Ginger Tom - Frederic Robinson Limited

flagmantho

Washington

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 330mL bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: deep, rich brown hue with a little bit of ruby in the mix. Body is free of haze, and the head is a narrow finger of frothy tan foam without good retention. Not too bad.

Smell: the label says this is brewed with ginger and pear juice, and I totally believe it. The ginger stands out the most, even to the point of obfuscating the underlying beer. I like the ginger here, but it takes up a bit too much of the canvas.

Taste: a murky and heady mix of ginger and sweet malt. I like both the quality of the ginger and the malt here, but I'm really not a big fan of how they mix. There's too much earthiness here competing for my attention; it just doesn't quite work.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation. Decently creamy, but not outstanding.

Overall: this is a weird beer, for which I award it points, but one which doesn't precisely work well. Glad I had it, absolutely; however, I don't think I'll be reaching for another one anytime soon. If you are really into ginger, however, it may be worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 22:57:48 | More by flagmantho

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.33/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

A 330ml bottle with a BB of July 2013. Picked up a while back from Morrisons. The label describes it as a blend of Old Tom ale with Fentiman's Ginger Beer.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A deep reddish-brown hue with good clarity and medium carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy beige foam that lasts for a few minutes before subsiding to a patchy surface layer. Aroma of sweet ginger with hints of fruity malt, prunes, dried fruit, mild brown sugar and faint caramel. A whiff of stewed leaves/herbs in the background, accompanied by a touch of booze.

Tastes of ginger, with a mildly fruity character and a spicy finish. Notes of hot ginger, sugar, mild herbs, a hint of fruity malt and faint dried fruit. The ginger dominates the flavour. A slightly harsh cardboard flavour lurks in the background, followed by a herbal dryness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is tingly and spicy, though smooth and pleasantly carbonated. Body is a tad thin for the strength; could be chewier. Aftertaste of hot, spicy ginger and faint fruity malt.

Hmmmm - OK but not amazing. It looks pretty good and the smell has a degree of depth to it, but the flavour is mostly spice. The body is also rather lacklustre for a stronger beer. The problem is that the ginger overwhelms the characteristics of the original beer. I enjoy Old Tom and reckon it's a nicely balanced sipper; unfortunately a shedload of ginger spoils the effect. It's got more to it than most ginger beers I've tried, but still lacks that essential ingredient: restraint. Perhaps I just don't like ginger beers all that much. Anyway - worth trying but only ginger lovers will appreciate it.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 23:31:41 | More by jazzyjeff13

pin

Australia

2.5/5  rDev -28%

03-27-2013 02:07:05 | More by pin

Peyton5410

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +15.3%

03-16-2013 00:13:28 | More by Peyton5410

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

This is an average looking, chestnut colored beer, clear, low carbonation, and a modest lightly tan head. It has a distinctive ginger aroma...like a vest strong ginger ale. There is a subtle roasts malt smell too, but it is distant behind the ginger. The taste, however, is great. Pear and malt come through immediately, followed quickly by the. Strong, spicy ginger flavor. Sweet, sharp, spicy. The flavors work we'll to complement each other and the spice of the ginger hangs around ling enough to give a very pleasant lingering finish. Medium body. I really enjoyed this beer. Different.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 20:33:38 | More by Suds

sneaks2210

New York

2.5/5  rDev -28%

11-17-2012 17:14:07 | More by sneaks2210

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Dogfish Head snifter.

Finishing up the Tom Trilogy with the Ginger version. It pours a clear amber-tawny topped by a half-finger of light khaki foam. The nose comprises sweet ginger (as though 'twere straight-up Canada Dry or something), light white pepper, a pinch of brown sugar, and a bit of honey-dripped green apple. The taste brings in more of the same, with the honey-apple coming through a bit more powerfully. Still, the star of the show is the spicy ginger character, though that is partially undermined by the fruit. The body is a light-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a mildly slick feel. Overall, a nice little ginger beer, but I feel it's depressed by the pear juice (which, itself, never really comes through as pear, per se, to me).

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 16:14:19 | More by TMoney2591

Offa

California

3.95/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is not outstanding, but it’s very enjoyable, a bit different, and the ginger is a nice presence without being too dominant, although it comes close.
Deep red amber, big tan head slowly shrinks.
Aroma is ginger, dark fruits, caramelized dark toast.
Taste is caramelized toast, brandied raisins, ginger. Since I love ginger, I guess that is one reason why I like this, but it has a good underlying Old Tom character, too, and the ginger mostly is just a nice added element to this.
Feel s nice, firm.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 23:07:52 | More by Offa

speith

2.6/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I purchased this beer at Fire Road Canals in EHT, NJ. It was about $4.50 for a 12 oz bottle.

A: Poured the beer vigorously into a standard pint glass, with little head resulting. The head that did appear quickly disappeared. I was expecting a bit of a lighter hue for a ginger and fruit juice beer. This hue resembles a nut brown ale, and is definitely lighter than the original Old Tom.

S: Gingery and sweet. Very sweet. I actually lose the pear under the ginger but get citrus notes. A bit yeasty as well. Ginger definitely above all else.

T: The taste is right in line with the smell. First impressions were I just cleansed my palate with a piece of ginger while out for a sushi dinner. The pear comes out in the aftertaste. Very sweet with ginger reigning supreme.

MF: Similar to soda...not much carbonation. Definitely a sipper.

