Brewing Ginger Beer

[slkinsey]

If you don't add water but continue adding sugar and ginger, eventually the alcohol content (and probably sugar content as well) will get up to a point where the yeast (and bacteria, since this is naturally fermented) are inhibited.

[aonis]

If you don't add water but continue adding sugar and ginger, eventually the alcohol content (and probably sugar content as well) will get up to a point where the yeast (and bacteria, since this is naturally fermented) are inhibited.

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so should I add more water or would i have to start over again?

[slkinsey]

It's hard for any of us to give you any advice unless you describe your process completely, including where you heard about this process and what result you hope to accomplish.

[aonis]

It's hard for any of us to give you any advice unless you describe your process completely, including where you heard about this process and what result you hope to accomplish.

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I have this book called "Wild Fermentation"

I mixed

2tbs of ginger

2tbs of sugar

1c of water

I then added the same sugar and ginger everyday. I had one day (day 2) where everything was foaming nicely and sounded great but its been dormant since then. I keep it in a ball jar with cheese cloth on the opening and take it outside during the day and bring it into a warm room at night.

[cdh]

What is it that you want out of this thing? Are you attempting to culture a ginger beer plant?

Is the idea to get a bunch of microbes that like to ferment ginger sugar water, and then throw that lot of bugs into a big bunch of ginger sugar water? Fermentations only last so long, and 2T of sugar won't keep one going for a very long time.

Have you built up a good bunch of goo on the bottom of your jar? If so, that goo is your starter culture that should ferment a few gallons of ginger sugar water and leave a nice lactic acid sourness.

[slkinsey]

This is the recipe aonis appears to be using.

[cdh]

If that's the recipe, then the "bug" is the starter. Either use it, or stick it in the fridge.

[aonis]

This is the recipe aonis appears to be using.

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slkinsey.....that is my recipe.

CDH -

I want to make ginger beer as a beginning that will eventually lead to beer and other things. Have you done much fermenting yourself?

[cdh]

  I want to make ginger beer as a beginning that will eventually lead to beer and other things.  Have you done much fermenting yourself?

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Yup... click here.

[Tom Gengo]

Good grief I hope this becomes a trend! I went all over stupid tinytown and the vicinity last week looking for ginger ale made with suagr- I had a craving and nausea and I would have paid dearly- I couldn't find ANY! I ended up with a coffee soda- definitely not the same animal.

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Hey Rebecca,

Looks like I am not the only insomniac around here. My repiratory system is excommunicating the rest of my body so I can not sleep at night. Regarding the ginger ale, just make your own It is not terribly difficult, but do follow the directions or you could create a "ginger ale bomb" and cleaning up would be tedious. Check out this link:

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Chees...ger_Ale_Ag0.htm

[Rebecca263]

I made gignerale! Well, honestly, it was more of a gingerbeer- very heady, and slightly alcoholic, I think. It came out too strong in flavor by far for my taste, but it certainly worked on my nausea!

[FrogPrincesse]

I made my first ginger beer this weekend at a cooking/mixology class. The recipe and process are quite similar to what Jeffrey Morgenthaler posted on his blog here. Some differences: we used lavender to infuse the simple syrup. The ginger juice was rendered using a Vitamix. We also added some spices: coriander, celery, and fennel.

The stained mixture was fermented for two days with Champagne yeast. It is now very midly bubbly. I wished we had done one version without the spices because they are a little strong and it would be good to try the ginger beer in its own.

I tried it in a Dark and Stormy tonight with black strap rum.

The ginger recipe needs some tweaking but seems very promising. I would also like to try a non-fermented ginger beer for comparison purposes to see if it's worth going through all the trouble (it's quite a bit of work for the fermented version).

[CharlieHorse]

I made my first ginger beer this weekend at a cooking/mixology class. The recipe and process are quite similar to what Jeffrey Morgenthaler posted on his blog here. Some differences: we used lavender to infuse the simple syrup. The ginger juice was rendered using a Vitamix. We also added some spices: coriander, celery, and fennel.

