Ginger beer from scratch

[livo]

My first taste of the Brigalow kit was indeterminate. I'll need to crack another bottle to try again but my first impression was it tasted quite sweet with no real ginger about it at all. I can't say I noticed artificial sweetener, but it didn't really have much flavour other than sweet. This could be a good thing though, as I've had no success with sweetness in my alcoholic "from scratch" batches, but they do have good ginger flavour. They are exceptionally dry though, so there is a good possibility of doing a hybrid with the Brigalow and steeped ginger plus lemon juice.

I noticed the Brigalows on special in WW yesterday at $15 instead of $17 so I think I'll go grab a couple to stock up.

Time to make another instant batch from the bug as well.

 

[Nick the Knife]

Oh @livo haha I think we need to organise an intervention for you!

Your first taste of the Brigalow GB kit was - sweet with no real ginger about it and yet you're going to stock up on them? I've no doubt you could do a brew many times better than theirs - I can't recall ever seeing much praise on any forums for any of their extracts. You started out your project using fresh ginger and now are loading up on WW kits - I don't know if this is a good thing. ;-)

As someone who made up a whopping batch of lemon and lime cordial from our trees over the weekend - have you considered simply making yourself a nice ginger cordial and adding it to your fave beer as desired? You could even make a very low IBU beer (something along the lines of an American 'malt liquor' recipe) and then add the ginger cordial to it at serving.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/american-malt-liquor/Recipe is just for reference but you could use unhopped malt extract etc easily enough.

That said I know we've discussed adding sugar syrup to brewed beverages before so this might be a tad close to that.

So just curious what is the 'hunt' for at present? Still chasing a good recipe for a ginger beer, which is alcoholic but has a sweet finish and can be bottle carbonated?

Have you definitively ruled any of your approaches or recipes in or out?

 

[livo]

Nick, ive come to realise what others already knew. That is, brewing ginger beer in a fermenter and bottle carbonating finishes dry. That's it. Nice ginger and citrus flavours obviously comes from using fresh ginger and lemon but you can't prevent the yeast from doing their thing on all of the available sugar. Lactose at the rate of 10g per litre was totally inadequate but I've got a dozen bottles with double that amount conditioning now. They'll be ready to try soon. I'm not too hopeful that lactose will work, but I haven't given up yet.

I didn't get to WW before the kits went back to full price but it is still likely that I'll try them again. Here's why, but firstly, I agree that Brigalow beer is bluurgh. Yuk! Terrible stuff with no redeeming characteristics whatsoever. I use the apple cider kit to make vinegar and it works just fine. Their ginger beer does not taste bad, it just doesn't taste like ginger beer. It retains sweetness after fermentation and bottle conditioning. The bottles don't explode and I can't taste artificial sweeteners so these are all positive and sought after attributes. If I can add the desired amount of ginger and lemon flavour to it but making a steeped ginger concentrate and adding it to the brew, then I will have achieved my goal. If it makes a nice gb, with some controlled alcohol content, which can be bottle conditioned retaining sweetness and without bottles blowing up, I'd consider that mission accomplished.

It probably won't take as much fresh ginger to lift the flavour as I'd need to use in all fresh preparation so the overall cost per batch will be acceptable. It will take some trials to determine how much needs to be used and I'd simply consider the kit as being a means to an end.

I haven't yet ruled anything in or out as it's still very early days. The instant gb made using the bug is a very nice drink but your limited to as many bottles as you can refrigerate when they're "done". Even if you burp them to prevent bombs, they will eventually go dry. I will continue to make these in small batches as I go through trying to get bigger batches right.

Would there be free beer at an intervention?

 

[clarkejw]

I've found the kit brews with artificial sweeteners to have an unpleasant metallic taste. I've had quite a deal of success with quite a simple recipe that i found somewhere that uses malt extract, dextrose, although I use raw sugar, lactose, fresh ginger and lemons. I pressure-ferment it, using Safale 04 and keg it. It's a family favourite.
I don't have a problem with the lactose mouth feel, but feel it's necessary, for without it, the beer ferments out too dry for me.

