# AG Ginger Beer...?



## thermo_47 (4/6/13)

Hi all,

I'm considering brewing a ginger beer with a malt base. Before you slander the examples of "beers with ginger" compared to "all ginger" brews, hear me out.

I'm thinking of doing an all pilsner + some carapils mash to around 3.5% alc, but mashing high (maybe 69C or 70C) for body, sweetness and head retention. I'm also going to add roughly the same amount of ginger that all-ginger brewers seem to add (in the ballpark of 1kg to 1.5kg per 20L) AND local honey around 1kg/20L. I'm hoping for a final result of a more _balanced_ ginger brew that isn't so dry, but also not too beery. 

My thoughts are that perhaps the "beers with ginger" that are commercially available are brewed a bit cheaply with bad beer ingredients and processes, not enough ginger and too beery?

I did have a good read of the "no kit" ginger beer thread and had some good thoughts from there.

If I do some experiments, maybe even on a small scale BIAB (10L or so) and need more sweetness, I might even chuck a bunch of crystal malt in the mash. 

Anyone's experiments? Thoughts? I'd still do a boil of the mash and add the ginger for the last 10 mins, and from reading up on brewing with honey, more like "sterilise" it by pasturising rather than in the boil. Although for the little experiments I may just chuck it in with the ginger... 

My other thoughts are to include nuts of some description, perhaps even roasted hazelnuts in the mash. Will also consider (and probably experiment with) adding golden syrup, brown sugar, molasses etc - more for flavour than fermentability.

All opinions/experience appreciated!


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## thermo_47 (4/6/13)

Or I'm also thinking of going the other way and mashing with lots of flavoursome malts like Munich and possibly even a touch of biscuit - going for malt complexity with a gingery backbone!


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## thermo_47 (5/6/13)

No love? I've seen some brewers on here making a Ginger Beer and adding LDME for body/sweet balance - surely my idea would be similar to this but with more control over mash temp/extraction?


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## Parks (5/6/13)

I am also very interested in doing this same thing.



Jon's Brew said:


> but mashing high (maybe 69C or 70C) for body, sweetness and head retention.


Mashing high doesn't add sweetness as dextrins aren't sweet. You will get maltiness from, well, malt and extra body at those temps.

So yeah, very interested in your findings and I am pretty keen to experiment too. Happy to try a different method than you and compare?

(I notice you're in Brisbane)


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## thermo_47 (5/6/13)

Hey Parks, yeah sounds like fun. I'm definitely no expert, but my impression was that the dextrins from higher mash temps were less fermentable, and therefore left a residual sweetness. 

If what you're saying is correct, does that mean that I could mash a simple pale at 70C, and it would ferment from 1.050 to say 1.024; but that it would be just as _dry_ as one mashed at 62C and fermented from 1.050 to 1.010? 

I made a RIS recently that started at 1.120 but stalled at 1.040 despite rousing, heating, adding fresh yeast at high krausen etc and some of the fermentables being simple sugars... and it's sweet. A bit too sweet actually. I did what I could for yeast health in pitching rehyrdated yeast at correct pitching rate etc and adding O2 from a bottle, but I put this down to too much time spent at higher temps in my step mash regime, because I wanted _body. _If there's a magical way to make dry beer with heaps of body, please let me know!

I would genuinely be stoked to learn that!

Back to Ginger Beer, one can only have a crack eh? I'm sure that in general, having a component of malt compared to all simple sugars (honey & brown sugar etc) would still work out sweeter, right? I may even do two side-by-side small batch BIAB's this arv and add the same amount of malt etc, see how they ferment out and report back on the flavour/sweetness front!

I only mention all of this because last time I made a no-malt Ginger Beer it was bone dry, and pretty harsh! Still, appreciate your input mate  I'm in Holland Park.


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## Parks (5/6/13)

Yes they are less fermentable but long chain dextrins aren't sweet. I suspect in your case you had unfermented simple sugars which is a different story. I'm also no expert on it but that's the case from everything I have read and experienced so far.

