Shakemantle Ginger Ale
Freeminer Brewery Ltd.

Shakemantle Ginger AleShakemantle Ginger Ale
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From:
Freeminer Brewery Ltd.
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Herb and Spice Beer
ABV:
5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.75 | pDev: 12.8%
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
12
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 24, 2007
Added:
Apr 02, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

3.42/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Sampled March 2007
Pours with a brilliantly clear, faintly orangish gold color. It is topped by a frothy, large bubbled, initially three-finger thick, pale, off-white colored head. The aroma is nicely evocative of ginger bread cookies; it has both that nice ginger note as well as the sweet, faintly spicy cookie character to it. The ginger note here is not jus the clean ginger character one finds in ginger bread, but also a green, herbaceous character that is characteristic of fresh ginger.

Quite dry, in fact considering the sweet nose on this, the beer is bone dry. Chalky, herbaceous, ginger notes are the dominant character. The beer finishes with a touch of spicy ginger character, though it is quite light. Quite simplistic in character, mostly this beer is about the ginger. There almost seems to be a touch of tart lemon-like character here, again this seems to be from the ginger though. The ginger flavors actually add some sweetness to this bone dry beer. This beer is quite a bit better than the simplistic ginger character would suggest at first.
Apr 24, 2007
Photo of Brent
Reviewed by Brent from Kentucky

3.65/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Unique, with a strong leaning toward odd. First sip delivered a jaw-clenching tartness. Lemon-sour without lemon flavor and grapefruit-bitter without grapefruit flavor. I presume this is an alchemic interplay between the yeast and ginger. As I acclimated to the beer, more witbier-like characters came through. The overall effect was an unsweetened ginger ale soda, although the ginger never really became all that distinct, which was surprising. I decanted to deliver some yeast, but got some unattractive brown sediment, so i wouldn't recommend that. An interesting experience, but not one I'll revisit.
Apr 20, 2006
Photo of walleye
Reviewed by walleye from Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
poured cloudy orange with a big head. aroma after waiting for 5 min for the head to go down the aroma finally came thru ginger, fruity, orange. flavor ginger,citrus some sweetness.put a lemon in it and it really brought out the ginger and citrus aroma but the lemon took over the flavor. I would recommend not doing it for a 1st tasting.
Feb 04, 2006
Photo of TheLongBeachBum
Reviewed by TheLongBeachBum from California

4.72/5  rDev +25.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Presentation: 1 Pint 0.9 fluid ounce funky brown glass bottle, wide with a short tapered neck. Main label looks like the one pictured. Bottle Conditioned and labeled at Alc. 5.0% Vol.

Appearance: Hazy brown body, creamy beige head that has some large buddles encrusted into a smooth looking finger thick mass that resides above the crushed brown sugar body with a competent residence. Little to no lacing but plenty of dissolved carbonation.

Nose: Fresh Root Ginger and lots of it. Hmmm, breathe deeply this is very refreshing with a sharp tingly nose hair pulling odor.

Taste: The fresh root Ginger leaps out of the Glass and fills the gills, I love Ginger, awe this is superb. Difficult not to be biased here, you either love Ginger, or you hate it. Well I love it, and I say folly to those that don’t - if you don’t like Ginger - then don’t buy or rate this beer dummy!!!! If you do like Ginger, like me, then you will revel in its simple complexity and stunningly fresh root Ginger Ale profile. Superb! A “Famous Five” for sure!!!

Mouthfeel: Powerful conditioning in the mouth, but this is not uncommon in English Ginger Beers. Sharp and firm, bold and beautiful, gingery!

Drinkability: I am seriously partial to Ginger Beer, and this one was readily quaffed, I wanted another one of these before I hit the sack tonight. As Enid Blyton would have said, I could have easily handled a few more of these, or rather, looked forward to “Lashings of Ginger Beer”…..

Overall: I love Ginger Beers, and this is a superb example of just how to make them. Freeminer Brewery is an incredibly impressive English Brewery that produces high quality Ales, and this one is no exception. Sadly though, as much as I love this example, the $5+ price tag would still prevent me from sampling this on a regular basis. Such a Shame.

Excellent...
...all Enid Blyton...
...alas Expensive...
...but still - Highly Recommended!
Oct 13, 2004
Photo of feloniousmonk
Reviewed by feloniousmonk from Minnesota

4.32/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance, a cloudy, orange shade, topped with a busy, raucous, thick head of off-white foam, highly carbonated, slowly sizzling down to size.
Aroma smacks of the ginger from the start, and I'm pretty partial to that particular root, so it's most welcome in my nose. Dark, smokey, spicy, heady, with citrus ringing in, as well as minor notes from other fruits.
Ginger taste is thick and strong on the palate, also, very prominent in the texture, too. Tingly hop bit up front. Significant malty content, a tangy buttress to hold back this potent flavor. Creamy feel in the mouth...wheat malt, eh? A British witbier with ginger, is that it? I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all. There's a whole lot going on in here, and, durn it, I like it! Ginger remains riding here in this ale, and it works wonders, turning this potentially gimmicky bottled brew into something truly special.
I'd enjoy this again, if it weren't so darned expensive. ($5.09 for my 500ml bottle)
Jul 09, 2004
Photo of brewdlyhooked13
Reviewed by brewdlyhooked13 from Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Appearance - trying to pour this gently, but the bubbles are out of control. Holding at nearly 3 fingers after a 4 ounce pour, crazy bubble action from below a huge off-white head. A hazy golden orange beer. Very appealing, but this beer's head is over the top both figuratively and literally. The head finally recedes to a finger, a filtered layer of brown yeast sediment is visible on the 'cone' of foam.