 

[Nick the Knife]

I've found the kit brews with artificial sweeteners to have an unpleasant metallic taste. I've had quite a deal of success with quite a simple recipe that i found somewhere that uses malt extract, dextrose, although I use raw sugar, lactose, fresh ginger and lemons. I pressure-ferment it, using Safale 04 and keg it. It's a family favourite.
I don't have a problem with the lactose mouth feel, but feel it's necessary, for without it, the beer ferments out too dry for me.

You do know as you're kegging you could wait until fully fermented, then transfer to the keg, adding some potassium sorbate (IIRC) and sugar to your preferred level. The former 'neuters' the yeast and won't allow it to eat any more of the sugars. Of course you might find if you're kegging and chilling immediately that might by itself almost do the same through the temp taking the yeast out of action - but a lil more sketchy.

As a sidenote any reason you settled on S04 as the yeast?
And what amount (g/L) of lactose do you find backsweetens it to a good level? Would you describe the end result (as you prefer it) as dary, medium or sweet?

Good post and that glass looks very enticing indeed!

 

[livo]

I found out this evening that 20g/L of lactose reduces the dryness but adds nothing much at all to sweetness. The Brigalow has zero AF taste but it just tastes like lolly water with bubbles. Add some ginger to it and I think it will be OK.

 

[Nick the Knife]

I found out this evening that 20g/L of lactose reduces the dryness but adds nothing much at all to sweetness. The Brigalow has zero AF taste but it just tastes like lolly water with bubbles. Add some ginger to it and I think it will be OK.

Brigalow tastes like lolly water with bubbles? Haha in that case I'd wonder whats the point of using it at all - especially if as you're saying you still need to add ginger for flavour. Just seems like you're paying for a bunch of AF and carbs. $15-16 for 900g of this:

Ingredients: Malt, ginger flavour, vegetable gum (466), citric acid, cyclamate, acesulphane, water added, yeast, nutrient. Artificially sweetened with Cyclamate and Acesulphane

I think I posted this (apologies if I have) before but as this article shows scientific testing shows that lactose has 20-40% of the sweetness that sucrose(sugar) has. So regardless of how sweet you like your end brew you'd have to use 2.5-5 times as much by weight to get the same result.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/sweetness

 

[clarkejw]

You do know as you're kegging you could wait until fully fermented, then transfer to the keg, adding some potassium sorbate (IIRC) and sugar to your preferred level. The former 'neuters' the yeast and won't allow it to eat any more of the sugars. Of course you might find if you're kegging and chilling immediately that might by itself almost do the same through the temp taking the yeast out of action - but a lil more sketchy.

As a sidenote any reason you settled on S04 as the yeast?
And what amount (g/L) of lactose do you find backsweetens it to a good level? Would you describe the end result (as you prefer it) as dary, medium or sweet?

Good post and that glass looks very enticing indeed!

Cheers! I like that pic. I'm using 500g lactose/22L brew. I'd describe the ginger beer as on the sweeter side of medium, but it's in no way cloying. It's very refreshing, and it roars down! The head is silky, and it has a distinct gingery aroma.
I settled on 04 because I was after a malty ginger beer, and I find 04 aids in that, and it also seems to get going quite quickly.

 

[Nick the Knife]

Cheers! I like that pic. I'm using 500g lactose/22L brew. I'd describe the ginger beer as on the sweeter side of medium, but it's in no way cloying. It's very refreshing, and it roars down! The head is silky, and it has a distinct gingery aroma.
I settled on 04 because I was after a malty ginger beer, and I find 04 aids in that, and it also seems to get going quite quickly.

I'm assuming you put the lactose in the primary ferment? It's not added to the keg after this etc? Just trying to figure out the approx amount per L of finished beer - but I'd assume you place in primary - so even if a few L lost in trub etc - it's approx. 23g/L.
Thats interesting - obviously tastes differ but @livo reported that 20g/L didn't have any sweetness to him. I wonder if this might have to do with the different yeast choice.

Great job by you.

