# No Artificial Sweetener Ginger Beers



## jimmm (13/10/08)

Hi ,
Wanting to make some ginger beer,are their any kits that dont have artificial sweeteners?
Are they any good?
Cheers 
Jim


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## stowaway (13/10/08)

jimmm said:


> Hi ,
> Wanting to make some ginger beer,are their any kits that dont have artificial sweeteners?
> Are they any good?
> Cheers
> Jim




I dont think there are any that sell them without artifical sweetner.. But there are plenty of receipes on here that dont include them.. I definetly suggest NOT using artificial sweetners. I made one with it and hated the taste.


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## Bribie G (13/10/08)

jimmm said:


> Hi ,
> Wanting to make some ginger beer,are their any kits that dont have artificial sweeteners?
> Are they any good?
> Cheers
> Jim


Are you talking about soft drink ginger beer or alcoholic ginger beer? I make a very simple 7% ABV ginger beer that I mix up in a jug with extra ginger cordial, pine/passion cordial and heaps of ice plus some crushed fruit like mango, a few crushed mint leaves etc and end up with a fairly lethal but refreshing cocktail that looks and tastes like it's escaped from some poolside bar in the Bahamas. Including the little cocktail umbrellas :super: 
At about 20 cents a litre for the base brew it's not bad value.

Drunk for 30 cents. Dead drunk for 60 cents. Dead for a dollar :blink: 
If interested I'll post the recipe.


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## cdbrown (13/10/08)

BribieG - Interested for both the soft drink version (for the missus and needs to be without artifical sweetners as she's preggers) and the alco verion (for me).


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## MHB (13/10/08)

The new Brewcraft ginger beer has the sweetener in a separate packet, so you dont have to use it.

Not enough Ginger in it for my taste, but its easy to add more. I have made it sans the sweetener, and added 2 bottles of Buderim Ginger Refresher, worked really well, for a quick and easy GB.

The 2 bottles of Buderim gives about the same amount of alcohol as a Kg of dextrose.

Not suitable for Non Alcoholic BG sorry

MHB


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## crundle (13/10/08)

BribieG - interested in the recipe also for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.


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## Bribie G (13/10/08)

*Alcoholic Ginger Beer Base*​This will ferment out to dryness and is intended to be used as a fizzy 7% alcoholic base to be mixed up with sweeteners and other flavours in the jug. I've been brewing this since just after Easter and it's fairly bulletproof.


*Brew for 24 litres*


3kg bag supermarket sugar

50 - 80g powdered ginger depending on preferred heat - forget the supermarket price, get it from your Indian or Asian supermarket for about $3.50 for 500g

Six heaped teaspoons yeast nutrient - diammonium phosphate - from LHBS.

Kit yeast from a Coopers or even better use some leftover Nottingham, it loves this!
Mix, add to fermenter and pitch yeast. For the deluxe version you can chuck in a bottle of Buderim Ginger Refresher at this stage as well. Low 20s temperature, let it go for 2 weeks. Bottle and prime as per a lager but it will be good and ready to drink after 2 weeks in the bottle and doesn't seem to improve with age.

This should provide a completely dry, fizzy but neutral and clean tasting ginger base at around 7% alc. Chill to almost freezing before serving in large jug.


*To serve:*

In a jug, to taste, 

A slug of Buderim Ginger Refresher or Bundaberg Ginger Beer Cordial.
A slug of a tropical cordial like Cottees Lime/Mango/Passionfruit
Blend some pineapple rings or a mango to a pulp
Heaps of ice
Mint leaves
Cocktail umbrellas, curly straws, blue plastic swordfish swizzle sticks... you know the deal B) 

Serve in a hollowed out pineapple resting in the navel-dimple of a Caribbean golden skinned.......


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## mynameisrodney (14/10/08)

the norma's ginger beer kit from country brewer is pretty decent. i don't think it has artificial sweetener in it but i'd check with them first.


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## drsmurto (14/10/08)

20L batch

1.25 kg ginger (0.75kg fresh and 0.5kg that has been stored in the fridge for >2 months)
2.5 kg raw sugar 
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves (the spice, not garlic.....)
2 lemons
Champagne yeast

Puree the ginger, skin and all. Chop lemon roughly. Boil everything for 30 mins to 1 hour. Cool. Top up to 20L in fermenter. Pitch yeast (and some nutrient if you have some on hand).

Finishes close to 1.000. 

Boiling all of the lemon can lead to an astringency due to the pith. I havent found this to be the case but it could be hiding under all that ginger. The fresh ginger provides the aroma, the older stuff gives you an almighty ginger bite. 

