Why Some Ginger Beer Brands Contain Trace Amounts Of Alcohol

When it comes to ginger beverages, ginger ale tends to be more ubiquitous, a soft drink you can grab on any store shelf and that's often consumed on its own. Ginger beer, on the other hand, while still accessible, is a bit more of a specialty item. With a stronger ginger character, it's perhaps best known for its appearances in cocktails like the Moscow mule. While both star ginger, ginger ale and ginger beer have their differences, primarily being how they're made — and that distinction explains why some ginger beer can contain a tiny bit of alcohol (or a lot of alcohol, up to 11%, but those are specifically made for the alcoholic beverage market). 

Ginger beer may have trace amounts of alcohol because — like a beer — it is actually brewed and fermented. Ginger ale, by comparison, is made with carbonated water and ginger extract. To make ginger beer, actual ginger is boiled with water and often citrus like lemon or lime, and that mixture is then fermented over time with yeast. 

Yeast will metabolize any sugars present during the fermentation stage, producing carbon dioxide — giving the ginger beer its carbonation — as well as ethyl alcohol. The majority of brands achieve next to no alcohol by controlling the amount of sugar for the yeast, meaning ginger beers with any alcohol have about 0.5%, the same as other fermented products, like kimchi, might have.

Since ginger beer is made using fermentation, a small amount of alcohol is a natural result. However, producers can employ various tools to make their ginger beers contain either very low or zero alcohol. Popular techniques include controlling the amount of sugar that the yeast can ferment, controlling temperatures to slow the rate of fermentation, and using lower-alcohol yeasts or strains that don't ferment as aggressively. As a result, we can enjoy the sweet, earthy, herbaceous, and spicy heat of ginger beer while avoiding alcohol.

Of some of the best ginger beer brands out there, Maine Root, Goslings, Reed's, Fever Tree, and Barritt's are reliably booze-free. These are great for sipping straight and for mixing into non-alcoholic cocktails — make a Moscow mule with an alcohol-free vodka from a brand like Ritual, or a dark and stormy with Lyre's Dark Cane Spirit replacing the dark rum. If you do actually want a bit of a boozy kick to your ginger beer, seek out brands like Crabbie's, Fentimans, and Cock 'n Bull, all of which contain 4% alcohol by volume. Or, you can even learn to make your own;  it's just a matter of mixing together ginger, sugar, water, and any other flavors you want to add, then having a little bit of patience while it ferments.