# Non-alcoholic Ginger Beer Q's



## surly (15/9/14)

Hey all, I have spent a few hours reading, but not managed to find the info I am after.

I am wanting to make a non-alc ginger beer from scratch. I have kegs, CO2 etc, so carbing is a no-brainer. The questions I have are as follows:

Is the fermentation important for flavour? 
Will there be risks with storing if there aren't yeasties around for competition?
If I was to loosely follow Chappos recipe ( http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/30492-ginger-beer-recipe-scratch-brew-no-kit/?hl=ginger ), would I keep the ratios of sugars the same, just drop the quantity for desired sweetness? 
Is the 1hr boil vital? Seems a long time when you aren't trying to drive off DMS...
Anything else I should be considering?


I was going to just run off and do this as a small batch in my 9L keg, but I would really like to make a good one first time, will appreciate any advice.

Thanks guys


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## jbaker9 (15/9/14)

Hi Surly,

The recipe that you are looking at is an alcoholic ginger beer.

I am yet to do it (on the bucket list), but from what I have read to make genuine traditional ginger beer you need a ginger beer plant... this "plant" is cultured wild yeast / beneficial bacteria. If you know somebody with a ginger beer plant they can give you some of theirs to culture up or you can make your own.

You might find this recipe interesting... the sultanas provide some of the natural yeasts and bacterias.

http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/fact-sheets/food-and-recipes/food-health-nutrition/ginger-beer/


I don't know if there is any truth to it, but I read that it doesn't become alcoholic because some of the bacteria feed on the alcohol. Kind of weird concept for a home brewer, but people have been making ginger beer by this process for a long time.... apparently the difference between using yeast and a ginger beer plant is night and day.

Good luck and let me know how you go if you decide on the ginger beer plant option. Alternatively you can buy the plant on the internet, but for me making the plant is half the challenge.

Regards
James


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## surly (16/9/14)

jbaker9 said:


> Hi Surly,
> 
> The recipe that you are looking at is an alcoholic ginger beer.
> Only if I add yeast and ferment.
> ...


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## simplefisherman (16/9/14)

Buy a couple of bottles of Burderin's ( or something like that ) ginger beer cordial from the supermarket, mix in keg and gas up. Cheating maybe but easy and tasty ( especially with a bit of spiced rum, mmmm stark & dormys... )

ed. Think its called ginger refresher


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## Tyred (16/9/14)

If you are going to carbonate it yourself, then why don't you just make ginger cordial yourself ? If you do that you can also make it to the strength that you like.

I make it using the following - 500g fresh ginger, 1 kg raw sugar, 1 tablespoon of citric acid and 1.5 liters boiling water. I use the food processor to shred (pulp) the ginger (I don't bother about peeling it) and add it to the sugar and citric acid. Pour the boiling water over it and let it sit overnight (until cool). Strain to get the chunky bits out.


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## huez (16/9/14)

i was making ginger beer from a ginger beer plant there for awhile a few years back, all the other kits and recipes i made never compared to what it produced. the only reason i stopped was because it was a bit of an effort to keep the plant growing and happy. this guy in the uk sells it and its where i got it from originally. Also has links to some resources for good recipes. Heaps of help on their yahoo group

http://www.gingerbeerplant.net/


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## surly (16/9/14)

Thanks for the thoughts guys.

Tyred. I am thinking along those lines at the moment, just wanted to determine if there was any issue with the lack of a ferment. Also curious if I should reduce the (relative levels of) more complex sugars, eg honey etc as these may become a bit dominant if there aren't yeast around to chomp it.


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