(have tried a combo of LDME/crystal malt and sugar, it depends on your taste - this turns out very dry. The ladies mix it with lemonade to sweeten it up)


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## Bribie G (14/10/08)

DrSmurto said:


> 20L batch
> 
> 1.25 kg ginger (0.75kg fresh and 0.5kg that has been stored in the fridge for >2 months)
> ..........



I was going to make a batch of my above recipe in time for Christmas but will use your recipe this time as we are in ginger heaven here in SEQ and can get ginger that is so fresh and tender it's almost dripping sap :icon_drool2: as well as being cheap. I'll fridge some now for use late November.

I've found a nice sweetener to put in the jug, Golden Circle Pine, Mango and Passionfruit cordial - gives it an exotic twang.


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## cdbrown (14/10/08)

DrSmurto said:


> 20L batch
> 
> 1.25 kg ginger (0.75kg fresh and 0.5kg that has been stored in the fridge for >2 months)
> 2.5 kg raw sugar
> ...



If you don't have the older ginger sitting around for 2 months (ours never lasts due to regular feeds of curry) can we substitute it for the powdered stuff? 1.25kg of ginger is a hell of a lot of ginger.


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## drsmurto (14/10/08)

You only get out what you put in.

Buy more ginger


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## mwd (14/10/08)

Not sure how cheap these days. Last time I looked Fresh Root Ginger was over $10.00 on the pricetag so I presume that is per kilo. 

Very tempted to have a go at Bribie's neat and simple recipe.


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## Barley Belly (16/10/08)

I am keen to make a non-artificial sweetener GB and plan to put this one down tomorrow.

I've embellished on BribieG's Alcoholic Ginger Beer Base (hope it's OK) :unsure: 

60 grams Powdered Ginger
3kg Raw Sugar
1 Bottle Buderim Refresher
500 grams Lactose
Coupla Packs Yeast Nutrient
Coupla Packs Coopers GB Yeast
Make up to 23 litres

Will let all know how it goes


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## sponge (16/10/08)

You can pick up much cheaper (and better imo) fresh ginger in asian supermarkets

definetely the way to go in terms of buying fresh ginger...


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## kram (16/10/08)

Tropical_Brews said:


> Not sure how cheap these days. Last time I looked Fresh Root Ginger was over $10.00 on the pricetag so I presume that is per kilo.
> 
> Very tempted to have a go at Bribie's neat and simple recipe.


I remember when I made this at the start of the year the price went from $10 to $19 per kg nearly overnight then a couple weeks later back down to $10. This is coles/woolies though.


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## bolwell (17/10/08)

finners said:


> I am keen to make a non-artificial sweetener GB and plan to put this one down tomorrow.
> 
> I've embellished on BribieG's Alcoholic Ginger Beer Base (hope it's OK) :unsure:
> 
> ...



I put one of these mixes down last night and noticed that the Buderim Refresher contains preservative E211. Wouldn't the preservative kill the yeast or is it the case that when made up to 23 ltrs the preservative is diluted enough to allow the yeast to survive?.


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## Tyred (17/10/08)

DrSmurto said:


> 20L batch
> 
> 1.25 kg ginger (0.75kg fresh and 0.5kg that has been stored in the fridge for >2 months)
> 2.5 kg raw sugar
> ...



DrSmurto,
How do you keep the ginger in the fridge. What I would be concerned about is if it's bagged it could go soggy but if it's left out it would go dry ?


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## mwd (18/10/08)

bolwell said:


> I put one of these mixes down last night and noticed that the Buderim Refresher contains preservative E211. Wouldn't the preservative kill the yeast or is it the case that when made up to 23 ltrs the preservative is diluted enough to allow the yeast to survive?.



Boiling usually drives off preservatives Do not know about E211 though.

Fresh unpeeled Root Ginger should keep in the fridge for 2 months no problem. Powdered ginger you would just leave in the cupboard.


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## drsmurto (19/10/08)

Tyred said:


> DrSmurto,
> How do you keep the ginger in the fridge. What I would be concerned about is if it's bagged it could go soggy but if it's left out it would go dry ?



Keep it in a plastic bag. There is always ginger in my crisper for asian cooking, particularly thai. The longer it stays there the bitier it gets. If you are concerned about getting soggy wrap it n paper towel then the plastic bag, the same thing you do for beans/snow peas etc


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## jarryd (27/10/08)

BribieG said:


> *Alcoholic Ginger Beer Base*​This will ferment out to dryness and is intended to be used as a fizzy 7% alcoholic base to be mixed up with sweeteners and other flavours in the jug. I've been brewing this since just after Easter and it's fairly bulletproof.
> 
> 
> *Brew for 24 litres*
> ...


Is there anything else you can use in place of the yeast nutrient?
I'm out at the old mans house in the bush and won't have access to a homebrew shop till i get home.


