No,
this article is not about a former girlfriend of mine (Wild
Ginger) and my favorite hair cream from the 60's (Wild Root),
although I have to admit, if I ever got around to writing
about them, it definitely would make for interesting reading
and might even still get me arrested. This article is in fact
about WG Brewing's new alcoholic root beer and ginger beer,
although I use the term alcoholic sparingly, as both are 4%
ABV (Wild Ginger) and 5% ABV (Wild Root) which puts them both
squarely in the average beer alcohol content; although I seriously
doubt either one is going to taste like Bud or Coors, but
that may actually be a good thing in disguise.
This
resurgence in "alcoholic craft soda" can actually
be traced back to legendary moonshiner Popcorn Sutton! Turns
out that Wild Ginger Founder Jamey Grosser learned the art
of brewing from Popcorn before Sutton committed suicide in
2009 rather than report to Federal prison for offenses related
to moonshine production. Yes, you can still get Popcorn Sutton's
legendary Tennessee White Whiskey, but now I'm really curious
to see what Jamey did with the knowledge he garnered from
Popcorn. Enough of this babble, let's get to tasting!
Just
so there is no mistaking this Ginger Beer
for a tame non-alcoholic kid friendly can of soda, there is
a very hot, very red, very buxom broad on the can pointing
to the words Alcoholic Ginger Beer. Given that this ginger
beer comes in a soda can, the mistake would be a natural one.
The color of this ginger beer is dark amber that makes it
look like a tawny port, but there the similarity ends. The
nose is quite fizzy when the can is first opened. The aromas
emanating forth are subtle and infused with ginger, beer,
a slight nod toward the alcohol and a bit of citrus. The palate
is more wine like than beer like, and the bit of fizz makes
it quite refreshing. I perceive a touch of ginger and citrus
and even a taste of grape soda, go figure! The finish is smooth,
fizzy, flavorful, citrusy and ever so slightly spicy. I could
drink this stuff all afternoon straight up and cold right
from the fridge. I also believe it would play nice in a mixed
drink, but it's just so darn tasty by itself, I don't even
want to go through the trouble of mixing it up into something
else. Currently, it's only available in a handful of states,
but they promise to roll out nationally by the end of the
year, so you may yet get to enjoy this gingery delight for
the holidays. It sells for $9.00-$10.00 per six pack.
The
Wild Root, alcoholic root beer, comes in a brown
soda can sporting one mean ass mug scowling and foaming and
growing gnarly roots out of its base. Again, there is little
confusing this art work with a tame non-alcoholic soda can.
The color of the wild root is that of a dark beer with just
a hint of foam. The nose is definitely root beer all the way.
The palate is also very root beer like with just the right
amount of carbonation. If I didn't know better I could swear
this tastes just like my favorite straight root beer. The
finish is fizzy and smooth and sweet and very, very root beer
like. I like it. I can certainly see the potential for some
pretty crazy mixed drinks here. Wild Root also sells for around
$10.00-$11.00 per six pack.
By George Brozowski
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://wgbrewing.com/