Gosling's ginger beer

has anyone tried this? i make dark and stormy's with gosling's black seal rum and barritts ginger beer, but at bar deville the other night i noticed that gosling's is now making their own ginger beer. justjoan

Hi,

I would like to know where Gosling's ginger beer might be available and it if uses fructose or sugar.

Tim

I would like to know where Gosling's ginger beer might be available and it if uses fructose or sugar.

hi tim, i'd like to know also. feel free to help search for the answer. below, i've posted gosling's announcement of the new ginger beer. while searching the internet after your request, i've learned the following: gosling was having some 'problems' with barritts, the ginger beer they've always matched with their black seal rum to make a dark and stormy (the 'official' dark and stormy drink of bermuda). they are now partnering with polar beverage in mass. to make their own ginger beer, supposedly very similar recipe to barritts. i've learned that barritts is made with corn syrup. havent discovered yet whether goslings is. on a rum website i learned some drinkers love regatta ginger beer, made with cane sugar, but i dont know yet where that is available. i've also read some positive reviews about goslings g.b. on the same website for rumlovers(called drinkhacker.com).
sam's liquors carries goslings ginger beer. they were my source for barritts as well, which used to be sitting in a 6 pack next to the gosling rum. i wonder if they are still doing that, or whether gosling has applied pressure to only have their ginger beer in close proximity to their rum. that's all for now....justjoan

http://www.goslingsrum.com/whatsnew_art ... icleID=193

i just received a reply from my email to gosling's rum telling me that their new ginger beer is made with high fructose corn syrup, rather than cane sugar. jj

justjoan wrote:i just received a reply from my email to gosling's rum telling me that their new ginger beer is made with high fructose corn syrup, rather than cane sugar. jj

Huh. That's a shame. It runs $8 per 6-pack at Sam's...for that price, I would expect more "premium" ingredients than HFCS.

I grabbed 2 6-packs yesterday to compare to my currently fermenting Ginger Beer. It is quite sweet; a bit too sweet for my taste. Did leave a bit of a pepper burn on the lips after a few. I found myself reaching for more lime slices to make it a bit more tart.

I WAS mixing with warm cans of Ginger Beer so the loss of carbonation could have made it taste sweeter. Will try again this eve with a cold can.

Having only had a Dark & Stormy once, I can't really describe the taste of Gosling's rum. Has anyone tried the rum in a traditional Rum & Coke? Is there a distinct difference in this concoction to any other rum such as Bacardi? I'm putting together a small bar and can't decide if I should have both Bacardi for anyone who may want a rum & coke and also have some Gosling's for the Dark & Stormy and sipping, or just have Gosling's and be done. Thanks for the help!!

Count me a fan of both Barritt's and Gosling's--both separately and together. Barritt's is simply the best ginger beer I've had; I don't care if they sweeten it with HFCS, sugar, or the dandruff of Martian goats! Gosling's is a heavier, sweeter rum and I find it particularly nice for sipping neat. Together, superb.

That said, I usually keep a bottle of Bacardi (or something less distinctive than Gosling's) for those who prefer a simpler (for lack of a better word) flavor profile.

Do you consider Gosling's rum spicy or was that just the spice in their ginger beer that I tasted? The Dark & Stormy at Bar DeVille was the best drink I'd had in ages. If I lived closer I may have to change my occupation to full-time alcoholic.

Spicy is not a word I would use to characterize it. Full-bodied. Rich. Oh, maybe a bit...molasses-y. I've never had it with Coca-Cola but my sense is that is would go well. OTOH, I guess I could imagine some folks who would find it had too much character, if that makes sense. Not me, certainly. Its very distinctiveness is what someone might dislike but exactly why I think it's wonderful to sip.

Barritt's is simply the best ginger beer I've had; I don't care if they sweeten it with HFCS, sugar, or the dandruff of Martian goats!

gypsyboy, since gosling started making ginger beer, i'm having trouble finding barritt's. both the defunct sam's, and binny's carry only gosling's. i fear gosling is pressuring liquor stores to carry only their ginger beer, but for a dark&stormy, i much prefer barritt's. where do you buy it? (btw, i tried one from whole foods- i think it's called reed's, it was better than gosling, but not up to par with barritt's.) thanks, justjoan

Just bought a couple four-packs yesterday at the Binny's in the plaza just off Lake-Cook Road. Last time I was there, they were out. Yesterday, they had a couple cases that they hadn't even had a chance to put on the shelves. I'd buy more (or more often) if it weren't so damned expensive.

