Carib Ginger Shandy - Carib Brewery Limited

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12 oz.

Pours the color of ginger ale with a soda pop white head that dissipates to nothing immediately. Bubbles can be seen effervescing.

Smells strongly of spicy ginger and sugar cane sweetness, with maybe a hint of apple juice.

Tastes like ginger beer (ginger ale that has the sting from the ginger) with only the faintest whisper of beer malts at the very end. Sugary sweet.

Feels medium thick, sticky and very bubbly.

Well...this is a soft drink. It's a ginger ale. They mixed a bit of lager into it, I guess, but you would have no idea. If you poured this into a Canada Dry bottle, you would fool 99 out of a 100 people.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 02:17:40 | More by Cylinsier

draftpunk

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +52.2%

03-19-2013 00:34:19 | More by draftpunk

mralphabet

Virginia

1.55/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass

A: Pours very very light yellow, good finger and a 1/2 of white head that settles to nothing... no lacing at all... Looks very flat, no carbonation at all.

S: Ginger ale, a little caramel and lots of sweet sugar. (Is this beer ??)

T: Just like the smell, straight up ginger ale, hint of caramel... very sweet... not beer like at all.

M: Light bodied, no carbonation, but leaves a sugary sticky feel in the mouth.

D: Lets be honest this is not a beer, it is ginger ale with a touch of alcohol... Run away.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 03:31:32 | More by mralphabet

matjack85

Illinois

1.38/5  rDev -40%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

I found this single, clear, 12oz bottle at the Binny's store in Plainfield, IL for $1.99. There are a couple different flavors of Carib Shandy - this is the ginger version. The label says it is a blend of lager beer with natural ginger flavor and caramel color.

The beer poured a crystal clear pale gold color with lots of carbonation bubbles, but it only made a thin white rim for a head that completely disappeared within 20 seconds and left no lacing.

The only smell this beer gives off is that of the ginger plant. No beer smell to it at all.

This tastes like ginger ale. No hint of hops or malts or any trace of the lager beer that the label claims is in here. It's a very sweet ginger ale soda. It doesn't taste terrible for a ginger ale, but as a beer it's not very good.

Medium body with a just less than heavy soda-like carbonation.

At 1.2% abv you can drink a ton of these before feeling anything, but it's really too sweet to enjoy more than 1 or 2. People who don't like beer might like this, but if you're a serious beer drinker you'll pass on this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2011 06:34:11 | More by matjack85

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.2/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Blend of lager beer with natral ginger flavour and caramel calour...right there I feel bad for Carib's creativity team. APpears like ginger ale, the nose seems spicy lacking the average ginger ale notes it really smells like fresh ginger. Earthy/spicy ginger notes with layers of sweet candy cane going on. I'm sorry before I get heartburn or see someone burnt on this I have to get rid of it. The back of my throat burns like I just purre'd some ginger., but this beer is horrible. It's like ginger ale that heats up your nostrils because of fresh ginger, my brother might love this...in addition it cures nausea.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 19:12:34 | More by WVbeergeek

scottyshades

Florida

2.75/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a completely transparent straw color. Head is small, white, and retention is terrible (lasting only a second or two)

S: Fresh ginger snaps greet the nose immediately. Strongly resembles ginger ale, with much more residual sweetness. But everything in this nose points to ginger; fresh, crisp, and sweet

T: Wow, really really different. I was expecting a light ginger touch to Carib, but this is crazy. HUGE sweetness in the flavor, alongside fresh ginger, ginger snaps, and some light malts. Not really balanced at all, but still interesting, and I don't mind this.

MF/D: Medium body, basically no carbonation, lingering sweet/sugary ginger finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2010 18:19:12 | More by scottyshades

Amalak

New York

2.33/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I had out of a 12 ounce bottle.
A- Gold, completely see-through. No head or lacing. It's bubbly, very bubbly.
S- EXTREMELY pungent. Smells like ginger cider. Actually, smells exactly like ginger ale.
T- It tastes exactly like ginger ale. It's an alcoholic ginger ale, except you don't taste the alcohol. I don't know if that is what most beer drinkers are looking for, but what ever. Some what spicy aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2009 21:12:57 | More by Amalak

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +58.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From a clear 12 oz. bottle. Pours a golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is very sweet an of ginger. Tastes like ginger ale, maybe even sweeter. Feels light and bubbly in the mouth and is highly drinkable. An interesting idea for a flavored beer, I think Carib pulls it of well.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2009 20:22:37 | More by tone77

jwc215

New Jersey

1.65/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Best by Nov 09:

Pours same light brown/caramel that is visible through the clear glass bottle. Some loud fizz of a head immediately disappears. No lacing.

The smell is of arificial sweetener with ginger. Smells like sweetened tonic water with ginger-flavoring.

The taste is sickly sweet - sugar sweetness as in the "malt beverages" way. Ginger flavor is there, but not in much of a spicy way, so it adds flavor, but not much balance to the sweetness. Sweetness lingers.

Light-bodied, a bit sticky. Not too fizzy for what it could be.

Drinkable to a point if you waant a sweet ginger flavored drink that has little to no resemblance to beer. Other than carbonation, where is the "lager" part of this? Not sure that this belongs in the "beer" section as much as in the malt beverage section. Wasn't so easy to finish. Bland other than the ginger, and way too sticky sweet.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2009 18:38:27 | More by jwc215

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

1.23/5  rDev -46.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Appearance: Pours a clear, dull, pale gold body with a thin, white head.

