Your next cocktail deserves the best ginger beer! I sampled a bunch so you don’t have to. Try something new — spicy or mild — for your next Moscow Mule or Dark & Stormy!
The ultimate ginger beer taste test
Ginger beer is delicious and easy to mix with tons of cocktails. It’s one of my favorite cocktail mixers, but sometimes I also enjoy sipping it by itself. It’s so delicious with a squeeze of lime!
People always used to ask me which one is the best, but the jury was out. So I took one for the team: I bought every kind of ginger beer I could find, taste-tested them all for you and put together this guide. It was a very hard job! But I was happy to do it — honestly.
What is ginger beer? Ginger beer is a non-alcoholic soda made of fermented ginger root. It has a strong ginger flavor but doesn’t actually contain any beer. It’s stronger than ginger ale, but can be more like a gingery, spicy version of root beer than anything else!
Note from the author
2026 update: I first published this taste test back in 2021, but I have since tried a bunch of new ones and updated this post with new photos and even more tips for choosing a ginger beer. If you find one I haven’t tried, let me know! I’d love to try to find it.
About this taste test
Now, let’s get into the taste test! First, let me explain how I chose the ginger beers:
How I chose the ginger beers
- Availability: I focused on brands that you can easily find at most big-box stores and supermarkets. For example, I have tried (and loved) Rachel’s Ginger Beer in Seattle, but I didn’t include it because it is only available by special order.
- Popular brands: Since I’ve been drinking ginger beer a long time, I already had some favorites, many of which are available just about everywhere.
- New products: I am always spotting new-to-me brands, so when I find one at a chain grocery store, I buy it and taste test it.
How they’re rated
Now, I also looked for a few things in the flavor of each bottle or can. I tasted them all myself in a small group setting of trusted taste testers, and we would discuss the flavors.
- Spiciness: Ginger beer can have a “spicy” flavor. It’s not spicy the way hot sauce is spicy, but it’s similar. Some people don’t like the burning sensation that stronger brews can provide, and I wanted this guide to help you choose the right brew for you. For each brand of ginger beer I tried, I rated the spiciness from 1 to 10, with 10 being the spiciest.
- Sweetness: Ginger beer always has sugar to help balance it, but even still, some ginger beers can pack quite a punch. Some are definitely sweeter than others. It’s all about personal taste!
- Flavor: Some brands brew theirs with just ginger root, which gives them a much stronger ginger focus. A few brands use extracts or include other herbs and botanicals, which can all enhance or detract from the ginger flavor.
One thing I didn’t take into account? Carbonation. While it’s set during production, packaging can affect how bubbly a ginger beer feels. Glass bottles tend to taste sharper and more effervescent, while cans can come across a bit smoother. Still, the brand and recipe matter much more than the container. Since availability varies — you might only find cans where I can get bottles — I didn’t include packaging in my rankings.
Fever-Tree Premium Ginger Beer
Fever-Tree is a brand I see behind many bars. They make club soda, tonic and other cocktail mixers as well. Their ginger beer is light, mild and sippable — you could definitely
For me, it is way too mild, and I would much rather have a stronger brew, but I can see why the mildness appeals to bartenders, because it would please the palates of most customers.
Spice rating: 1/10
Zevia Mixer Ginger Beer
Zevia is a zero-sugar soda brand. They also make root beer, cola and a number of other flavors. Their ginger beer has a sugary flavor but, to me, it tastes like a diet soda. I’ve personally never been a big fan of diet sodas in general, so this one isn’t for me, but if you’re looking for a lighter option, you might try this one. The flavor is lightly gingery, and it’s a good option if you don’t want sugar or zero calories from the soda.
Spice rating: 2/10
Barritt’s Ginger Beer
Made in Bermuda with cane sugar, Barritt’s ginger beer is a good budget option if you like a lighter ginger flavor. It’s usually pretty easy to find. For me, it was slightly too sweet and overbearing, and it lacks the bite I have come to love in ginger beer. I recommend you counterbalance with high-proof alcohol, but I will say it won’t be as nice with the more expensive stuff. Here’s my guide to picking the best vodka.
Spice rating: 3/10
Gosling’s
Balanced, peppery and zippy, Gosling’s is another ginger beer from Bermuda. It made the perfect dark and stormy when paired with Gosling’s brand of spiced rum. It’s intended to be sweeter, so it balances well with any spiced rum or even a complex bourbon. This is another brand I often turn to when I am testing recipes.
