Saturday, July 20, 2013

Left Hand Brewery's Good Juju Ginger Ale


I said Ginger Ale; but this isn't "Ginger Ale" if you know what I mean. Maybe it'll all make sense after cranking this shit up to the max.

So this is another review from our pals at Left Hand. You might remember our initial review right here. Then again, you might not. But if you wanna know some jack about em, click on that link and it'll give ya the low down. I should add, the same turkey who designed Sawtooth designed this label.

Who like ginger? I'll tell you know doesn't; me. So I will try and give my unbiased opinion on this; ginger aside. I mean if you like ginger, this is probably for you, though I couldn't imagine that people are like "bro, gimme something that gets me drunk...but can you make it taste like ginger for shuck's sake?"

"That stuff...makes pure mescaline seem like...ginger beer, man" loops in my head as I drink this I should also mention.

So let's start with the label, shall we? I've seen worse.  It's very Ed Hardy-ish which is a big negative. If no one else makes that correlate you don't have to feel self conscious about holding it. If you are like me, you'll prefer it in a glass. Skullish with lizards and salamanders in the eye sockets. I dunno. It's not my steeze. Dead fish and bats? I mean, as a growned up, I like a simpler, subtle label. So they aren't winning me over there.

It's as clean as the driven snow in looks and taste. It's crisp and refreshing, so it's a good lawnmowing beer. It's not decent bubble action throughout and like a white head when pouring which vanishes after about 10 seconds after pouring (see picture above). What I like about this is, it's so light that you can easily crush a ton of these at a sitting and make a royal ass out of yourself from anywhere from funerals to a classy wedding brunch. But at a ABV of 4.5% you'll need to crush the healthier portion of a 12 pack to get your gnar on.

The scent is way more ginger than the flavor, so don't be too deterred at first sniff. Malty would be the biggest over exaggeration in beer history. This stuff has less malt than an empty box of Whoppers. Do they still come in those milk cartons? I'd destroy one of those bastards.

Would I ever get this again? Hells No. If it was part of a variety pack, would this be the last beer I grab? Hells Yes. Like I said earlier, I'm not a ginger guy. It's an interesting beer and if you like ginger I'd check out out. It's light and crisp and great for the summer. Left Hand makes great beers but I tend to lean towards their stouts rather than their light beers.

I wouldn't say "swing and a miss" but this is something better to order a pint at a bar and say "that's interesting" and move on your way in my opinion. At $11 a sixer, there are worse things to waste your money on.

Drinkability: 8.0/10
Taste: 4.0/10
Value: 5.0/10
Curb Appeal: 3.0/10

Overall: 5.0