Ginger beer

Big Ben's Ginger Beer Soda

Big Ben's (Catawissa Bottling Works) · cane-sugar ginger beer soda

Catawissa, Pennsylvania, USA

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A working-class ginger beer from a Pennsylvania bottler that has been at it since 1926, this leans drier than its sugar content suggests, with a real ginger-extract bite that warms the tongue and nose without scorching it. The body stays light and the carbonation crisp, letting a thread of lemon-rind acidity sharpen the finish. It reads halfway between a spirited ginger ale and a proper ginger beer: more spice and snap than the mass-market crowd, but friendlier than the throat-grabbing artisanal extremes.

Taste profile
Flavor fingerprint for Big Ben's Ginger Beer SodaSweetness 3 of 5, Carbonation 3 of 5, Body 2 of 5, Creaminess 0 of 5, Bitterness 1 of 5, Spice-heat 3 of 5, Aroma intensity 3 of 5, Finish 3 of 5SweetnessCarbonationBodyCreaminessBitternessSpice-heatAromaFinish

Objective sensory intensities (how it tastes) — not a liking score.

Flavor wheel
Flavor wheel for Big Ben's Ginger Beer SodaHighlighted: Spice (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg), Ginger & chemesthetic heat, Caramel & molasses, Fruity (cherry, citrus).SpiceGingerCaramelHerbalFruityOff-notes

Our editorial notes.

Scores

Our score
36/50
What drinkers think
7/9
early estimate
Critics vs. the crowd
-3
A crowd favorite

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The maker

Big Ben's is the proprietary soda brand of the Catawissa Bottling Company, a family-run Pennsylvania bottler operating since 1926 from a former creamery the Gregorowicz family bought and converted. Now in its fourth generation, the company bottles its full Big Ben's range in glass at the same Catawissa site and uses cane sugar across its line. This ginger beer is a sweet, cane-sugar carbonated soda built on natural ginger extract rather than a fermented brew.

Ingredients & nutrition

Carbonated water, Sugar, Natural ginger extract, Natural and artificial flavors, Citric acid, Caramel color.

8 fl oz · 100 cal · 23 g sugar(per serving, as labeled)