In 2010 I went on a solo business trip to London. It was my first time in the city, so I decided to tack on a few extra days to the trip to explore. I didn’t really make any plans, so that exploration simply involved going to a landmark I knew existed and then wandering around until I found something else interesting.
What that meant was I saw the Queen’s Castle, Big Ben, Shakespeare’s Globe, and a lot of pubs. After trying (and honestly not being very impressed by) all the staple beers on tap, I eventually switched to ciders (which are phenomenal in England BTW), and worked my way through those. One of my last nights in town, I stopped into a pub called Bag of Nails (another fave part of drinking in England were the pub names) for a pint, and found Crabbie’s.
When I ordered it, I have to honestly say I had no idea what it was. All I knew was there was a beer menu on the wall, it had the word Crabbie’s on it, and I needed it. Like the pub I was in, it was a selection made entirely based off of its name. But, it was a solid one.
In England, Crabbie’s is served in a large glass filled with ice, just like you’re drinking a soda. The alcoholic ginger beer was the first alcoholic soda I had ever had (if you don’t count all the rum and Cokes I drank in college), and I was instantly hooked. I probably had three or four of them while I was at the pub that night, and then when I came across a shop selling bottles the next day on my way to the airport, I bought as many as I could fit in my suitcase to bring home. Alcoholic soda wasn’t a trend in the US yet (heck a craft beer was even hard to come by in my hometown), and this stuff was magical. In fact, Crabbie’s has been making this stuff long before the whole alcoholic soda trend took off – the company dates back to 1801.
Crabbie’s started distributing in the United States in 2012, but I didn’t come across my first bottle until late last year. After reviewing a few other alcoholic sodas, the folks at Crabbie’s offered to send me a few bottles (they have flavors now!) to try out, and so I took them up on the offer — could it really be as good as I remember it?
The short answer: OMG yes.
One thing that’s distinctive about American takes on alcoholic ginger beer is that on some level they all taste artificial. Sure, you get that ginger flavor and smell, but taste wise there’s always something missing.