Aroma - yeasty smell with strong lemony citrus tones and of course, ginger. Some peppery spiciness tickles the nose, that may also be the ginger, but I'm not sure.

Taste - very lemony and somewhat sour to start. The ginger comes in on top of that. Instead of replacing it, though, it melds for an interesting lemon and ginger twist. Finishes a little sour and medicinal, of which I'm not too fond.

Mouthfeel - pretty bubbly as you might expect, fairly clean, sourness kinda hangs in the mouth.

Drinkability - This is the second time I've had the Shakemantle. An interesting change of pace from time to time and fun for a twist at beer tastings, but lacks as a session beer for me as the end of every sip is a somewhat disagreeable mediciney taste..
Mar 01, 2004
Photo of RoyalT
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan

2.9/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Appearance – Light orange in color with a big but cheap-looking fizzy head.

Smell – This smells like a Vernor’s, although I suppose it’s expected. Unfortunately, the ginger aroma is so big I can’t get past it to find anything else.

Taste – Ah, here the malt flavors come out more, even though ginger is still the dominant flavor. It’s not the cheap type of ginger you get in a soda, though, it’s very sophisticated like something from the Thai Ginger. Behind that is a solid malt base with a bit of sweetness and a small hop balance.

Mouthfeel – I didn’t care for the carbonation. It was too fizzy and soda-like. Otherwise, the body was light and uninviting.

Drinkability – This is a strange brew. You’ll love it or hate it, and I didn’t care for it much.
Feb 10, 2004
Photo of Imbiber
Reviewed by Imbiber from New York

3.97/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Interesting. Little head which soon disappears (I'm not complaining, though), and a slightly gingery aroma. The taste is predominantly of spice and ginger, but not overwhelming, just present in about the right quantity. Very refreshing. A very good one to try to convert alcopop/malternative guzzlers who know no better. And also one to imbibe when thirsty, especially on a hot day.
Nov 07, 2003
Photo of jdhilt
Reviewed by jdhilt from New Hampshire

3.3/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours with a good head, that leaves some lace, medium carbonation. A cloudy, medium bodied, amber ale with strong ginger nose and with chunky bits settling to the bottom. Only a hint of ginger taste which is good - too much and it would be like tonic with alcohol added.
Mar 06, 2003
Photo of marc77
Reviewed by marc77 from California

3.92/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This bottle was overcarbonated, oozed bubbles and almost gushed making pouring a bit difficult. Huge, creamy head from supported by energetic bubbling tops a cloudy light orange hued brew. The aroma is dominated by fresh grated ginger, with secondary notes of diacetyl and dryish bready grain. Quite pleasant aromawise. Wheaty tartness upfront in flavor, followed by a snap of ginger and bitter citrus rind. Tart, lemony fruit and light yeast mustiness emerge mid palate. Residual sweetness is low and appropriately balanced by mild hop bitterness. Lightly bodied and surprisingly crisp, but not prickly in mouthfeel, despite the initial overcarbonation. Finishes dry, w/ prickles of spicy ginger lingering on the lips and a hint of chalkiness on the tongue quickly fading. A very interesting and tasty brew. The addition of ginger added a spicy overtone the Belgian Wit base.
Sep 21, 2002
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

4.12/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Unbelievably full nose. Chock full of everything from lemon, lime, orange and spice to a wee bit of malt. Nice light golden orange color with a bit of haze as expected. Flavor is also full of odd flavors that routinely change - citrus fruits, light notes of dark fruits, ginger, malt, sour candies, etc. A fine, brisk carbonation pulls all of this together with its zest. Finishes slightly acidic and drying on the tongue -very refreshing. This is a great summer beer!
Jul 25, 2002
Photo of Jason
Reviewed by Jason from Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Presentation: 16.9 oz brown bottle with suggestions on how to pour and how the ale is brewed on the label, no freshness date.

Appearance: Pale but cloudy to the point of being murky, orange going on beige with a thin uneven froth for a lace.

Smell: Big spicy waft of fresh peel ginger, some earthy and nutty undertones from the yeast and a slight sweetness to the nose.

Taste: Medium bodied, large crispness from the carbonation … paired with the tingling of the ginger it makes the ale snappish at first taste. Ginger flavour stays throughout with just enough malt to keep this ale somewhat in place. Hops come in with a rough herbal and earthened bitterness and go well with the nuttiness of the yeast. Mild tartness, perhaps the fermented wheat, on the tongue and a faint estery alcohol within. Spiciness of the ginger goes far into the finish with a touch of astringent grain.

Notes: A love it or leave it ale. Personally I love it though it is much more of a beer to wet the appetite or as an digestif to settle the stomach and give a good hearty belch after a filling meal.
Apr 02, 2002
Shakemantle Ginger Ale from Freeminer Brewery Ltd.
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 12 ratings