# Third time lucky ginger beer



## Brugomiller (31/5/20)

Ive brewed three ginger beers, first two were watery and horrible. My most recent batch I decided to do a bit of research first, stumbled across the powder keg recipe that was posted a while back. Just got it in the fermenter tonight, the recipe is as follows:

Morgan's ginger beer
1kg dextrose
300gm dark brown sugar
300gm light dry malt
300gm fresh ginger
1 Birdseye chilli
1 buderims ginger refresher
700ml sweet vermouth 

Peeled ginger and the put in processor with chilli and vermouth, soaked for 24 hours. Boiled 4 litres of water, ginger/ vermouth and fermentables for 30minutes. Pitched US-04 - OG 1.040. Looking forward to see how it turns out in a couple of weeks, I’ve read good things!!!


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## Brugomiller (2/6/20)




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## Malted Mick (3/6/20)

Looks good Brugo. I have been considering trying a ginger beer now I have got my brewhouse sorted. Like the idea of fresh chillie, never tried vermouth. Thats a cocktail base is it not! 
Please let us know how it turns out.


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## Ferment8 (3/6/20)

I do this recipe regularly.
I use 500g ginger and 600ml vermonth (cinzano) and 600ml sweet sherry
I personally don't peel or boil the ginger. I just chuck it in the processor then soak it. I put the ginger and chili in a bag and in the fermenter. Love this drink. Usually have some on tap at all times. Out at the moment because the morgans kit has been impossible to buy around here for a few weeks. Hopefully arriving in stock today.

Edit: and i use the kit yeast with dry enzyme


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## Brugomiller (10/6/20)

I tried it straight from the fermenter today, honestly, it’s more than I could have hoped for! Tastes similar to a ginger kid. Excellent!


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## beergee (25/9/20)

Brugomiller said:


> I tried it straight from the fermenter today, honestly, it’s more than I could have hoped for! Tastes similar to a ginger kid. Excellent!


@Brugomiller How did this one turn out in the end?

Getting hassled at home about making something wife friendly for the summer.


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## peterlonz (26/9/20)

Ferment8 said:


> I do this recipe regularly.
> I use 500g ginger and 600ml vermonth (cinzano) and 600ml sweet sherry
> I personally don't peel or boil the ginger. I just chuck it in the processor then soak it. I put the ginger and chili in a bag and in the fermenter. Love this drink. Usually have some on tap at all times. Out at the moment because the morgans kit has been impossible to buy around here for a few weeks. Hopefully arriving in stock today.
> 
> Edit: and i use the kit yeast with dry enzyme


Sweet sherry & vermouth .................. that's a new twist, where did you come up with that?
I have made a few GB brews, all turned out OK. I like a strong ginger flavour so I process ginger root then freeze it in ice cube trays until needed. Chilli is often recommended but how do you control which chilli, how much etc? PS always use yeast nutrient.


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## Ferment8 (26/9/20)

Lol. I just used anything fortified really and easy to get. 
Starting to get bloody expensive to make. Ginger around here is about $50/kg
I just use what ever chili i have laying around. I tend to make double batches so 2 large red chillies as a rule. I use the nutrient that comes with the kits. It's done the job so far


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## peterlonz (27/9/20)

Queensland typical Ginger price is about $25, seen it a low as$16.
When the price is right & the ginger looks in good nick I buy as much as 2 KG at a time.
Wife who knows about all sorts of stuff takes over & "processes"; then into freezer in ice cube containers, then into plastic bag with most air sucked out. It lasts for ages like that & always ready when you want it.
It's not real GB unless it grabs your throat on the way down.


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## Ferment8 (27/9/20)

Prices in wa were about 25 a kilo before the bushfires over east. Don't know if that was the reason but the price shot up around that time. If i see it at 16 a kilo is buy a but load!


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## Eddy Monsoon (28/9/20)

Cheapest way I've found is at one of those Vegetable bulk buy type shops in Shopping centres, (not Coles or Woolies).

The ones where they do glad-wrapped trays and buckets and 2kg jars of Sauerkraut etc 

Ginger will often be in 400g or so servings on polystyrene trays. Can work out around $12 p/kilo


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## Ferment8 (28/9/20)

Unfortunately I'm in regional wa. Don't really get those type of stores. I know the ones you mean though. But even spud shed was 45 a kilo last time i was in there. I'll be in perth next weekend so I'll have a look around


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## cedric (28/9/20)

Ferment8 said:


> Unfortunately I'm in regional wa. Don't really get those type of stores. I know the ones you mean though. But even spud shed was 45 a kilo last time i was in there. I'll be in perth next weekend so I'll have a look around


i got 700gm from spudshed the other day at $38/K (coles was $49/K)
quality wasn't great though.
500gm is in a powderkeg and i've saved 2 big pieces to plant.