Smell: Ginger aroma. As with the previous Carib Lime, it comes across as highly artificial and highly unpleasant.

Taste: Grimace-inducing sweetness with a ginger flavor. Slight burn on the tongue from the ginger (or my taste buds are self-destructing). No real malt or hops detectable -- basically, it's just a malternative. Sweet finish that lasts and lasts.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium carbonation. There's a sticky sugary quality to the mouthfeel, much like a cheap store brand soda.

Drinkability: Difficult to finish. AVOID.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2009 23:49:44 | More by ChainGangGuy

ATLbeerDog

Georgia

1.5/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours a clear light gold copper color that looks like ginger ale. No head or carbonation. Smells like ginger furniture polish but sweeter. First sip is sugary sweet with no beer flavor able to be detected. Too sweet for even a ginger ale let alone an adult beverage. Avoid...unless you have dirty cabinets that want to smell like a side dish on a sushi platter.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2009 22:43:04 | More by ATLbeerDog

BEERchitect

Kentucky

2.23/5  rDev -3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

The lable states that this is a "blend of lager beer with natural ginger flavour and caramel colour". I get the color part, but I don't get the lager part.

The beer is a true 'ginger' ale. There are really no characteristics in the taste, nose, appearance, or texture that resemble beer. But that doesn't keep this concoction from becomming a complete disaster.

The ginger, sugary sensation hits up front in the nose and holds on to all the senses from there on out. No hops, no malt, no real estery profiles, phenols... nothing. Just ginger all the way.

Still pleasant, refreshing, and crisp- even if in a soda-pop kinda way. This beverage is unique enough to put into it's own beverage genre like the ciders, pere, and meads do.

I'm glad I tried it, but it's not what I'll go for when really wanting a beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2009 03:24:36 | More by BEERchitect

bilyboy65

Colorado

2.58/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Not impressed. I don't know if this is old, but the BBD on the bottle is 6/09, but it looks really flat.

A: Crystal clear gold color with no carbonation to be seen. No head, no nothing except liquid to look at. At least it doesn't have things floating in it.

S: Very heavy on the ginger with a lot of caramel to back it up. Some bad corn malts are in there as well. The only thing saving this category for it is that the ginger is very strong and it smells kinda good.

T: Nothing impressive. Very gingery and malty. Has a sweet context to it. Leaves a fructose taste behind.

M: Light bodied, no carbonation and leaves a sugary feel in the mouth. Like you just ate a lollipop.

D: This is a beer for if you are having a sugar crave. Will do the same thing as eating a handful of rolos, only probably not as fattening. Couldn't drink it on a regular basis, tastes more like a wine cooler.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2009 04:57:16 | More by bilyboy65

nick76

Florida

2.98/5  rDev +29.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

The aroma is like you would imagine a ginger ale would smell like if it were mixed with a cheap Caribbean lager. There is definitely ginger as well as skunky corn malt and latex. The appearance is almost clear but pale gold. .The flavor is more like a ginger ale than a beer but there is definitely some lager in there. The palate is thin and prickly. The finish is definitely malt with a sweet chemical cleanness and ginger. Overall a really strange beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2008 19:22:33 | More by nick76

nrpellegrini

Maryland

1.48/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

It really looks just like a glass of ginger ale, minus all the bubbles fizzing to the top. Its a clear yellow brown color with no trace of head. Smells horrific. I really felt like their should have been a warning sign on the side of the bottle stating that this was a chemical or waste and you could not drink it. It tasted like the syrup of ginger ale from a fountain machine. Too sweet. Mouthfeel was bad. Drinkability was bad.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2008 00:29:54 | More by nrpellegrini

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

2.93/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Drank while on holiday in Tobago and enjoyed on a very hot, sunny afternoon sat near the pool.

Clear 275ml bottle, best before Dec 2008, drank Jun 2008. Poured into a cooled half pint tumbler it appeared a dull gold, light amber colour, but no head, hence the low score for looks.

The smell was all about ginger, well what did you expect?

Ginger was also the overiding flavour within the taste.

It has a strange warm ginger feel, but refreshing and cooling as well, it was just what I needed at the time and my scores reflect that (with some common sense too).

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2008 19:36:34 | More by BlackHaddock

mikesgroove

South Carolina

2.38/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

My mother brought this one back from her cruise, she tries :) Anyway I grabbed this one from the fridge and poured it into a pilsner glass. Crystal clear with a good amount of carbonation coming up, but no head at all and no side glass lace either. Color was a slightly orange hay color, but still had that macro lager death look. The smell was sickingly sweet with a gingerale type smell, maybe a hint of grain, but I really thought this was a soda to be honest, at least from the smell. The taste was well horrible. It tasted like seagrems gingerale. Soo sugary sweet that I could not even find anything else in it to describe. Very light bodied with huge carbonation, these were probably the only only redeeming factors. But still the taste was so off setting that it still was not even remotely drinkable. I am guessing people drink this kinda like the chill or something. A very light refrshing ale, but the flavor leaves alot to be desired.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2008 23:36:50 | More by mikesgroove