History of ginger beer

Originally, ginger beer came first invented in Yorkshire in England during the colonial spice trade in the mid of 18th century, Ireland following hot on their heels developing ginger ale in the 1851.

It was initially made as a fermented alcoholic beverage brewed by leaving water, sugar, ginger, optional ingredients such as lemon juice and cream of tartar, and GBP (ginger beer plant) to ferment for several days, converting some of the sugar into alcohol. Once the mixture was bubbly and slightly alcoholic it would be strained off and a portion of the old batch would be used to make the new.

Ginger beer travelled across the Atlantic, soon to become one of Canada’s favorite soft drinks. During the first decade of the 20th century, John McLaughlin re-invented the Irish style of ginger ale, developing what known today as Canada Dry Ginger Ale.

In the 1900s, the ginger ale was available in two types - Golden and Dry. Golden Ginger Ale had a much more distinctive ginger flavor and rich in color and is the lesser known of the two today.

The English began exporting alcoholic ginger beer to the US, but a non-alcoholic version was soon created in response to the 1920s Prohibition laws.
History of ginger beer