After my 50/50 post I was asked whether ginger beer is the same as Ginger Ale by a friend who lives overseas. As ginger beer is such a big part of 50/50 I thought it was worth making a separate post to cover this topic in a little depth.

The simple answer is no, ginger beer as Australians know it is not the same as ginger ales such as Canadian Club. Ginger beer is a carbonated soft drink or soda which is spicier than ginger ale with a much stronger ginger flavour. Probably Australia’s best known commercial ginger beer is Bundaberg Ginger Beer. As I live in Bundaberg this was the brand I used in the recipe for 50/50.

I suspect that the ginger beer in Ian’s nan drink that she used to give us as kids was home made. I made my own ginger beer as a boy, and I know a lot of kids of my generation did too. It wasn’t alcoholic so I’m sorry to disappoint you if that’s what you were hoping. It was a drink you brewed using a starter that I always got from a friend, but you can make them yourself. Here’s a recipe for one I found that sounds pretty easy.

How to Make a Ginger Bug Starter for Natural Soda – Zero-Waste Chef

This starter was a living “pudding”, normally wrapped in a piece of muslin cloth. You added water, sugar and ginger, waited a few weeks and made the drink from the liquid. Might sound a bit disgusting but the drink that results is much better than anything from a soft drink company, even the Bundaberg ginger beer company.