | Granville Island Brewery

1/5  rDev -67.5%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Did not come close to meeting expectations

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2.08/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 1.75 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.25

3.7/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

1.73/5  rDev -43.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.25

I was kinda expecting it to taste like non-alcoholic ginger beer. Nope. Just tastes like ginger gone bad. It's really too bad that it comes in six-packs.

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1.41/5  rDev -54.2%
look: 3 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.5

This beer was bad news. All ginger, no beer; no balance. Drain-pour.

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3.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

3.84/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Medium amber colour with one inch of fine off-white head. Little lacing and no retention. Continuous light streams of carbonation. Some yeast sendiment.

Strong raw ginger aroma. Tangy with some mustiness.

Lots of flavours. Dominated by the ginger. Slightly tart. Sweet malty bread. Grassy hop bitterness rides along with the ginger tang. Long aftertaste.

Medium feel with nice carbonation.

My first ginger beer. It was refreshing. I will seek other ginger beers. Better than other Granville Island offerings that I have had.

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3.75/5  rDev +21.8%

3.5/5  rDev +13.6%

3.25/5  rDev +5.5%

3.12/5  rDev +1.3%

2.9/5  rDev -5.8%

2.88/5  rDev -6.5%

4/5  rDev +29.9%

3/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

3.25/5  rDev +5.5%

3.25/5  rDev +5.5%

3.5/5  rDev +13.6%

3.5/5  rDev +13.6%

3.25/5  rDev +5.5%

1.5/5  rDev -51.3%

2.31/5  rDev -25%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25

I like ginger. I like ginger a lot. But it's pretty much wasted here because there's nothing to complement it in this brew.

Pours a short head that immediately disappears leaving behindg a very ordinary looking clear apricot coloured liquid. Boring. Nose is clearly gingerous, but with not much else. Quite dry on the palate, bordering on dusty or metallic. Not much else happening in the glass. Taste is also one dimensional, just harsh ginger. Not really appetizing. Ginger works best when it's paired up with something else and those flavours work together. Nothing else here I'm afraid.

Meh. Part of a mixed six from Granville/Creemore. Just glad I didn't stick myself with a full six of this stuff. Done and gone.

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3.3/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

341 mL bottle from a Granville Island/Creemore Springs mixed sampler picked up at the LCBO; bottled in April of this year. Ingredients: Beer, Ginger. To quote Michael Bluth, "Well I don't know what I expected." Served well-chilled.

Pours a turbid orange-amber colour, topped with one finger of short-lived, pearl-white head. Within a minute's time, only a thin film and collar remain behind, with some scant lacing. The aroma is sweet and spicy; candied ginger root definitely comes to mind, in addition to some doughy malt sweetness, brown sugar and light orange citrus notes.

A decent ginger ale, although the aforementioned spice remains comfortably in the background for the duration of the sip. Bready malts and gingerbread flavour come through initially, with some light orange and hoppy earthiness rounding things out at the tail end. Mildly spicy aftertaste, with some diluted ginger heat that fades rapidly. Medium-bodied, with relatively light carbonation and a smooth mouthfeel that doesn't work particularly well in this instance. I prefer my ginger beers to have a peppier, more assertive bite from the carb.

Final Grade: 3.30, a B-. Granville Island's Ginja Ninja is an agreeable spiced ale well-suited for the patio season, but it's not something I'm likely to return to any time soon. This one is far less ginger-focused than most of the other ginger beers I've tried, which may or may not be a plus for you. Personally? I think it would benefit from a stronger ginger bite, but in the end there's nothing wrong here. Give it a shot if you're a fan of the style, but don't expect anything more than a passable session brew.

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3/5  rDev -2.6%

3.25/5  rDev +5.5%