# True Ginger Beer Scoby



## super_simian

Does anyone have or know a source for a true Ginger Beer "plant" or SCOBY containing Saccharomyces florentinus and Lactobacillus hilgardii?


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## Wolfy

I got mine (in dried form) from a US based vendor who's website was gone last I checked - but let it die a couple of years ago. 
However, there is a yahoo-group called 'Real Ginger Beer Plant' (or something) where members swap starter cultures of the plant, I think this is it: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GingerBeerPlant/ there were several Australian members when I was last active some years ago.
From the links on that page, this site might sell it: http://www.happyherbalist.com/gingerbeerplant.aspx
And it looks like this one does: http://gingerbeerplant.net/ (Pretty sure this is the guy who runs the Yahoo group).


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## mashout

http://www.yemoos.com/productgingerbeer.html $18 shipped to Australia


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## punkin

The missus has a handed down recipe/method for starting and expanding a ginger beer plant. It took here a couple goes to get it going years ago, but she kept it going for years and made some extremley good alcoholic and non alcoholic GB.
I could dig it out and type it up if it's any good to you. Relies on airbornes though from memory, so you would only get what's in your microclimate.


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## punkin

Probably not what you wanted, i just found it. It's a wild yeast capture.


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## mr_wibble

We used to make ginger beer as kids, and the "plant" came from a sugar solution with a few sultanas in it, covered with a piece of cloth. This sat on the window sill for a few weeks until the fermentation got going. Once a week you would add more sugar. You then pitched 1/2 the plant into your ginger beer sugary mix, reserving the rest as a basis for the next plant.

I guess this method get yeasts of the skin of the grapes from the 'tanies, and whatever can get through the cloth.

Lately I've found plant recipes on teh internets which include adding bakers yeast ... *sigh*


cheers,
-kt

PS> I found the plant recipe my brother used recently:

*The Ginger Beer Plant *
The idea of the plant is to grow the natural yeast off the sultanas, this is what will make your ginger beer fizzy. 

*Ingredients*
1 large piece of Fresh ginger - about 300g or the size of your hand 
1/4 tsp of citric acid _or_ 1 tsp lemon pulp 
10 sultanas 
2 cups cold water 
4 tsp of sugar 
1 large jar 

*Method*: 
Add the 2 cups of water, sugar, citric acid or lemon pulp, sultanas to the jar and mix until the sugar is dissolved. 
Using a food processor or blender, mince up the ginger (leaving the skin on) and add the mix to your jar and stir well. 
Cover the jar with a piece of Cheese cloth and elastic band and leave to sit in a warm place. 
Each day feed the ginger plant with 4tsp of Sugar.


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## super_simian

I've had nothin' but trouble with wild GB ferments, which is why I'm looking for the *specific* SCOBY; thanks to those who replied with links (Wolfy and mashout.) Have you brewed with the real deal and if so, how was it?


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## Wolfy

super_simian said:


> Have you brewed with the real deal and if so, how was it?


I enjoyed it, takes a bit of work to get the setup (ingredients, time, storage etc) 'right' but once that is done you can make ginger beer according to your taste.
Info/pictures and what I did can be found here: http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?t=765577
Unfortunately since it's a live culture, and needs to be maintained (and brewed with once or twice a week) which got to be a bit too much work for me, especially since I was trying to cut down on my sugar-intake at the same time.


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## Karhunkynsi

Fascinating. I remember my mum telling me about a ginger beer she used to make as a kid that was made out of a "plant". I never really understood it. 

So I'm curious. Does it work in the same way as kombucha, in which you simply transfer a bit of juice and the scoby to the new batch of ginger beer?

How do you make it reeeeeally alcoholic?


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## Wolfy

Karhunkynsi said:


> Fascinating. I remember my mum telling me about a ginger beer she used to make as a kid that was made out of a "plant". I never really understood it.
> 
> So I'm curious. Does it work in the same way as kombucha, in which you simply transfer a bit of juice and the scoby to the new batch of ginger beer?
> 
> How do you make it reeeeeally alcoholic?


It's highly probable that the 'plant' your mum used as a kid was simply yeast-culture grown in a jar (same process explained by *Mr Wibble* earlier in this thread), which is different to the SCOBY which looks like this:






'Real' ginger beer plant/SCOBY is very closely related to kombucha - essentially it's the same thing, maybe with a few different yeasts/bacteria.
However since it contains various bacteria as well as yeast it's not so useful for making high alcohol beverages, you're better off doing that with yeast (some detailed/informative threads on how to do that if you use the search feature) because it's much easier to control/eliminate the off-flavours and acidity.


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## super_simian

Cheers Wolfy, you get what I'm on about! Think I'll pursue those links for the real deal - I'm going through 4+ 1.5litre bottles of soda water a week, plus a bottle of the ginger beer cordial every fortnight trying to keep up with my addiction! While it's not exactly bank breaking or labour intensive, I'd just feel better drinking a homebrewed beverage I reckon.


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## James1234

I have tried to make the gbp, only once and was not successful. So I bought it and it should be here here in early 2013. Let me know if you are in aus and want some?


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## Wolfy

James1234 said:


> So I bought it and it should be here here in early 2013. Let me know if you are in aus and want some?


Sure (I let mine die some time ago and have not purchased more) but it might take some time for yours to grow enough to split/share with others.


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## super_simian

How did yours die Wolfy? I'm on my second lot of GBP now (but only because flatmate 1 moved the container in the fridge to get something and flatmate 2 saw it on 'his' shelf and thought it was off food and chucked it :angry and despite me constantly refrigerating it or letting it brew for over a week it seems to come back fine...


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## Wolfy

super_simian said:


> How did yours die Wolfy?


