Rachel’s Ginger Beer is dear to my heart. I’ll be posting many more reviews of their various ginger beers (because they’re amazing), but I’ll introduce them to the blog with a seasonal flavor that they have available right now.

Blackberry Cucumber sounded really interesting. By interesting I mean that it sounded potentially good and potentially disgusting. I’m fairly indifferent to cucumber water (literally water that has cucumber slices sitting in it), so I was curious to see how this turned out. The color is beautiful, as are all of Rachel’s ginger beers. The photo doesn’t quite do it justice, but the deep purple of the blackberries gives it an almost unreal appearance.

I poured it into a small tasting glass and breathed it in. Cucumber, definitely cucumber. I took a small taste, and my nose had not let me down. You’re hit with the fresh cucumber but then immediately shifted into the lemony blackberry juice. Rachel’s uses a healthy amount of fresh lemon juice in their brews which both adds punch to the ginger and preserves the more delicate fruits. It worked. Not many people pull off blackberry anything, but this was the right amount of sweet and tart. The final third of what remains on your palate is the lingering presence of cucumber, and a slow ginger burn. I’m a fan.

I’ve given Rachel’s other varieties 9’s and above in the past, but I’m going to leave this one as an 8 out of 10. My main reason for the discount is the lack of carbonation. I’m not sure if it was the cucumber, the blackberry particles (there was a lot of blackberry bits), or if I just got the bottom of a keg, but there was very little fizz. This turned the ginger beer into more of a juice, which isn’t bad, and I’d drink it again, but I missed the bubbles.

I recommend checking it out. They sell by the glass and half/full growlers. This 32 ounce refill set me back about $12. It ain’t cheap, but it’s worth it. Fresh ginger beer is much more intense and flavorful than anything you can buy prebottled. No contest.

For those that enjoy alcohol, they can certainly take care of you. They have all kinds of mules that you can order using their brews.

Catalog:
Purchased at Rachel’s Ginger Beer in Pike Place Market, Seattle; sampled on 7/22/2016