Barritts Ginger Beer: Regular 2009

Barritts Ginger Beer, which has recently changed licensees to the North American Beverage Company, is now produced in the U.S., switching from a 12 oz.. can to a 12 oz. glass bottle. From a flavor perspective, this Bermudian classic tastes more or less the same as we remember it. The sugar-sweetened formulation is crisp and clean, with a fair amount of ginger flavor (natural and artificial). While there is a slight amount of heat to the drink’s finish, the product is in the middle as far as spicy ginger beers go. That, along with Barritts reputation as being the ginger beer for making a Dark n’ Stormy, is what makes it so popular as a mixer. However, we have mixed feelings about the “upgrade” to a glass bottle. On one hand, it certainly feels more sophisticated, but on the other hand, the look feels a bit more generic than the orange-toned design of the can. That’s the result of the reduced emphasis on the Barritts logo, which, on the can format, had equal emphasis on “Ginger Beer.” Overall, the latest edition of Barritts Ginger Beer is enjoyable, but it seems to have lost some of the charm of the old format.