Hawkes Ginger Beer 4% abv

Ginger is loathed and loved by so many it could be considered the Marmite of herbs. Such a distinctive taste can add an edge to a home-baked cake or soothe the harsh bite from a strong tequila.

The love for ginger beer dates far back in England’s history. Hawkes alcoholic ginger beer takes its inspiration from Victorian London when street hawkers would sell beer and goods with a love for their neighbourhood. Hawkes intend to bring back this spirit of community and generously give some of their profit to charity. With this act of kindness and patriotism, it’s hard not to like this drink already.

Placing all biases aside, I sip the Hawkes ginger beer like any other non-charitable beverage. The beer is translucent orange, possibly the shade of a severely neglected strawberry blonde child.

There’s a strong smell of ginger and the alcohol smokes from the bottle. It reflects the taste which is cloaked in ginger tones that gather a tang at the back of the throat. It’s made with all natural ingredients including mandarin and Kiwi juice, which add a sweet undertone to the hard ginger.

The drink on its own hardly tastes of alcohol due to its 4% abv which is seemingly why Hawkes recommend using their beer as a mixer. They’ve installed their bottles with a trusty screw cap so you can refrigerate and return to your drink, which The Carouser has no use for. Furthermore they encourage you to mix with Sipsmith sloe gin which makes for a smooth balance with tingly ginger and the sharpness of the gin, tarted up with orange slices.

This is a simple yet delicious beer that’s crafted for lovers of ginger. The company has an overwhelming sense of community at a time when our togetherness seems to have been lost. Hopefully we’ll see more of the same in 2015.

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