Ginger Ale & Ginger Beer

part of: Ginger

Ginger ale and ginger beer are both carbonated beverages built around the flavour of ginger, but they differ in intensity and character. Ginger ale is typically lighter, drier, and more subtle — a popular mixer for spirits and a classic remedy for an upset stomach. Ginger beer has a stronger, spicier ginger punch and is often slightly sweeter, making it the base of drinks like the Moscow Mule and Dark ’n’ Stormy.

In Australia, both are widely available as non-alcoholic soft drinks, though some craft ginger beers are naturally fermented and may contain a small amount of alcohol. Bundaberg Ginger Beer is one of the country’s most recognised brands.

Beyond mixing, ginger beer is also used in cooking — particularly in glazes, marinades, and desserts where its bold ginger flavour adds depth.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Ginger rhizomes are washed, crushed or juiced to extract their flavour. This ginger extract is combined with water, sugar, and sometimes citric acid or other flavourings. The mixture is then carbonated — either by forced carbonation or, in traditional ginger beer, through a brief natural fermentation using yeast or a ginger bug culture — before being bottled or canned.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 34kcal
Protein 0g
Carbs 8.8g
Fat 0g
Fibre 0g Sugar 8.9g
Mass Distribution

1 can or bottle (16 fl oz) is about 488 g — roughly 170 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈0.6kg
Freshwater ≈29.65L
Land ≈0.5m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

cocktail mixer

Goes well with
whiskey lime rum mint bourbon
Classic dishes
  • Moscow Mule
  • Dark and Stormy
  • Whiskey Ginger
  • Shandy

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromGinger, rhizome goes well withlime goes well withrum goes well withmint shares a sourceFresh Ginger shares a sourceGround Ginger shares a sourcePickled Ginger
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