One word ... neglect.


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## kevinj

[SIZE=10pt]I am also looking for a REAL [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Ginger Beer "plant" or SCOBY as per the OP.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Not the bug.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Not the yeast [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt](Saccharomyces cerevisiae) version.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Not water crystals or water kefir, different sub-species, so I've read. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=8.5pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]I have seen it overseas, [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]www.happyherbalist.com/gingerbeerplant.aspx and [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]www.yemoos.com/gingerbeerproductpage.html[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Tried the [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]groups.yahoo...GingerBeerPlant/ group, but could not join? Kept getting error.[/SIZE]



[SIZE=10pt]So thought I would try here first.[/SIZE]

anyone?......
​anyone?
[SIZE=10pt] [/SIZE]


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## Florian

so ginger beer SCOBY is different to Kombucha SCOBY?

I have a few of those and they're also widely available online in Australia.

Maybe I should just do a ginger beer with it and find out...


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## Airgead

There are two schools of thought on the SCOBY thing. One school has it that the original scoby was created somehow out of the primordial ooze and has been passed down from generation to generation in an unbroken line, this scoby is a unique, once in history event and can not be replicated and that only this scoby is capable of producing real ginger beer.

The other school of thought has it that if you mix up some ginger and water and feed it some sugar, the scoby organisms are living inside the ginger root and will naturally form a brand new scoby for you.

If you give the ginger beer plant recipe further up the thread a go, you may well find that after a few batches, reculturing the sludge from the last batch into the new (known as backslopping BTW), you will get the scoby forming for you.

Edit: Grammar helps


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## kevinj

tried the bug (yum) several time, never got to a jelly part.
was looking for the primordial ooze type to try

The one and only OZ site vegan4u *I found selling it, seams to lump them into one pot.*
[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]​As for them being the same, I have no [/SIZE]personal[SIZE=14.3999996185303px] [/SIZE]experience of what the different tastes are.

Quote from www.yemoos.com/gingerbeerproductpage.html
Ginger Beer vs Water Kefir

Both are symbiotic colonies of bacteria and yeast and perform similar functions of fermenting sugary-water, but that is about where the similarities end. Just like milk kefir and kombucha are cultures of the same principle yet totally different, the same can be said for ginger beer and water kefir.


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## kevinj

*[SIZE=10pt]So it look like going overseas is the only option.[/SIZE]*[SIZE=10pt][/SIZE]
*[SIZE=10pt]There in lies a quandary, importing a live fungal bacteria into Australia?[/SIZE]*[SIZE=10pt][/SIZE]
*[SIZE=10pt]Yeast is imported, so would there be a problem?[/SIZE]*[SIZE=10pt][/SIZE]


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## Mardoo

There's an extensive thread here if you want something to read while your SCOBY is in transit.


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## kevinj

Thanks
That's one i had not found.
15 pages 298 reply's, that will take some time to read. yes very slow reader.


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## wynnum1

Red Dragon ginger beer live and unpasturised drink anyone tried this ginger beer what would the yeast be.


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## NewtownClown

kjg said:


> [SIZE=10pt]I am also looking for a REAL [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Ginger Beer "plant" or SCOBY as per the OP.[/SIZE]
> [SIZE=10pt]Not the bug.[/SIZE]
> 
> [SIZE=10pt]Not the yeast [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt](Saccharomyces cerevisiae) version.[/SIZE]
> 
> [SIZE=10pt]Not water crystals or water kefir, different sub-species, so I've read. [/SIZE]
> 
> [SIZE=8.5pt] [/SIZE]
> [SIZE=10pt]I have seen it overseas, [/SIZE]
> 
> [SIZE=10pt]www.happyherbalist.com/gingerbeerplant.aspx and [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]www.yemoos.com/gingerbeerproductpage.html[/SIZE]
> [SIZE=10pt]Tried the [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]groups.yahoo...GingerBeerPlant/ group, but could not join? Kept getting error.[/SIZE]
> 
> 
> 
> [SIZE=10pt]So thought I would try here first.[/SIZE]
> 
> anyone?......
> ​anyone?
> [SIZE=10pt] [/SIZE]


Gumtree $9 with free shipping


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## kevinj

BINGO
I never go to Gumtree, not even registered, till now.
Thanks very muchly.


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## kevinj

Got the full set, all 4 scoby,s.
Not sure about the taste of the Milk Kefir
The kombucha is still brewing.
The water kefir tastes good, grains double in size every 48 hours.
The Ginger Beer taste excellent, cant wait to be pumping out some real volume.


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## TSMill

Interested in the ginger beer scoby but just wondering how much effort is required to keep it alive when not brewing, I can't see myself doing more than 1-2 brews a year.


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## kevinj

Its something you make a litre or two per week, depending on how much grain you have.
But, it can be frozen, dried or stored in the fridge for a short time, or so i have read.


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## TSMill

Thanks bro, there seems to be very little info re. maintaining the scoby but think I will just dive in and see.


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## Bribie G

We currently have three SCOBY threads going, a new direction for AHB?
Might be a case to have a SCOBY sub forum in Non Beer Brewing.


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## kevinj

oz'y site Welcome to Dom's

info kombuchakamp

good info on ginger beer plant yemoos


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## leahy268

I know this is an old thread. But did anyone have any luck importing the ginger beer plant?

Not entirely confident with starting my own wild ferment and not sure if I want to have $30 worth of scoby stuck in quarantine..

Thanks

Warwick


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## Diggs

I'd like to know if anyone tried the Kombucha SCOBY for Ginger Beer? My wife literally has dozens of them.


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## shjbrown

I got a ginger beer SCOBY from Yemoos and it arrived relatively quickly and healthy.


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