Ginger Beer and Cream Beer: From Colonial Spices to Creamy Ales

Ginger beer is a drink with character. Sharp, spicy, lightly carbonated, with a ghost of sweetness. Its history began in the middle of the 18th century in Yorkshire pubs, and today it fills supermarket shelves and bar fridges all over the world. Alongside it are cream beer, butterbeer and cream ale: drinks that sound like dessert but remain beer.

Ginger beer: a colonial legacy

The roots of ginger beer reach back to England’s colonial trade with the East. Spices came by sea, sugar from the Caribbean plantations. Without sugar it would never have taken off: it fed the yeast and created that very natural carbonation that makes the drink alive.

The first recipes appeared in Yorkshire around 1760. The drink quickly spread across Britain, and then to the USA, Canada, the Caribbean and even the Ionian Islands, where it got the name “tzitzibira”. In the 19th century ginger beer was sold in every English pub — a barrel of ginger shavings stood by the entrance, and patrons could season any drink with it to taste.

The excise law of 1855 limited alcohol content to 2%. Most producers switched to a non-alcoholic version, and by the early 20th century ginger beer had become a carbonated soft drink — with flavorings and artificial carbonation. Real brewed ginger beer retreated to the niche of craft breweries and home recipes.

How ginger beer is made

The traditional method uses the symbiotic culture ginger beer plant (GBP). It is a SCOBY: a colony of the yeast Saccharomyces florentinus and the lactic bacteria Lactobacillus hilgardii living together in a slimy mass. GBP turns sugar, ginger and water into a drink with a little alcohol, some tang and natural gas.

Home brewers more often use a ginger bug — it is simpler: fresh ginger root, sugar, water. The yeast settles on its own from the surface of the root. Lactic bacteria are no longer needed, but lemon juice and cream of tartar are still allowed — for flavor and stability.

The modern ginger beer on the shelves is most often not brewed. It is a carbonated soft drink with ginger extract, sugar and flavorings. Bundaberg in Australia still brews with a three-day fermentation using real ginger — a rarity in the mass market.

Ginger ale: golden and dry

Ginger ale is a relative, but not a brother. Non-alcoholic, carbonated, sweetish. Two styles:

• Golden ginger ale — credited to the Irish apothecary and surgeon T. D. Cantrell, who presented the recipe in the 1870s. Warm, rich, with a distinct ginger aroma.
• Dry ginger ale — created by the Canadian chemist and pharmacist J. McLaughlin. Since 1907 it has carried the “Canada Dry Ginger Ale” patent. Lighter, less sweet, with a sharpness in the aftertaste.

The author refuses to snicker yet again at the fact that doctors create booze. We have already giggled a hundred times. Still, the drink helps with an upset stomach and motion sickness — no joking here.

Ginger ale is made from the same Saccharomyces florentinus and lactic bacteria, or from a ginger bug — whichever way your hands fall. But without boiling. Purely by fermentation and natural carbonation. Depending on the fermentation time, it can turn out alcoholic too.

The difference in taste: ginger beer is cloudier, spicier and a bit sharper. Ale is soft, clear, with a delicate play of sweetness and sharpness.

Cream beer: from the Tudors to Harry Potter

Cream beer, ladies and gentlemen, is a cocktail of warmed ale with butter and spices. Cloves, nutmeg. A warming winter drink, you know. The recipe goes back to the Tudors, although its modern popularity is thanks to J. K. Rowling and her “butterbeer” from “Harry Potter”.

In the books butterbeer is described as a warm, mildly alcoholic drink with a creamy head and a butterscotch flavor. In real life the recipes vary: from the classic (warmed ale + butter + spices) to a non-alcoholic version with cream soda, caramel syrup and whipped cream.

The ale for cream beer is a craft, unfiltered one — with a velvety taste. It must not be boiled: the butter should melt, not cook. Add the spices, stir, serve hot. That is all.

Cream ale: American corn

Cream ale is an American invention. The ale version of a light lager: barley malt, corn, sugar, clean water and native hop varieties. Light, pale, carbonated. It smells of corn and hops.

It ended up among ginger beer and cream beer purely because of the name. Although corn beer is a great idea in itself. Why not.

Modern craft variations of cream ale sometimes add lactose, vanilla and butterscotch flavorings — giving a beer-style “butterbeer”. ABV is about 4.8–5.2%, the body is soft, the head is persistent. Recipes are posted on Brewer’s Friend — any home brewer can repeat them.

What to drink and with what

Ginger beer is a base for cocktails. The “Moscow Mule” and “Dark ‘n’ Stormy” are on the official IBA list. Cream beer is best drunk as is, hot, on a winter evening. Cream ale — in summer, chilled, with light snacks.

Three centuries of history, colonial spices, inventor doctors and magical drinks from Hogwarts — all of this in one glass. Not bad for a drink that started with a barrel of ginger shavings at the door of a Yorkshire pub.