I heard some guys talking about mashing quite high and using some sugar to keep body but then leave the beer dropping really dry in the finish.

I reckon you're on the money with the high mash temp. As you said honey and other sugars will ferment out well under 1.000 so I would go right up to 70ish.

If you are in Holland Park we'll have to try one and share at a BABBs meeting (at the bowls club near you).


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## thermo_47 (5/6/13)

Isn't mashing high and then adding sugar the opposite? Doesn't sugar often strip the beer of body?


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## Parks (5/6/13)

Jon's Brew said:


> Isn't mashing high and then adding sugar the opposite? Doesn't sugar often strip the beer of body?


It's a balance and yes it's the opposite. I don't have personal experience doing this but it's exactly what you (us!) are going to do with this ginger beer!


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## Dan Pratt (5/6/13)

SWMBO asked me last night to make her a Ginger Beer so i reseacrhed and found some info on this forum, there are some other online also.


http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/60250-an-all-grain-ginger-beer-recipe-i-found/


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## thermo_47 (5/6/13)

Cheers Pratty, good to see it's been done before. Pity there was no results of an actual batch posted 

I'll do my little experiment tonight and see how we get on


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## Dan Pratt (5/6/13)

Hi Jon,

Check out this link, it looks like a good one for AG Ginger Beer.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/ginger-ale-3rd-place-2009-hbt-bjcp-comp-141080/


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## thermo_47 (5/6/13)

Pratty1 said:


> Hi Jon,
> 
> Check out this link, it looks like a good one for AG Ginger Beer.
> 
> http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/ginger-ale-3rd-place-2009-hbt-bjcp-comp-141080/


That looks cracker! Just the kinda thing I'm thinking of, perhaps without the lemon and the ginger stepped up for more bite. 

Cheers mate!


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## bum (5/6/13)

Jon's Brew said:


> My thoughts are that perhaps the "beers with ginger" that are commercially available are brewed a bit cheaply with bad beer ingredients and processes, not enough ginger and too beery?


Have you tried Wychwood's GingerBeard? They're a decent brewery and I don't imagine they give this one much less attention than their other products. Little to no hop character to speak of. Sounds like what you're talking about aiming for.

I _strongly_ recommend you grab one (I've seen it at all the Uncle Dan's I've been to) and see what you reckon first before you commit to this idea.

[EDIT: typo]


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## xa_jg66 (27/11/14)

Hi All,

I am pretty keen to put down a ginger beer in the next few days. My recipe at this stage is: 

Ginger Beer

Original Gravity (OG): 1.039 (°P): 9.8
Final Gravity (FG): 1.009 (°P): 2.3
Alcohol (ABV): 3.92 %
Colour (SRM): 5.8 (EBC): 11.4
Bitterness (IBU): 0.0 (Average)

67.57% Wheat Malt
27.03% Carahell
5.41% Honey

0.1 g/L Ginger Root @ 15 Minutes (Boil)
14.3 g/L Ginger Root @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
9.5 g/L Lemon @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 30 Minutes
Fermented at 18°C with US05


This is mostly based on available ingredients (I live 1000kms from the closest HB store and I am a little low on ingredients) hence the wheat as the base. I am looking to keep this mid strength in alcohol.

I no-chill so the ginger and lemon juice will still get some heat and therefore be sterilised. I was planning to chop the ginger in the Thermomix. For anyone who has tried Matso's Ginger Beer that is the theme I am aiming for.

Please let me know your thoughts/suggestions.


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## xa_jg66 (27/11/14)

Also apologies to Op for the hijack but it seems we are looking for the same thing.


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (27/11/14)

xa_jg66 said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I am pretty keen to put down a ginger beer in the next few days. My recipe at this stage is:
> 
> ...


Just make it and see how it goes! Then report back.


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## MartinOC (27/11/14)

Make sure you chuck-in a swag of rice hulls to make your brew-day easier...wheat has no husks to make a filter-bed, remember....