Spice rating: 4/10
Reed’s All-Natural
Reed’s is another easy-to-find brand, available at most grocery stores in the specialty soda section. This one’s from Jamaica, and is made with real cane sugar. The taste is balanced between gingery and sweet, but the spice level increases depending on which version of Reed’s you buy.
Reed’s make a few tiers of spiciness, which are easily identified right on the label: Original, Extra and Strongest. They also make a zero-sugar option and a “Premium” that has pineapple and honey flavor. They’re all good, but I prefer the Extra or Strongest if I can find it!
Spice rating: 5/10 for Original; 7/10 for Extra; 9/10 for Strongest
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Bundaberg is an Australian ginger beer. It’s extremely well-balanced with a drinkable mix of sweetness and ginger — a good middle-ground for lots of palates. Bundaberg is one of the ginger beers I usually have stashed in my fridge and the one I often use for testing recipes. That’s because it’s a good baseline ginger beer, and I find it to be delicious with most spirits, like this Mexican mule.
Spice rating: 5/10
Trader Joe’s Brewed Ginger Beer
Trader Joe’s brewed ginger beer is a delightful find if they have it at your store — I’ve bought it canned and bottled. It’s extremely well-balanced with a little hint of lemon and lime, and seems to be partially filtered due to its cloudy appearance. It’s made with both ginger juice and ginger extract, which gives it a delicious, but not overbearing, bite.
Spice rating: 5/10
Powell & Mahoney Craft Cocktail Mixers
The ginger beer from Powell & Mahoney Craft Cocktail Mixers might have been my favorite find of the bunch I tried for this blog post. It was new to me, but boy am I glad I found it. Their ginger beer is perfectly balanced with a small zing of ginger flavor. Their website says they engineered it for the perfect Moscow mule, and I have to agree with their recipe. It’s the perfect cocktail mixer if you ask me! I can’t wait to use it for my Yule Mules at the holidays.
Spice rating: 6/10
Q Ginger Beer
The Q brand I enjoy a lot. Their packaging looks a little bit different now since I took these photos, but the flavor is the same. They sweeten it with organic agave nectar *, so it is a little less sweet and more balanced.There are also hints of chili pepper, coriander, cardamom, lime, and orange in the ginger beer itself, so it adds tons of layers to drinks like a Mule or Dark and Stormy.
Spice rating: 7/10
Pickett’s Ginger Beer Concentrate Syrup
I hesitated to include a concentrate in this test, but since found Pickett’s at Total Wine, I decided it was worth a shot. There is no carbonation here — you add that yourself with club soda. (It seems the brand does sell canned ginger beer now, though I haven’t tried it). The syrup comes in a few spice levels.
Spice rating: 6/10
Hot take: Personally, if I don’t have ginger beer on hand, I would prefer to make my own ginger syrup with real ginger root — it’s more cost-effective, and you’re more likely to use it all versus a big bottle like this that might hang out in the back of your fridge ’til it expires.
Fentiman’s
Fentiman’s is one of my favorites. It uses a recipe from 1905 to ferment Chinese ginger root. This brand of ginger beer is on the spicier side, but it has a complex flavor. There are strong hints of herbal, botanical and juniper notes. The herb flavors hit your tongue first, then the ginger. The ginger flavor is subtle, but deep yet it still has some sweetness.
My friend who helped with taste testing described it as a “summer afternoon.” It is wonderful to amplify any vodka or gin cocktail, like this Gin-Gin Mule recipe. Be sure to “upend before pouring” as it says on the label. A light rotation (not a shake) will do the trick to loosen any ingredients that have settled.
Spice rating: 7/10
Belvoir Organic Ginger Beer
Belvoir’s pretty bottle offers a very gingery brew. Personally, I always love it when a ginger beer is a little cloudy because you know it is on the fresher side. This one fits the bill as it is organic and unfiltered with a little ginger pulp floating around, but nothing too jarring and it doesn’t ruin the texture. I tried this one with gin, and it was aromatic and delicious.
Spice rating: 8/10
Maine Root Ginger Brew
Made from organic sugar cane from Brazil, Maine Root has the most intense ginger beer of the bunch I have listed here. It’s definitely not entry-level! If you’re sensitive to ginger spice, this one is probably not for you. However, it is palatable and balanced in a Moscow mule. I find it to be harmonious and refreshing with other ingredients, especially citrus — it’s fantastic when paired with tart grapefruit.