The stained mixture was fermented for two days with Champagne yeast. It is now very midly bubbly. I wished we had done one version without the spices because they are a little strong and it would be good to try the ginger beer in its own.

I tried it in a Dark and Stormy tonight with black strap rum.

The ginger recipe needs some tweaking but seems very promising. I would also like to try a non-fermented ginger beer for comparison purposes to see if it's worth going through all the trouble (it's quite a bit of work for the fermented version).

Not revive an old thread, but this is exactly the recipe that I use. One of the advantages of the champagne yeast is that it's pretty cheap (I think that I paid $.99 a packet) and stores in the freezer. When I make up a batch, I make about 4 liters at a time and it stores quite well in the fridge. I generally use the PET bottles that are sold for the Mr. Beer kits (I don't think that I put actual beer in them) and they're flexible enough that I don't have to worry about bottle bombs.

[Jamie212]

You are talking my language! My best friend growing up was from Port Antonia, Jamaica. His mother would make ginger beer every year to drink throughout the summer holidays. I acquired a taste for it and have never looked back. If you want to give it a kick, a nice shot of Ray & Nephews Overproof White Rum will do you well.

[ChefPip]

I'm quite happy to find this thread.  The first Ginger Beer I ever tasted was somewhere in the late 60's bottled by a soft drink

maker known as Faygo.  They are still in business even though they dropped "Faygo Brau" ginger beer from their line in the 70's.

There has been a movement, I myself having written several letters to Faygo Botteling Compan, to lobby Faygo to reume production of the wonderful beverage.  But to no avail.

 

About as close to it as I can get is the Vernors Ginger Ale now days.  Occasionally I see 10 ounce 4 packs of Ginger beer for around $6 dollars or so and I break down and buy it and sip it slowly to savor it.  I once saw it bottled by Schweppes also.

 

Where I live there is a large number of colleges and Universities and they have an "international Days" celebration each year

and I try to get my fill of the Ginger Beer those students from the Caribbean produce and sell in small sample size cups.

I always praise their efforts and explain to them that Ginger Beer is something quite rare in this market although most people

have heard of it.  So I hope they pass the word along to keep Ginger Beer a tradition on this one day of the year and I can guzzle away several dollars of it to get my fill. 

 

I should mention for everyone that I've even gone to Youtube to watch the videos where kind people teach how to make it.

 

There are several pages of video here for making it as an alcohol beverage or non alcoholic concoction.

 

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Youtuve+and+Gingerbeer

 

 

Here is a youtube tutorial showing the use of 2 liter plastic bottles with fittings purchased on eBay and a small aluminum Co2 tank.

If you know someone at a Bottling company where they have a Co2 recharging facility for the restaurant fountains that they service  you may be able to strike a deal with a salesman to get a tank with regulators and some hose for cheap.  They generally only fill those tanks a certain number of times before they retire them from service.  This is how a lot of guys who own MIG welding equipment get theirs.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLFvw4CVKgY

Edited September 17, 2014 by ChefPip (log)

[liuzhou]

Perhaps a stupid question, but I really don't know the answer. I've never gone down this road before.

 

I love real ginger beer (not ale) and have decided to make some. I found this recipe which seems reasonable, but it specifies ingredients for approx 2 litres of final product. For various reasons (mainly availability of suitable containers  - and a huge thirst), I prefer to do 4 litres. 

 

I am guessing I can just double the ginger, sugar and water quantities, but what about the yeast? Double it? Leave it the same? Go somewhere in the middle?

 

Any advice heartily welcome.