O: Interesting, but I do not think I will get this beer again. The ginger was overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 19:25:01 | More by speith

Rojada1988

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -13.5%

08-14-2012 17:22:54 | More by Rojada1988

Eddxii

Florida

2.98/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Ginger Old Tom pours a beautifully unique orangey amber, clear and unencumbered by foam. The lacing along the sides features larger bubbles, more like a soda than a traditional beer. The aroma is immediately yeasty with a subtle soft citrus sweetness and a deep background of old oak.

The initial taste is strong with pear; the nectary and syrupy flavors linger atop the standard maltiness of old English ales. The ginger emerges potently over the course of the finish, leaving a nice spicy burn on the aftertaste. The mouthfeel on the Ginger Old Tim is quite thick and heavy; this is not a beer to drink quickly, lest the sweetness usher your perception toward old tonics and cough syrup.

Ginger Old Tom is an interesting brew, though not something of which I would drink significant quantities. As I scan their website I noticed that they have several hints toward (and videos of) cooking recipes featuring their ales. This, I think, would be an excellent use of such a beer and would likely produce more lauding words than I’m offering here of the beer itself. That being said, I am very interested in tasting the original Old Tom without pear and ginger, which I feel would be a very tasty treat. Indeed, the bottle claims that the Ginger Old Tom is “Made with the World’s Best Ale.” How could I refuse a claim so bold?

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 23:11:24 | More by Eddxii

1nf1n1te

New York

4.5/5  rDev +29.7%

07-22-2012 21:25:53 | More by 1nf1n1te

rfgetz

New Jersey

2.98/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Nice dark copper color, thin cap of cream colored head, solid ring of retained head. Scent brings strong ginger and peppery spice, notes of tart underrippened pear, notes of brown sugar and light caramel. Taste is full on ginger ranging from pickled ginger to ginger ale, strong and burning... Unrippened pear and apple, brown sugar and caramel, ginger snap cookies. Medium bodied, prickly carbonation, lingering sweetness and ginger. Most ginger brews I've sampled are light and refreshing, this is strong flavored and near offensive.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 23:35:41 | More by rfgetz

FriedGold2112

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%

05-03-2012 23:14:10 | More by FriedGold2112

StoicBeast

California

4/5  rDev +15.3%

05-03-2012 15:05:54 | More by StoicBeast

boatyard

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I really liked this one. The nose was of ginger and pear, with a slight aroma of alcohol. the taste, was ginger throughout, with a note of pear, and citrus. there is also some underlying sweetness with a spicy ginger finish. not something I'd drink alot of, but i would drink it if it were to become available to me.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 04:47:50 | More by boatyard

Ryan1423

Alaska

2/5  rDev -42.4%

03-28-2012 04:21:10 | More by Ryan1423

brinch

Denmark

3/5  rDev -13.5%

03-16-2012 20:16:40 | More by brinch

patra7

Greece

3.63/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Dark red with thin but fairly persistent beige head. Extremely thin bubbles; lots of them.
Smell: Ginger it is, before anything else. It truly lives up to its name and promise. Then some alcohol and caramel.
Taste: Ginger, Caramel / molasses, alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Full body, very little, mild carbonation.
Drinkability: Very interesting for a change, but certainly not a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 23:51:39 | More by patra7

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into an Arrogant Bastard Ale pint glass. Pours a medium to dark ruby amber. One finger off-white head dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing. The aroma is pleasantly dominated by ginger with hints of sweet malt detectable. Rich flavor of fresh ginger, caramel malt and dark fruit. Finishes sweet and gingery, with a bit of a lingering earthy flavor from the ginger. Thick, almost syrupy bodied. I think this could have been too cloying, but the heavy malt body supports the strong flavors well. Definitely only for ginger lovers, but I'm one, so I really enjoyed this and will revisit.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 04:39:29 | More by LiquidAmber

metter98

New York

3.48/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is extremely dark red but clear in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin off white head that quickly died down, leaving a film covering the surface and a thick ring of large bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of ginger in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste is dominated by flavors of ginger. It becomes less one dimensional as the beer warms up and begins to have hints of dark fruits, spices and sweetness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. No warming from the alcohol is detectable in the finish, but the ginger tingles your tongue.
O: This beer is not a bad choice if you really like ginger because it is packed with flavors and doesn’t have anything quite like the level of sweetness you get in ginger ale soda.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 02:19:41 | More by metter98

kaelingirl

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -13.5%

03-02-2012 17:27:51 | More by kaelingirl

Finn

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ginger Tom pours a deep ruby brown with minimal head. The aroma is...lots of ginger, and a touch of caramel. This is a very rich flavored, sweet, and gingery beer. Full body with sweet gingerbread maltiness. The ginger really lingers on the back of the throat. drinkability is moderate on this one. Overall, quite unique and fun to try, but make sure you like ginger before you think about trying it.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 02:25:34 | More by Finn

CrazyDavros

Australia

2.98/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours dark ruby brown with a lasting off-white head.
Nose shows overriding ginger with sweet biscuity notes underneath along with a little golden syrup. Pretty much like ginger snaps.
Flavours are pretty unpleasant in comparison, with astringent and sharp herbal notes dominating. Lots of ginger. Doesn't seem to have the malt and body to carry the massive strength of the ginger.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 08:33:07 | More by CrazyDavros

Dentist666

Russian Federation

3.85/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours copper-brown beer with good tan head, leaving nice laces. Clear ginger aroma. Full-bodied taste of very spicy ginger and some dark fruits. High carbonation and very warm ginger aftertaste. Definitely, beer for ginger fans. However, I dislike ginger, but loved this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 18:17:21 | More by Dentist666