Garage beer: history and review of the drink
A mix of beer and fruit is a very popular combination, although not all manufacturers manage to find the optimal balance of ingredients. Such a drink is either too cloying, too weak, too fruity, or even reminiscent of carbonated compote. But the creators of Garage, the Carlsberg company, succeeded in the experiment. The bright, low-alcohol product has become a favorite among consumers and has received many positive reviews.
It is also worth clarifying that this is still a beer drink, although it has a fairly high strength of 4.6%. If we are to be completely picky, then "Garage" is better classified as "hard drinks", but not in the traditional sense of "strong alcohol", but as a variant of alcoholic cocktails.
The history of the creation of the beer Garage
The drink was invented relatively recently: it appeared on the Russian market in 2014. The Danes got the idea for the fruit and beer composition from the Americans.
According to legend, residents of the southern regions of the United States were afraid to drink strong alcohol because of the heat and got into the habit of diluting alcohol with cold juice, lemonade or tea.
Peculiar soft drinks are called "hard drinks". Later, they spread to European countries and turned into low-alcohol beers, but the name was preserved. The word "hard" is also present in the name of "Garages".
Features of Garage beer production
The first batch of the original drink was produced at the Finnish brewery Sinebrychoff, part of the Carlsberg Group. In Russia, the Garage line is produced by Baltika, while in Ukraine the product is made at Carlsberg Ukraine breweries.
It is noteworthy that the composition of the drink, unlike most analogues, is almost completely natural. It contains purified water, hops, barley, malt, glucose-fructose sugar/syrup, citric/ascorbic acid, natural flavors, berry/fruit juice.
The list of ingredients may vary slightly depending on the specific manufacturer and type of drink. The bottles also look unusual: "Garage is bottled in 0.44-liter glass vessels.
Description of Garage beer flavors
Seth fruit beer line & Riley's Garage" is constantly replenished. The collection currently includes 5 varieties of products:
Hard Lemon Drink
White and yellow drink with a citrus flavor. The taste is sweet and sour, not cloying, refreshing. The composition includes lemon juice.
Hard Lemon Tea
The drink is yellow-orange in color, close to light beer. Contains lemon juice and tea flavoring. Taste: sweet, with light sour notes.
Hard Ginger Drink
Yellow-brown beer with ginger aroma and citrus notes. The taste is sweet and spicy, with a subtle bitterness. Includes lemon juice.
Garage Hard Drink Lingonberry
A bright ruby-colored drink with the aroma of wild berries. The composition includes lingonberry juice. The taste is pleasant, refreshing, sweet and sour. Tastes like berry juice.
Garage Granny's Anti-Compote
The Ukrainian version of the drink containing grape peel, acacia and dogwood extracts. The product stands out due to its noticeable bright pink color. The taste really resembles "grandma's compote" made from garden fruits and berries: moderately sweet, moderately sour.
Garage Radja
Hard Drink has a clean, refreshing aroma and a mild, harmonious taste that combines hints of mango with spicy and refreshing notes of mint and black pepper, while a light hop bitterness gives the drink a special piquancy . Best drunk chilled.
The drinks are easy to open thanks to a special ring, foam well, and refresh perfectly in the heat. It is recommended to chill Garage before drinking: strongly or slightly - at the discretion of the taster. Can be drunk solo or in the company of popular beer snacks. In terms of snacks, Garage is unpretentious: it can be smoked seafood, cheese and meat cuts, chips, nuts, sweets, fruits, kebabs.
Update: 10.03.2019
Category: Beer, Cider, Ale