Hollows & Fentimans Alcoholic Ginger Beer

Socrates famously said, "I drank what?!"  Boy, did he know what he was talking about.  This week, bravely, I tried something new, Hollows & Fentimans [no apostrophes] Alcoholic Ginger Beer.  I chose if for two reasons: first, it looked so lonely up there on the shelf next to all those other bottles, and secondly, it would be a first (#wordplay).  Before the mobs are formed, torches sharpened, and pitchforks set ablaze, let me assure you that I mean you no harm.  This was a gamble.  I live for adventure.

Hollows & Fentimans Alcoholic Ginger Beer. 1 pint bottle. 4%ABV. A product of the UK.  Golden, fizzy, probably soda, definitely not beer.

I let the cat out of the bag a little early there, but it needed to be addressed.  This might be a naturally carbonated wine, but the lack of any kind of a cereal grain means that this is NOT beer.  The back label has a clue:
     "Hollows & Fentimans Alcoholic Ginger Beer is made using a time-honoured [limey-word for "honored"]       recipe from just five ingredients: Ginger Root, Water, Sugar, Pear Juice & Yeast."
To me, that is wine, and I'm sure there are many reasonable arguments to be made for the opposite view as well. However, I doubt those arguments would be  made by anyone who had a sip.  I'll put it to bed like this, it might be beer, it might be wine, it might be neither or both of those, but it definitely is soda.  I like soda (it makes my liquor fizzy).

On the shelf, the bottle caught my eye for a number of reason worth mentioning.  The general style of the label seems to be made from ground up hipsters, it could be PBR's fat cousin. The use of what-the-fuck blue is both bold and sleep-inducing.  They seem so insistent on the blue, I wonder if it is a private joke that no one let me in on.  In fact, you can only know it is not an imitation if it's "signed in blue".  That "Beware of imitations" get two mentions on the labels.  Maybe I'm naive, but I have never seen any other alcoholic ginger beer, much less one that tries to pass itself off as Hollows & Fentimans.  Now I want to go the booze shop and see an identical bottle with the signature in beige, or lime green, just so I will know it's bullshit.

A lot of what is going on with this label seems like an inside joke.  Take a look down below, they have some crazy shit on there.  On the front, the label screams in all caps, "BOTANICALLY BREWED WITH THE FINEST NATURAL GINGER ROOT!"  I would assume the all caps was just a text style choice, but, then the exclamation point.  This label just yelled at me like a crazy person.  Throw in the other important information points like being gluten-free, botanically brewed since 1905, was "established in a perfect factory in the north of England, and you will likely miss the most important bit.  Whatever you do, in this life or this drink, do not totally miss the tiny text at the bottom telling you to "upend before pouring for full enjoyment."  I stood on my head for an hour, worth it.  Actually, that bit is so inconspicuous I didn't even notice it was there until glass number 2, the tasting glass.

Ginger, lots of ginger (although, maybe not enough) are what this booze brings to the table.  Also, some pear, and sugar... basically all the crap on the ingredients list.  It's there, all very tastable-n-stuff.  In many ways this a very very slightly boozed up olde-tymey ginger-ale.  It's still just soda.  Tasty soda, but soda (with a wacky label).  That's it.

I write a whole mess of lines about the label, and a few scraggly words about how it tastes.  Take it as you will.  I stand by my review.  If the mood takes you, give it a try.  It's pretty OK, but don't rush out.  This kind of hooch is reserved for the spur-of-the-moment purchase only.