Pickett's #1 Medium Spicy Ginger Beer SyrupHere at Mouth, we love to geek out about our favorite drinks and snacks. Take ginger beer why is it called beer when it doesn't, you know, actually contain any beer? Well did you know that back in 18th century England, where the drink was invented, ginger beer was brewed and actually had an alcohol content higher than most of today's beers (around 11 percent!). But in order to avoid paying taxes, brewers started diluting the drink with water.