Nice idea, 'though.. might try it myself.


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## xa_jg66 (27/11/14)

Good tip MartinOC but I BIAB so I won't be an issue for me. I'm going to give this a go tomorrow so I will report back in a few weeks. Does anyone have any thoughts on the high percentage of carahell?


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## MartinOC (27/11/14)

Mate, BIAB or not, you're going to be in a world of hurt if you don't provide something (ie. filter-bed) for your wort to drain-through if you're using that much wheat. The carahell won't make a blind bit of difference to that.

Porridge anyone??

You have been warned...

Please report-back tomorrow after you've tried this - don't wait a few weeks....


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## barls (28/11/14)

heres the base for mine as a 20L batch

*Ingredient* *Amount* *%* *MCU* *When*
Australian Export Pilsner Malt 1.800 kg 47.4 % 1.2 In Mash/Steeped
Australia Joe White Crystal Malt 800 g 21.1 % 24.0 In Mash/Steeped
German Carahell 400 g 10.5 % 1.7 In Mash/Steeped
Australian Wheat Malt 300 g 7.9 % 0.2 In Mash/Steeped
Sugar - Honey 500 g 13.2 % 0.4 End Of Boil

i mash hot i.e. 70s to counter the thinning of the body by the honey. just one thing for you to think about.


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## xa_jg66 (1/12/14)

Finally got a chance to put this brew down yesterday. Had a quick taste whilst taking an OG and pitching yeast this morning, at this stage it tastes beautifully balanced - a subtle ginger taste but the lemon is also easily identifiable. I would say the ginger is on the low end of the scale at this stage but as it sits on 300g of finely grated ginger for the next week or 2 and as the sweetness is fermented I expect it should be about right (for my tastes anyway) . I will report back with a taste test when the time comes. 

Conscious of MartinOC's advice I changed the grain bill slightly but as I said before I am very low on ingredients and are using up the dregs hence the odd measurements:

*Ginger Beer*
Original Gravity (OG): 1.038 (°P): 9.5
Final Gravity (FG): 1.007 (°P): 1.8
Alcohol (ABV): 4.01 %
Colour (SRM): 5.6 (EBC): 11.0
Bitterness (IBU): 0.0 (Average)
50.04% Wheat Malt
28.76% Carahell
17.26% Honey
3.94% Pale Ale Malt

0.1 g/L Ginger Root @ 30 Minutes (Boil)
14.3 g/L Ginger Root @ 15 Minutes (Boil)
9.5 g/L Lemon @ 15 Minutes (Boil)
Single step Infusion at 70°C for 45 Minutes. Boil for 30 Minutes
Fermented at 20°C with US05

Recipe Generated with *BrewMate*


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## bouquet (17/2/15)

xa_jg66 said:


> Finally got a chance to put this brew down yesterday. Had a quick taste whilst taking an OG and pitching yeast this morning, at this stage it tastes beautifully balanced - a subtle ginger taste but the lemon is also easily identifiable. I would say the ginger is on the low end of the scale at this stage but as it sits on 300g of finely grated ginger for the next week or 2 and as the sweetness is fermented I expect it should be about right (for my tastes anyway) . I will report back with a taste test when the time comes.
> 
> Conscious of MartinOC's advice I changed the grain bill slightly but as I said before I am very low on ingredients and are using up the dregs hence the odd measurements:
> 
> ...


Hi xa_jg66

Just wondering if you have had a chance to taste your GB yet.


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## MartinOC (17/2/15)

Also interested...?


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## Morgz (11/8/21)

MartinOC said:


> Also interested...?


Also interested.


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## Hangover68 (12/8/21)

I did one a few months back, base was a pale ale parti-gyle so has a lightly hopped aroma but with very little beer taste thanks to the chilli,brown sugar,ginger,cinnamon and lemon.


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## Let's Brew Beer (14/8/21)

Trying to find the time to throw down a Ginger Beer as well, might try one off Beersmith. Undecided wether to use lemon or not.


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