Ginger Beer vs Ginger Ale

For a refreshment so popular, it's interesting to note how many misconceptions exist about ginger beer. The drink, which originated in the mid-1700s in England, was first known as a fermented alcoholic beverage made from sugar, ginger, water, and a starter culture known as ginger beer plant, resulting in a brew with about 11 percent alcohol. The carbonation occurs naturally from the brewing process, so this form of ginger beer has less carbonation than ginger ale.

A lot of today's commercial ginger beers are made differently than the original brew, so what ends up in the bottle can vary widely across brands. Many are actually classified as non-alcoholic because they contain less than .5 percent alcohol or contain no alcohol at all. Some ginger beers are brewed with champagne yeast, and some are finished with forced carbonation. There are even producers that just make a more ginger-intense version of ginger ale and call it ginger beer.

In comparison to ginger ale, ginger beer is more robust in flavor with a spicy quality. Ginger beer can be enjoyed alone, but it also plays a starring role in cocktails such as the Dark and Stormy and the Moscow Mule.

Consider ginger ale to be ginger beer's more sedate cousin. It contains no alcohol and is basically a ginger-flavored soft drink. Its roots are rumored to be from Ireland, but it really took off in Canada in the early 1900s, when the Canada Dry style of ginger ale was invented. Most ginger ales are now made in this pale, dry style, resulting in a lighter color and a more delicate flavor than ginger beer, but with more carbonation.

Both ginger ale and ginger beer are bubbly drinks with a gingery kick, refreshing on their own or mixed into your favorite cocktail. Some drinks rely on the deeper flavors of ginger beer to stand up to other ingredients, but you can really use it interchangeably with ginger ale — as long as you know that ginger beer is more intense in flavor than ginger ale.