153 Skokie Valley Rd (aka Skokie Blvd)
Highland Park, IL 60035
(847) 831-5400

Did you know you can get it at KMart? At least on their website.
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_1010 ... 879020000P

But yeah, wow, it's expensive at $40 for 4.

I'll confess that I didn't pay any attention--at the "normal" price, I'd prefer not to know, but I would guess that at Binny's it was in the vicinity of $7 to $7.50 for four.

pielady: i think you missed the kmart info that says 4bottles x 1pack x 6= $39.00 (so that's 24 bottles for $39.) justjoan

justjoan wrote:pielady: i think you missed the kmart info that says 4bottles x 1pack x 6= $39.00 (so that's 24 bottles for $39.) justjoan

Why yes I did. I thought that sounded expensive for KMart!

Pie Lady wrote:Do you consider Gosling's rum spicy or was that just the spice in their ginger beer that I tasted? The Dark & Stormy at Bar DeVille was the best drink I'd had in ages. If I lived closer I may have to change my occupation to full-time alcoholic.

I wouldn't use Gosling's for a rum & coke, too much molasses, etc. If you're looking for a spiced rum that pairs well with cola, look no further than Sailor Jerry. Rum & coke is generally too sweet for me, but my wife loves her some Sailor Jerry & Coke. When I'm in the mood for something similar, I need less vanilla, something like Flor de Caña, and always add a healthy amount of lime juice and Angostura bitters.

I've found Barritt's Ginger Beer at Binny's in Lakeview. Boy, that stuff is nectar of the gods. Nice spicy. I do like Gosling's Ginger Beer too, but Barritt's is much better. Both are better than Reed's.

Wow, I really want to try this stuff now. What makes Barritt's so much better? Or is it a taste-it-and-see kind of thing?

It's just a really intense ginger flavor. While Gosling's is really good, Barritt's has a bit more ginger bite to it. I will say they both are a bit sweet, but it's forgivable due to that hot ginger kick.

i would say that gosling's is sweeter, and that isn't good for a dark'n'stormy, nor do i like it on its own. the ginger spiciness is stronger in barritts.

pielady; making this drink is easy. pour some gosling rum in a glass, a finger or two, over ice. slowly pour in the ginger beer, tasting as you go until it's just the way you like it. then squeeze in a quarter of fresh lime. it doesnt require any tricky bartending skills. justjoan

Nice. I like easy.

Stewart's ginger beer makes a superior Dark and Stormy. It's a bit hard to find but I have purchased it at Fox and Obel and the Treasure Island on Wells Street in the past.

Gypsy Boy wrote:Barritt's is simply the best ginger beer I've had; I don't care if they sweeten it with HFCS, sugar, or the dandruff of Martian goats!

For those who DO care, I just checked my bottle (decided to celebrate coming home after work with a Dark and Stormy), and Barritt's is made with sugar.

Gypsy Boy wrote:

Gypsy Boy wrote:Barritt's is simply the best ginger beer I've had; I don't care if they sweeten it with HFCS, sugar, or the dandruff of Martian goats!

For those who DO care, I just checked my bottle (decided to celebrate coming home after work with a Dark and Stormy), and Barritt's is made with sugar.

yes, and goslings is made with high fructose corn syrup. i complained to the company, so they'll know some of us care. (i was having a party and couldnt find barritts quickly, so bought gosling) it also has 190 calories/can. i'm pretty sure that barritts has less. jj

Gypsy Boy wrote:

Gypsy Boy wrote:Barritt's is simply the best ginger beer I've had; I don't care if they sweeten it with HFCS, sugar, or the dandruff of Martian goats!

For those who DO care, I just checked my bottle (decided to celebrate coming home after work with a Dark and Stormy), and Barritt's is made with sugar.

Hi,

I think it was in the 1980's when Barritt's was first imported to the US. It was excellent and we used to purchase a case at at time. A few years later, we noticed a significant change in taste, especially with older cans. Yes, it was then being sweetened with corn syrup. They lost a lot of their market due to that change and received many complaints.

Nowadays, we look for D&G or Barritts. Both are excellent, especially with some dark rum.

Tim

Interesting on the Barritt's with sugar. Perhaps it's a bottle-only thing as the can that I'm drinking is sweetened with HFCS.

Golly; I've actually never seen it in a can. I always have seen (and bought) the bottles. Just double-checked to be sure: sugar.

the binny's in lincoln park does not, and will not have barritt's ginger beer. apparently, different distributors in different geographical areas and theirs doesnt carry it. justjoan

And they can't bring it down from Highland Park when they're moving other stock between stores? That's nuts.