# Ginger Beer - Bitters Angostura?



## ballantynebrew (28/1/12)

hello brains trust

got pretty much everything ready tomorrow for my 1st ginger beer

1 can of brigalow ginger beer
350 g of raw ginger 
1kg of extra malt
2 limes
5 birds eye chillies
1 kg dex
2 kg of raw sugar
us - 05 yeast
1 bottle of buderim ginger refresher

23lt 

been looking over a few ideas for a brew, but wondering if maybe a bit of Bitters Angostura might help or destroy the brew?

i wont be using all of the above, but feedback on ratios would be greatly accepted

:icon_cheers: :icon_cheers: :icon_cheers:


----------



## bum (28/1/12)

IMO: more ginger, less (no?) malt, less chilli (a little goes a long way - I put 5 in a 23L batch once and it gave me a wicked gut-ache), no dex if using all the raw sugar (which I would do), think about saving the US05 for a beer - kit yeast is fine for GBs.

If you're keen on the idea of some bitters in there just do it on serving - too hard to work out how much might work in a batch.


----------



## sean83 (29/1/12)

As Bum said go the raw sugar, I find the Dex leaves it a little too dry - but that is just my own opinion. Also when using the chillies slice and gut them and just use the insides. I have always used chillies and have found throwing them in whole can give a vegetable / capsicum taste to the beer.

Have fun I just did a kits and bit ginger beer with the addition of the buderim cordial and found it to be one of the best I have made. 

For more heat though go more ginger, not more chillies.

Sean


----------



## nuggetron (29/1/12)

i used 800 grams of raw ginger, great taste to it, i added whole chillis stabbed with a knife, no malt or dextrose, kit yeast, ginger marmalade for a bit of sweetness


----------



## cam89brewer (29/1/12)

I have been meaning to make a ginger beer for a while now but just kept putting it off... I was wondering is it necessary to put chillies in it? are the chillies what sharpens up the flavour?


----------



## bum (29/1/12)

A little bit of chilli sitting under everything can accentuate the bite but tonnes of ginger is a better way to do it, IMO.


----------



## Zapp Brannigan (29/1/12)

I would also consider using some lemon juice for bittering. I also think you have too much fermentable sugar in your original recipe, I think you will be able to taste the alcohol, and it will make it 'megaswill'. For a ginger beer try to stick to around 5% alcohol.


----------



## bum (29/1/12)

You can't taste alcohol in megaswill. Besides, he said he won't use all of it.

Lemon won't add bitterness unless you use the white part of the peel. Even then it isn't really a desirable bitterness, IMO.

5% is a good target for a summer GB but I've made them up to 7% and they've worked well.


----------



## super_simian (31/1/12)

Zapp Brannigan said:


> 'megaswill'


----------

