# Non Alcoholic Ginger Beer Recipe Not Using Kit



## piraterum (28/1/10)

Hey guys,

Im looking to make a Non-Alcoholic Ginger Beer but dont want to use a kit as a base. 

Im thinking something along the lines of:

1kg fresh ginger (processed, skin and all)
1 lemon (thinly sliced)
1 lime (thinly sliced)
150g dry malt extract?? 
160g raw sugar??
1 tsp. cream of tartar (tartaric acid)


1. Add ginger, lemon, lime and sugar/malt and tartaric acid into pot and boil (~5L of water) for 60 mins.
2. Cool and strain into fermenter
3. Top up fermenter with water to 22L to achieve ~ 25 deg
4. Pitch yeast wait 2-3hrs for fermentation to start
5. Stir and bottle


What would be an appropriate amount of fermentables for a 22L batch? 

Im thinking of adding dry malt extract to sweeten it a little and to improve the body. What would be an appropriate dry malt extract to raw sugar ratio to provide sufficient sweetness and carbonation without making it significantly alcoholic? 


As Im planning to use fresh ginger, there would be no point adding 750ml Buderim Ginger Beer Refresher would there? 

Still tossing up whether to add:
1-2 cinnamon sticks
6-8 cloves

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

piraterum


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## piraterum (31/1/10)

Would the amount of sugar just be same as for carbonating beer?

ie 7-8g/L = 150-170g for a 22L batch?


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## bimbo (1/2/10)

I have been making GB using the plant/bug method but my base recipee for 8L is 
130g fresh ginger sliced or grated (all of the root skin and all) boiled for an 1/2 hour on the stove with a litre or 2 of water
juice of a couple of leamons - about 1/2 cup of juice
700g sugar (normal white cane sugar)

I would probably back the fresh ginger off a bit in your recipee - I am using close to 1/2 of what you have and it has quite a bite to it. 
I have been using straight cane sugar but with the amount i use the whole batch has to go into a fridge after about 5 days or it will become too carbinated and very dry.

Using the malt extract should help this as there will be some unfermentable sugars which will add to the sweetness - i would not use any raw and use malt only - not sure what amounts though


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## piraterum (1/2/10)

Hmm I'm after flavour and a bit of bite... I've seen recipes ranging from 200g - 1kg of fresh ginger :huh: 

Any consensus on a ball park amount? :unsure:


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## chappo1970 (1/2/10)

Pirate look here for some inspiration... http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...tch+ginger+beer

Of note is GravityGuru's powder keg recipe. It is a great ginger beer infused with chilli's.

In answer to you question about how much fresh ginger... well it is completely up to your individual tastes. For me I want the ginger to smack me around the head, tear off my head and then slap me some more. Others want it a little more subtle. Also the variety and the potentecy of the ginger itself varies greatly so a test of the ginger is always in order. I usually go by smell, the stronger the smell of the freshly cut root the more bang for your buck.

I know that doesn't really answer your question but it really is all subjective.

Cheers

Chap


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## drsmurto (1/2/10)

I go for 1-1.25kg of ginger per 20L

The age of the ginger makes a difference, fresh it has more aroma, older its gets bitey so i like to use some of both.

I suspect i have the same taste in a GB as Chappo. Its all about the ginger so subtle is never the way to go. Slap you around the face at a bare minimum!


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## piraterum (1/2/10)

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll try 1kg and see how it goes :beerbang: 

Anyone got any ideas about an appropriate sugar/malt ratio? :unsure:


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## chappo1970 (1/2/10)

Recipe for 22lt

1.5kg Fresh *Ginger
*2.0kg Brown Sugar
1.0kg Iron Bark Honey
4 Cinnamon Sticks
5 Large Bush Lemons
5 Limes

Yeast Safale S-05 

Steps

Wash the *ginger* thoroughly
Cut *Ginger* into 2cm long pieces
Add 500ml of cold water to blender as well as the *ginger*. I found it's best to add a couple of pieces at a time. If you don't have a blender grating is fine but you may want to consider freezing overnight to break up the cell structure as the *ginger* root is very fiberous.
Set *Ginger* pulp aside in the fridge for an hour to set up a little. Makes it easier to get out of the blender.
Juice the lemons and limes. Set aside two lemons and limes for zesting.
Zest the lemons and limes taking care not to have any white pith. I used a fish filleting knife. Then cut into thin strips.
Crush cinnamon. I put the cinnamon sticks in a zip lock bag and used my palm to crush them. Less mess that way.
Add all the sugar and honey to the boiler with 22lt of hot water. You will need a further 500ml of water to rinse the hoey from the pot. Stir to disolve. Boil size should now be 24lts.
Bring up to the boil. Gentle at this stage. Boil time is 60mins.
Add *ginger* pulp, zest and cinnamon to hops bag and drop it the boiler.
Boil gently for 50mins. Scoop *ginger* scum from top of boil. Dunk the bag like a tea bag every so often to get as much *ginger* flavour to impart to the boil.
Boil vigorously last 10mins. Keep a vigil as it will try to boil over!
Flame out 60mins.
Remove bag from boiler, just the remaining water seep out, don't squeeze. Scoop any scub from the top of the boil.
Rehydrate yeast in starter.
Cool it to pitching temp 18-20C.
Pitch yeast.
Ferment till steady readings.
SG - 1057
FG - 1012


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## manticle (1/2/10)

That's a good recipe Chappo and one I'm going to be trying but it's surely not non-alcoholic?


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## chappo1970 (1/2/10)

manticle said:


> That's a good recipe Chappo and one I'm going to be trying but it's surely not non-alcoholic?



BUGGER THIS NON ALC!!!
Sorry OP!
No!  Well a wee little bit maybe? 1057 down to 1012 generally so that's 5.9% and 78% attenuation from US-05?

Kids are driving me mental to do the non alcoholic version so I am thinking a double batch. One half for them and the other half for me and SWBO. Only difference in the adult version, bar the alcohol of course, I am seriously thinking about adding fresh lemon grass and some fresh corrianda. I just reckon they would be good mates in a GB and for something a little exotic yet refreshing?

For the kids version I am thinking I won't even ferment it. I just keg it and force carb it up. 0% Alcohol. Yeast contributes 2 parts of stuff all flavour wise to a GB, especially mine as it has a truck load of ginger to compete with.


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## manticle (1/2/10)

My version will be your full strength recipe destined to be mixed with appleton estate rum but I just wanted to make it clear to the OP before s/he went driving a forklift around crates conataining large quantities of sensitive electronics.


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## piraterum (1/2/10)

Haha your recipe looks good Chappo but i'm after a non alcoholic version  (not for me, I like your version!) 

I don't have a kegging system so I can' force carb it - ye old bottle fermentation i'm afraid hence the sugar/malt question


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