Reed's Extra Ginger Beer Review: Better with every sip
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- Reed's
The Quick Route
Our Take
Reed’s Extra Ginger Beer strikes a delightful balance between sweetness and spice, offering a complex flavor profile that enhances with each sip. Its versatility makes it an excellent choice for both sipping and mixing.
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Pros
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Cons
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| Love Score | Sip Score | Mix Score |
| 6.3 | 5.9 | 5.9 |
Love Score: In the moment, how much do we enjoy drinking this ginger beer?
Sip Score: How likely are we going to sip this by itself in the future?
Mix Score: How likely would we use this in a mixed drink?
About the Beverage
Reed’s has several ginger drinks on the market including (but not limited to) “Regular,” “Extra,” “Strongest,” “Zero Extra,” and the brand’s growing line of ginger ales, which can make choosing the “right” Reed’s confusing and intimidating.
However, Reed’s Extra sits comfortably in middle of the brand’s spicy spectrum and is easily recognized by its green, island-themed packaging.
The brand distinguishes itself with a focus on using natural or near-natural ingredients.
Specifically, Reed’s Extra uses organic Peruvian ginger and a sweetening blend of cane sugar, honey and pineapple juice, which delivers a unique flavor that sets it apart from the crowd.
The ingredients are simple, and unlike some diet brands, can be read without stumbling over pronunciation. The only problem we have with the ingredients is how much sugar is being used.
At 35 grams, Reed’s Extra’s sugar content is notably high, warranting caution for those monitoring sugar intake.
Appearance and Smell
Reed’s Extra pours with vigorous bubbles and sports a clear, strawy-yellow hue, thanks to the ginger and pineapple juice. It smells enticingly of citrus and ginger, reminiscent of a ginger-infused Sprite.
It also evokes a distinct reminiscence to Ginger Lemon Haribos, which are (in our humble opinion) one of the best sweets of all time.
Taste
Upon tasting, Reed’s Extra immediately announces itself as a genuine ginger beer.
The ginger is eager to warm your mouth and as the bubbles pop, the pleasant spice of ginger punches the back of your throat, forcing you to drink more.
Once it settles, you’re left with the welcome warmth of ginger and a surprisingly complex mix of tart and fruity sweetness from the pineapple and honey.
Most other ginger beers rely on sugars or sweeteners that bring a clean sweet profile, letting the ginger shine, but we found that Reed’s Extra’s combination of pineapple juice and honey provided a unique and welcome compliment.
Don’t get us wrong, there is a lot of sweetness going on, but the spice helps balance the beverage nicely. We wonder whether cane sugar is absolutely necessary or if it could be reduced to help reduce some of the sugar content.
Overall, Reed’s Extra is a well-balanced ginger beer and its scores reflect that.
The only outliers from other ginger beers were its scores for Viscocity (Below Average) and Refreshing (Above Average), which tend to go in opposite directions (the less thick a drink is, the more likely it is to be refreshing).
Roughly average scores amongst its peers do not make this an average drink. Instead, it makes it a pleasant all-rounder for anybody to pick up and enjoy.
How to Use It
Reed’s Extra undeniably has a specific taste and plenty of sweetness from the pineapple and honey. When you try to bring in complementary flavors, consider what works with tropical flavors.
- Citrus like lime or lemon cuts through the sweetness
- Jalapeños or chilis boost the spice
- Tropical fruits like mango or kiwi embrace the beverage’s character
I’m not eager to recommend fruits or syrups that add sugars since it’s already so sweet, but if you must, consider adding in some soda water to help rebalance your concoction.
Mixing With Booze
Reed’s Extra Ginger Beer pairs well with rum, vodka, and many tequilas thanks to its tropical sweetness.
However, I would avoid whiskey, bourbon, and gin due to the potential for big clashing flavors.
Final Thoughts
We were surprised at how much we enjoyed Reed’s Extra Ginger Beer. It’s well-balanced with delightful warming spice and a lingering sweetness we didn’t find in any other non-Reed’s ginger beer.
We do wonder, however, whether there is a middle-ground between the sugar content in Extra and Zero-Extra where you could achieve a similar beverage without the unrelenting amount of sugar.
I’m not sure Reed’s is ready to add another product into their already confusing collection of SKUs, but I do like thinking about what it would be called. Maybe “Extra Lite” or “Slightly More than Normal.”