Edited September 29, 2015 by liuzhou (log)

[hummingbirdkiss]

this is an old thread I am not sure if it will help LOL I had forgotten about this

 

but still make ginger beer 

we drink it like some folks drink iced tea ( It is not alcoholic in content so you notice,  but it could be and we have had it when it had gotten that way) 

 

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/105471-brewing-ginger-beer/?hl=%2Bginger+%2Bbeer

Edited September 29, 2015 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[liuzhou]

this is an old thread I am not sure if it will help LOL I had forgotten about this

 

but still make ginger beer 

we drink it like some folks drink iced tea ( It is not alcoholic in content so you notice,  but it could be and we have had it when it had gotten that way) 

 

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/105471-brewing-ginger-beer/?hl=%2Bginger+%2Bbeer

 

Thanls. I did, as always, search for a previous thread, but nothing came up - as usual.

[Hassouni]

The yeast will multiply, so the quantities aren't super critical (I've made ginger beer a few times), just let it ferment for longer if you don't double the amount. Be sure to occasionally release the pressure from your bottles, though.

[liuzhou]

The yeast will multiply, so the quantities aren't super critical (I've made ginger beer a few times), just let it ferment for longer if you don't double the amount. Be sure to occasionally release the pressure from your bottles, though.

 

Thanks. That is more or less what I suspected, but wanted to check.

[FrogPrincesse]

Be sure to occasionally release the pressure from your bottles, though.

 

It's a good idea to use plastic bottles! Less risk of explosions.

[jedovaty]

Hello:

 

I used to make ginger beer with a bug successfully, and I'm going to give it a go again this year, but before I do I'm hoping someone might be able to help identify trouble spots in my process since it has failed the last three years.  

 

Here's my process: Bug - 1T shredded organic ginger (with peel), a cup of water, and 1T sugar dissolved.  Then every 24 hours add about 1t each shredded ginger and sugar, and after several days top up with a bit of water - measurements here are all estimated, I found measuring for the bug is a waste of time, this part of the process is very forgiving.  After a week this would become super fizzy, smells wonderful.  I continue anywhere between 1-5 days days, depending on time for the actual brew.

 

For the brew, my syrup ratio is 10:1 water:sugar.  I start with a ginger tea by bringing lots of ginger (I like the burn) and half my water amount to a light simmer then steep for 20-30 minutes, dissolve the sugar, then strain out the ginger over rest rest of water-weighted ice (e.g. 500g water, 500g ice, and 100g sugar).  I usually squeeze 1-2 lemons or limes at this point, check to make sure temp is below 90F, then add 1/4-1/2c ginger bug.  Pour this into flip-top jars (sanitized with star-san) and check for bubbles daily (more like 3-5 times daily hahaha are we there yet?).  Used to take about 5 days when ambient temps were in the upper 70F range.  My typical batch size is about 2L.

 

The last 3 years it's been a failure each time.. I get the fizzy ginger bug, but after adding to the ginger syrup, it never starts up again.  I also tried a "bulk" ferment by leaving the bug (tried the entire bug batch) and syrup in a big container one time, but it never "took".

 

Anything I should change or tweak before I try the process again?  This seems pretty standard so I've no idea what's going on but clearly I'm somehow killing the bug.

[jedovaty]

On 8/29/2020 at 9:53 AM, jedovaty said:

Pour this into flip-top jars (sanitized with star-san) and check for bubbles daily (more like 3-5 times daily hahaha are we there yet?)

After experimenting with several batches, narrowed down to three possible culprits:  either my star-san spray is too concentrated, using too much citrus juice, or my ice is somehow contaminated and creating issues (I pour the syrup concentrate over ice).  Most likely it is the star-san, I'm not even sure it is necessary for ginger beer that's fermented over a few days?  I shouldn't have changed three variables at once in the last batch!  Oh, well, I'm happy, finally have my beverage

[mixersanontt]

I actually have a pretty great recipe. Sometimes storage can cause an issue with the fermentation process. Hope this helps.

[jimb0]

This is perhaps low brow in comparison to some of the previous thread suggestions, but I always did this in a plastic bottle with some commercial yeast. Repeatable without fail, carbonates in a couple of days, and you can test by squeezing.