Spice rating: 9/10
Honorable Mention: Bleinham’s Ginger Ale
Bleinham’s — brewed near me in South Carolina — has a fiery hot spiciness. Though it’s technically a ginger ale (not fermented), I’m including this extra spicy option because I always buy it when I see it. The one with the gold cap is considered “not as hot” compared to the red cap “hot.” (They also carry a diet version with a white cap.)
Spice rating:
8/10 for the #5 Not as Hot (Gold Cap)
10/10 for Old #3 Hot (Red Cap)
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Where to find ginger beer
Ginger beer is available in most regular grocery stores. I have found these at my local Publix, Trader Joe’s, Target and Harris Teeter stores, but just about any grocery store should have a few choices of ginger beer. Once you’re in the grocery store, look for it in one of a couple of places:
- Supermarket soda aisle: It’s usually next to the root beer, club soda and other cocktail mixers. Usually, there are at least a few brands to choose from.
- Supermarket beer/wine/cocktail section: Sometimes cocktail mixers like Bloody Mary Mix and margarita mix are in a different aisle at the grocery store. Check here too.
- Liquor stores: Depending on your state laws, there might be a selection of ginger beers. There are also brands of hard ginger beer which are alcoholic, so be careful if you are looking for the non-alcoholic kind.
- Specialty stores & beverage shops: You can also usually find some of these brands in bottle shops or specialty grocery stores.
- Online: Since ginger beer is not alcoholic, you can also order it and have it shipped to your door.
favorite ginger beers
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The best ginger beer for cocktails
Picking the best ginger beer for Moscow mules and mocktails is a tough job. (Again, I was glad to do it.) Whether you’re making a mule or a mocktail, the sweet spot for most cocktails is going to be in that medium range (4 to 6 out of 10) — especially if you are making drinks for people you don’t know.
Gosling’s, Reed’s Original, Powell & Mahoney and Bundaberg are all top brands with a medium spice and a delicate balance of sweetness. Powell & Mahoney is my favorite of the bunch, followed closely by Reed’s and Bundaberg. Any of these would be great in a ginger beer mocktail. Of course, you can always go milder with a brew like Barritts or Fever-Tree.
The best ginger beer, period
The short answer: Ginger beer is totally subjective, and it’s going to depend on how spicy you like your ginger beer.
For me, I like it spicy, so I’ll be over here with my Maine Root, Reed’s Extra and Fentiman’s. I find the complexity of these spicier brands to bring more flavor to my mules! But, as I always say, you do you!
Can’t decide? Pick the top two or three from this list that sound good to you, and try them for yourself. I think you might discover a new favorite brand!
I would love to know what your favorite ginger beer is! Especially if it’s not listed here, because I would love to try it!
If you made it this far, you clearly love ginger beer — come to say hi to like-minded folks in my Facebook group.
Mary McNulty says
I love the spiciness of Angry Mule, brewed in WI. Let me know what you think. I am excited to try the ginger beer’s
that score 6-9/10!
Susannah says
Hey Mary! Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m going to keep an eye out for that one! So glad you are excited to try these ginger beers. I’m planning to add some more to this post soon!
//susannah
Todd M Shepard says
I was disappointed that Cock and Bull ginger beer was not in your group. It is definitely on the spicy end of the spectrum, it is my favorite, however I have not tried a few of those you tested. I’ll keep my eyes open for them, maybe I’ll be the one to find a new favorite!
Susannah says
Hey Todd! I’ve never tried that one but I’m going to be on the lookout for it! I bought every kind of ginger beer they had at two stores, but I plan to update this post later on with some new brands so I’ll keep an eye out! Especially since you say it’s spicy! 🙂
Manuel says
What’s the name for rum and ginger beer
Susannah says
Hey Manuel, that’s a Dark & Stormy! It’s one of my favorites. I have a recipe here.
Frank says
Bundaberg is the best in my book!
Susannah says
I’m a big fan of it too, Frank!
Susan Wigdor says
Ive been drinking Gosling and enjoying it but interested in getting a healthier, lower sugar options
Susannah says
Love that, Susan! Gosling is one of my favorites. For a lighter option, making your own ginger ale with ginger syrup and club soda might be a good option. You could use a sugar substitute with it to make it lighter, or just adjust how much ginger syrup syrup you add. Hope it helps!