Ferment8 said:


> I use the nutrient that comes with the kits. It's done the job so far


my powderkeg is slow to take off, didn't use the nutrient sachet.
is there anything else i could add after 2 days to get things going? (DAP maybe)


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## Ferment8 (28/9/20)

cedric said:


> my powderkeg is slow to take off, didn't use the nutrient sachet.
> is there anything else i could add after 2 days to get things going? (DAP maybe)


 If you have the nutrient packet from the morgans kit id chuck it in. I don't use dap so not sure. I have a yeast nutrient from my lhbs that i use in beers but it's a blend, of what I'm not sure but it works


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## Eddy Monsoon (28/9/20)

cedric said:


> i've saved 2 big pieces to plant.



Love this guys videos


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## clarkejw (29/9/20)

I made a cracking ginger beer recently with 500g grated ginger. I've also bought a bottle of organic ginger juice, no added anything, which I intend to use for my next ginger beer. The Ginger People Ginger Juice Organic 946ml | Cosmetics Now Australia I found out that 500g ginger , grated gives about 300mls juice, so I should have enough for 3 brews. I will report.


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## Ferment8 (29/9/20)

clarkejw said:


> I made a cracking ginger beer recently with 500g grated ginger. I've also bought a bottle of organic ginger juice, no added anything, which I intend to use for my next ginger beer. The Ginger People Ginger Juice Organic 946ml | Cosmetics Now Australia I found out that 500g ginger , grated gives about 300mls juice, so I should have enough for 3 brews. I will report.


That would be handy! I'd love to hear how it goes


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## peterlonz (29/9/20)

"I found out that 500g ginger , grated gives about 300mls juice, so I should have enough for 3 brews. I will report."
Well my experience is quite different - I don't think you will ever get 3 (23 litre?) GB brews from a mere 500g.
Maybe you are happy with a less intense taste. I want a real ginger bite when I drink home brewed GB.


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## Eddy Monsoon (29/9/20)

Ferment8 said:


> That would be handy! I'd love to hear how it goes


ditto


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## Ferment8 (29/9/20)

peterlonz said:


> Well my experience is quite different - I don't think you will ever get 3 (23 litre?) GB brews from a mere 500g.
> Maybe you are happy with a less intense taste. I want a real ginger bite when I drink home brewed GB.


He didn't say that. The bottle is about 1 litres. If he gets 300ml from 500g then you would get about 3 batches out of a litre bottle


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## cedric (29/9/20)

peterlonz said:


> "I found out that 500g ginger , grated gives about 300mls juice, so I should have enough for 3 brews. I will report."
> Well my experience is quite different - I don't think you will ever get 3 (23 litre?) GB brews from a mere 500g.
> Maybe you are happy with a less intense taste. I want a real ginger bite when I drink home brewed GB.


i had to read that twice tbh
i think he is substituting the 500gm of fresh ginger with the equivalent juice from the bottle.
the blurb says the bottled stuff is 99.7% ginger juice.
i just put my ginger through the fine julienne blades of a mandoline and give it a bit of a chop up.
no idea how much juice from 500gms.
(but i do know now, and so does SWMBO, that ginger puts a unremovable yellow stain on white plastic LOL)


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## clarkejw (30/9/20)

peterlonz said:


> "I found out that 500g ginger , grated gives about 300mls juice, so I should have enough for 3 brews. I will report."
> Well my experience is quite different - I don't think you will ever get 3 (23 litre?) GB brews from a mere 500g.
> Maybe you are happy with a less intense taste. I want a real ginger bite when I drink home brewed GB.


No, I said the above, meaning that in 900mls of juice, I will have enough for three brews, or the equivalent of 1.5kg of fresh ginger. Sorry if I didn't make it clear. And, I can assure you, with 500g grated ginger, equiv to around 300ls of juice is very gingery!


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## peterlonz (30/9/20)

ER - hows that - what the heck does he expect his yield to be? Surely he will not get 
3 batches of 23 litres out of 300 ml of extract no matter how good the extraction process.
Lets just see ..............................


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## clarkejw (30/9/20)

I really think that some people can't understand the most basic English or maths! If 500g of ginger yields 300ml of juice, then a bottle containing 946ml of juice will yield 3x300mls, with a little left over, that I will divide equally. With me so far? So, if in 23 litres I use 500g ginger, grated, that equates to300-325juice.


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## kadmium (30/9/20)

Yeah but how will you split 325ml among 3 batches?


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## clarkejw (30/9/20)

kadmium said:


> Yeah but how will you split 325ml among 3 batches?


I won't be. The bottle is nearly 1 litre. I need 300-ish mls per brew. So, I open the nearly-one litre bottle, pour 300 or so mls into the brew, close the bottle, refrigerate or freeze it. Make brew. Repeat. Make brew, repeat. Buy new bottle, make brew, repea......


