The Bundaberg Ginger Beer Barrel Display and Tasting

After Bundaberg rum, the second most prominent brand I know related to the town has to be Bundaberg Ginger Beer. My first memories of ginger beer were from when I was in primary school. At the time I thought it was pretty awful so I have to admit it had been a while since I’d last tried it. Thankfully, in all the years that have since passed my tastes seem to have matured so that this time around, I actually found the tastes pleasantly refreshing.

Finding the place when you’re driving through town isn’t that hard. Just look for a giant barrel beside the road. The inside of the barrel is essentially a large gift shop with a museum / display running down one side and a tasting counter in the middle.

The museum cost about $15 each to go through and basically goes through the origins of ginger beer and its history in Bundaberg. It contains interactive displays and finishes with a sort of 3D show that explains how ginger beer is made in a funny way that kids can understand.

After we finished going through the museum we moved out and onto the tasting. There were eleven different varieties of drinks that they make although a few of them are just diet varieties of the real drinks so it’s only really eight different drinks. The drinks we tried were Lemon, Lime and Bitters, regular and diet, Ginger Beer, regular and diet, Sarsaparilla, regular and diet, Lemon Ale, Apple Ale, Peachee, a red creamy soda and a cola drink.

Of the different varieties we tried, the ginger beer was probably the best and only one I’d consider buying in its own right. The diet varieties certainly didn’t do much for the flavours so I wouldn’t bother with them. The Sarsaparilla was different in a good way but I think it’s a drink that would take some time to get used to. The remaining drinks seemed to be pretty similar to other brands that I’ve tried that are much more easily available so to be honest I left with mixed feelings about them.

Overall it was definitely worth a visit, if only for the Ginger Beer. The museum was very interesting and a great source of amusement for our daughter.

Address: 147 Bargara Road, Bundaberg, QLD 4670
Phone: 1800 629 923 (Freecall within Australia) +61 (0) 7 4154 5400
Web: www.bundaberg.com/info/home

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