# Yeast For A Non Alcoholic Ginger Beer



## Flash_DG (24/10/09)

What would the best way to add yeast to a non alcoholic GB? 
Ok I need to clarify the way I am doing this GB before you answer.
I usually make 2 plants and feed them for a week but the last batch turned out pretty awful, Sulphur smell and slight taste but the smell made it unbearable.
I really don't see the point to feeding the plant for a week and thought maybe there has to be a different and quicker way to do it. 
So what I have planned is to steep fresh ginger in hot (70c) water for an hour to draw the flavour and then add this to the water sugar mixture, pitch the yeast give it a few hours then strain it all and bottle.
I hope the yeast that makes it in to the mixture from the strain will be enough to carbonate the GB.

So my question is how should I go about adding the yeast?
Hydrate pitch and leave it for a few hrs? 
or do it some otherway? 
Yeast by the way is just Brigalow 5g sachets from woolies, cheap and has worked well in the past.

this is mostly an experiment to find a way to get it bottled faster.
Any suggestions will be great.


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## Screwtop (24/10/09)

You're fermenting a ........................non-alcoholic ginger beer, right :blink: 

Sorry, but I for one am really confused.


Screwy


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## Flash_DG (24/10/09)

no yeast is only to carbonate the GB in the bottle.

Link to a similar recipe
Fermenting would require alot more sugar and time in a fermenter.
The way i have been doing to is the same as in the link.
the only reason I can see for feeding a plant for a week is to grow the yeast.
what I want to do is by pass the week long growing stage and go straight to the bottling stage.


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## Rodolphe01 (24/10/09)

I'd just go the brigalow yeast, it is only for carbonation after all. Rehydrate it for the usual 15-20 mins and stir thoroughly into your fermenter full of ginger beer and bottle, I have done this and it worked fine (I used kit yeast though, probs from the same barrel as brigalow).


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## Screwtop (25/10/09)

Flash_DG said:


> no yeast is only to carbonate the GB in the bottle.




Ok sorry, just can't get my head around fermentation producing no alcohol. :huh: 

Cheers,

Screwy


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## wambesi (25/10/09)

As mentioned above the brigalow yeast added as normal should work fine, you may find it needs more than a few hours though.
When I do mine I bottled them in the coopers PET so I can squeeze them to find out how carbonated they are, when they're to my liking I stick em in the fridge to stop it and drink it down!

Also the reason I prefer the ginger beer plants is so I don't get any yeast flavours at all coming through. The method I use for the plant is natural fermentation from some kind of fruit such as raisins.

yeast will get it done quicker though and I would be lying if I hadn't both thought of and done it before.


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## Flash_DG (25/10/09)

lol Screwy, you do end up with a very small amount of alcohol 0.5% i think it works out to so you would have to drink 1.5L to consume one standard drink.

Wambesi, I ended up using the full 5g brig yeast and made up the full batch and added the rehydrated yeast then bottled it.
this was for a 12L batch too which is usually my two plants combined method.

Now I can see why it would take a week to culture the yeast from sultana's. I wondered why they bothered feeding the yeast for a week when you use dry yeast.
I bottle mine in 1.25L clear soft drink bottles, I did start in coopers PET bottles but they now have beer in them


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## Verbyla (26/10/09)

Screwtop said:


> Ok sorry, just can't get my head around fermentation producing no alcohol. :huh:
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Screwy



I think i remember reading on a GB kit that the only sugar added to the entire recipe was the carb drops for carbonation so thats why its non-alcoholic. 

I still don't know why the yeast need to be rehydrated. I would have thought throwing the dry packet in and leaving it for the hour or two as, instructed on the kit, would have been enough

Hope it turns out alright for ya!


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## Pete2501 (26/10/09)

Verbyla said:


> I think i remember reading on a GB kit that the only sugar added to the entire recipe was the carb drops for carbonation so thats why its non-alcoholic.
> 
> I still don't know why the yeast need to be rehydrated. I would have thought throwing the dry packet in and leaving it for the hour or two as, instructed on the kit, would have been enough
> 
> Hope it turns out alright for ya!



I remember reading about using a higher temperature for re hydration because it helps the yeast cell walls and in turns helps with yeast health. Fermentation normally happens at a lower temperature than that. I think cold tap water is around 20C and you're looking at warmer than that so yeah.


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