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## CaptainMachSnot (30/9/20)

clarkejw said:


> I won't be. The bottle is nearly 1 litre. I need 300-ish mls per brew. So, I open the nearly-one litre bottle, pour 300 or so mls into the brew, close the bottle, refrigerate or freeze it. Make brew. Repeat. Make brew, repeat. Buy new bottle, make brew, repea......


Ahh, so what is the missing ingredient? Can of...(morgans/brigalow etc.)


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## clarkejw (30/9/20)

1x tin light malt. I did use Morgans
500g ginger, grated, or 300ML JUICE!
2 or 3 lemons, sliced
2kg raw sugar (I'll use 1kg next time, to lower the alc)
1 x Safale 04
Boil a couple of litres of water, add the light malt, ginger and lemon
Give it 20 mins or so, add the sugar, and then proceed normally.
If you're using juice, I wouldn't boil it.
If you use the 2kg of sugar, it finishes at 6.59%, very easy drinking, but.....
I didn't use a Ginger Beer kit, because I don't like the slightly metallic taste the artificial sweetener gives it.


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## kadmium (1/10/20)

clarkejw said:


> I won't be. The bottle is nearly 1 litre. I need 300-ish mls per brew. So, I open the nearly-one litre bottle, pour 300 or so mls into the brew, close the bottle, refrigerate or freeze it. Make brew. Repeat. Make brew, repeat. Buy new bottle, make brew, repea......


I was only making a joke. I think my humour is too dry for the written format hahah. 

Sounds like a smart idea tbh.


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## clarkejw (1/10/20)

kadmium said:


> I was only making a joke. I think my humour is too dry for the written format hahah.
> 
> Sounds like a smart idea tbh.


Sorry! Yeah, sometimes it's a little hard....Give it a go, though, you won't be disappointed.


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## peterlonz (1/10/20)

Like I said;. lets wait & see.
Maths & smart ass comments won't make up for insufficiency of extracted "juice".


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## clarkejw (1/10/20)

Well, I certainly wasn't making a "smart ass comment" I was merely saying, that the recipe I use required 500g of grated fresh ginger. I used it, and it was delicious, just the right degree of ginger heat I was looking for. I then looked around for a slightly cheaper alternative to the $47/kg fresh ginger. I contacted a ginger company on the North Coast of NSW, who told me that 500g of fresh ginger equated to roughly 300-325mlsof fresh ginger juice. So, I decided to give it a go, I will be using the equivalent in juice of fresh ginger, approx 325mls. We will indeed, wait and see.


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## kadmium (1/10/20)

peterlonz said:


> Like I said;. lets wait & see.
> Maths & smart ass comments won't make up for insufficiency of extracted "juice".


So because he's not brewing it how you told him to, or using something different to you, then he's a smart ass? This is like the chlorine thread all over again. It's like you take people not listening to you personally. It's a forums, and people are entitled to brew how they want, for their own tastes. If he wants to use 300ml of ginger, and finds the quantity to be what he enjoys, why do you have to be negative? It's like every post you make you're taking personal offence to someone not doing what you dictate. Let it go.


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## CaptainMachSnot (1/10/20)

Looks like a smart way to go. I also hate the taste of artificial sweetners. Might have to give this a try. The cost of fresh ginger is what has stopped me experimenting.


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## beergee (16/10/20)

So I'm going to do the Powderkeg GB but thinking of throwing it on the yeast cake from a Pale Ale I've got fermenting. 
Any thoughts?


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## Ferment8 (16/10/20)

Wouldn't have thought it would be a problem
What yeast is it?


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## beergee (16/10/20)

Ferment8 said:


> Wouldn't have thought it would be a problem
> What yeast is it?


It's a mix of BRY97 and US05. (I wanted to pitch 2pks and only had one of each)


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## Ferment8 (16/10/20)

If the us05 is still going then you shouldn't have a problem at all. Never used the bry97


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## beergee (16/10/20)

Ferment8 said:


> If the us05 is still going then you shouldn't have a problem at all. Never used the bry97


There will be a bit of residue from the ferment. About a litre... 
Would it give it a beery taste do you think?


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## Ferment8 (16/10/20)

Shouldn't through the taste of the ginger. I've not tried it but i can't see a problem


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## beergee (16/10/20)

Ferment8 said:


> Shouldn't through the taste of the ginger. I've not tried it but i can't see a problem


Beer and ginger beer shandies are nice anyway, I'm going to give it a go. 
Cheers @Ferment8 !


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## kadmium (16/10/20)

It is ginger _beer_ after all...


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## beergee (27/10/20)

Well I decided not to use the yeast cake from my Pale Ale for the GB as it had quite a lot of hops in it from my dry hop addition to the fermenter.

I didn't want to overpower the gingery goodness.

Anyway, pitched the nutrient and yeast supplied in the Morgans kit and it took off within 12hrs. 
7 days later it's still bubbling away merrily.
Smells great!


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