# Infected Ginger beer?



## Glot (13/9/13)

There have been a number of posts with people worrying about bacteria in their ginger beer. It is common to ferment it in an open top jar on the kitchen bench. To me this indicates infection isn't really an issue with this brew. Has anyone had issues with infected ginger beer? I would be interested in knowing. Are the kits more prone to infection because of their ingredients?
Grain based is a totally different story.


----------



## Airgead (13/9/13)

Depends on whether you mean ginger beer from a traditional ginger beer plant (that's the open topped jar thing) or something made from a kit or some other method.

They are very different beasts and taste quite different.

A traditional ginger beer plant is like a sourdough culture. its a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. You keep feeding and dividing it then you tak the excess and dilute with water to bottle. 

A kit/other ginger beer you add a bug bunch of sugar and ginger to a pot, boil it up and add yeast.

Ginger is riddled with lacto bacteria (which is how the ginger beer plant forms) and will quickly turn a brew sour. If you go for the traditional method you want the sour flavour and the continual feed/divide keeps it in balance.

Cheers
Dave


----------



## Glot (14/9/13)

Good input Dave.


----------



## bum (15/9/13)

Dave's nailed it, as per, but for the other side of the story - the only infected brew I've ever had was a kit GB (acetobacter).

Please don't think (or put the idea in anyone else's head) that _any_ brew can't become infected - just draw the distinction that different characteristics are appropriate for different brews.


----------



## Jessica (11/10/13)

Yes, infected beers are serving around so many areas and have to avoid such kind of place to have a glass of beer.


----------