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## buttersd70 (27/10/08)

jarryd said:


> Is there anything else you can use in place of the yeast nutrient?
> I'm out at the old mans house in the bush and won't have access to a homebrew shop till i get home.



A nutrient of some sort would need to be used. There are a few options other than DAP, but they're all the type of thing you would need to go to a lhbs for. But, seeing as how it's slow on here at the moment (I don't have any pics to share of my airlock or mixing spoon  ) I found this for you on a winemaking site....




> Yeast Nutrient Substitute
> 
> We recently moved to Africa and I...forgot to bring yeast nutrient.
> Do you know any good substitutes? Shannon and Jenny Burke, Thies, Senegal
> ...



don't know about the chemists mix, but the malt extract and lemon juice should be easy enough for you to make up.....whether or not it would be sufficient nutrition to give a healthy ferment is another matter. Never tried it, don't know if it will work, but it's the best info I could find.

Now I better go photograph my airlock.... :lol:


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## jarryd (28/10/08)

Thanks for the reply butters.
It's a shame ive just ran out of all the chemist ingredients  and will have to give the malt+lemon juice a try


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## bolwell (7/11/08)

A word of warning. I made BribieG's recipe 3 weeks ago. Bottled after a 14 day ferment and started to get the most violent bottle bombs 3 days after bottling. About 6 or 8 have gone off now. Problem is the remainder are stacked in my brew cupboard along with around 150 other bottles. Extremely dangerous to get them out of the cupboard and release some gas. What to do ??


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## cdbrown (7/11/08)

What's more dangerous - leaving them in there to explode at any time, or to get in there and release some pressure? Maybe the ones that have already popped may have been primed a little too much?


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## flattop (7/11/08)

Consider throwing towels over the lot that way if they pop the towels will dampen the flying glass, isolate the known good bottles out (save your stash) then i guess take them out one at a time and release some gas.


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## bolwell (7/11/08)

Bit the bullet and got them all out of the brew cupboard and into a large tub of water. That was one scary experience, the force these things go off with is frightening. Tried to let some gas out with just the neck of the bottle out of the water. The Formula One Champagne spraying ritual has got nothing on these gushers. Intention is to let them cool in the water overnight, then try to release pressure. Given my experience with this recipe I would suggest to those considering making it, use PET bottles. You may have a mess to clean up but that's better than being hit in the jugular with a piece of jagged glass.


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## Croc_TFNQ (7/4/15)

bolwell said:


> I put one of these mixes down last night and noticed that the Buderim Refresher contains preservative E211. Wouldn't the preservative kill the yeast or is it the case that when made up to 23 ltrs the preservative is diluted enough to allow the yeast to survive?.



Sodium benzoate is added to soft drinks as a preservative and a bacteria-destroying agent. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America states that significant numbers of people report allergic reactions to the compound. The American Beverage Association reports another significant problem with the preservative in drinks: Soft drinks using ascorbic acid along with sodium benzoate, when slightly heated, carry the additional risk of the two ingredients combining to form a known cancer-causing compound called benzene.

Diet Soft Drinks
Sodium benzoate, also known as E211, is a major ingredient in diet soft drinks. The Center for Science in the Public Interest reports that benzoic acid has properties similar to E211 and also creates allergy problems, hives and aggravation of asthma conditions.



Diet Coke made by Coca-Cola does not contain sodium benzoate, a change that was made voluntarily by the company in 2008. Coca-Cola's other drinks, including Fanta and Sprite, continue to use E211 in production. The company states that alternatives to E211 impact preservation and change the taste of the product. Pepsi Max, as well as the diet versions of Mountain Dew, Sunkist Orange, Nestea and Nordic Mist, also continue to use the preservative throughout the world.



Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi and Lipton Diet Iced Tea have shifted to potassium benzoate and citric acid to act as preservatives in both canned and plastic-bottled soft drinks.


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## Kingy (7/4/15)

So if buderim ginger cordial was added to the boil of a ginger beer it c a n cause cancer.


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## Croc_TFNQ (7/4/15)

Kingy said:


> So if buderim ginger cordial was added to the boil of a ginger beer it c a n cause cancer.


I only know what I found and posted after a search re E211 as I did not know what the hell it was. Be mindful these labs test always err on the side of extremem caution.
Here are a few sites
http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e211.htm
http://www.food-info.net/uk/e/e211.htm
http://www.livestrong.com/article/256440-what-soft-drinks-have-sodium-benzoate-e211-in-them/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_benzoate

I leave you to make up your own mind be well aware nearly all presertives have some sort of medical problems in extreme circumstances. But be rest assured that they all have to pass strict guidelines before they can be added.
I am no expert if I dont know what a substance is I try and find out a little about it.


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