 

[clarkejw]

I'm assuming you put the lactose in the primary ferment? It's not added to the keg after this etc? Just trying to figure out the approx amount per L of finished beer - but I'd assume you place in primary - so even if a few L lost in trub etc - it's approx. 23g/L.
Thats interesting - obviously tastes differ but @livo reported that 20g/L didn't have any sweetness to him. I wonder if this might have to do with the different yeast choice.

Great job by you.

Thanks, yes, added to primary. In fact, I treated it exactly as I would have beer, albeit unhopped.

 

[livo]

The point is, the Brigalow kit is able to be bottle conditioned after complete primary fermentation while retaining sweetness that does not taste like AF (to me anyway and I hate the stuff if i can taste it at all). This isn't something I can easily achieve myself. The hint of ginger in the kit will be quite easily improved by simply adding a small amount of fresh ginger and lemon concoction. Cost effective, bottle conditioned, storable ginger beer with controlled alcohol content.

No point in me talking about kegging as I'm not going down that path. The gb I've been making is all acceptable and I haven't needed to spit any out or dump any, but I can't force carbonate, I can't kill the yeast, so I need to use what works. The kit appears to be the easiest method. I haven't tried yet so I'll need to wait and see.

 

[Nick the Knife]

The point is, the Brigalow kit is able to be bottle conditioned after complete primary fermentation while retaining sweetness that does not taste like AF (to me anyway and I hate the stuff if i can taste it at all). This isn't something I can easily achieve myself. The hint of ginger in the kit will be quite easily improved by simply adding a small amount of fresh ginger and lemon concoction. Cost effective, bottle conditioned, storable ginger beer with controlled alcohol content.

No point in me talking about kegging as I'm not going down that path. The gb I've been making is all acceptable and I haven't needed to spit any out or dump any, but I can't force carbonate, I can't kill the yeast, so I need to use what works. The kit appears to be the easiest method. I haven't tried yet so I'll need to wait and see.

Oh please don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to talk you out of using them as its a preference thing - just curious as there's been a number of'backhanded compliments you've given them.

FWIW if it's a case of you liking the artifical sweeteners(AS) that are in the Brigalow kits - you could also just source those out and backsweeten as you like using them - I would imagine they'd be on the market in some form or another as a AS.

There's no right & wrong, just whats right for you (and by that I mean for your wife!)

 

[livo]

I did consider that Nick. Essentially I just want something that can sit in a bottle and not end up super dry or blow up. Not sure what you mean by backhanded compliments for Brigalow kits. I don't like the beer and I doubt many would. The apple cider is good for making apple cider vinegar and I've probably made about 200 litres over the last 10 years. I've only made the one batch of ginger beer.

I did get a pleasant surprise when I finally chilled and tried the Margaret Fulton bottles. I only made 2 and they had sat in my fermentation fridge door for several weeks now. After burping daily to start with, I've just let them sit for about 2 weeks now. They are not over gassed and considering it's made from ground ginger powder, it is actually pretty good, and it has retained sweetness. I'm not sure how long they'd store before becoming dry or exploding if in glass.

The other good thing is that the fresh ginger bulk (10 litre) ferment with 20g / L of lactose actually mixes really well with my beer. The lactose cuts the dry finish and its actually good that it isn't too sweet. It's not much to drink on its own but it mixes well and I even did 50 / 50 which was really nice in the heat yesterday. Very refreshing. This is easily produced in large volume and bottle primes without risk.

Edit: Note to self. Mixing FV fermented ginger beer with beer does not water down ABV of consumed drinks like instant / non alcoholic ginger beer does. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery or climb ladders.

 

[livo]

I've got a batch in now with the kit and added fresh ginger and lemon. For 23 litres I used 200g of ginger and 100 ml of lj. It'll be interesting to see if it ticks the boxes.

 

[KegLand-com-au]

I just finished a ginger beer that turned out pretty well.

I used:

Dissolved sugar and yeast nutrient in hot water then cooled and put into the fermenter for 5 days:
2 packs of EC1118 (probably 1 pack would be fine but I was in a bit of a hurry to get it finished)
2kg Table Sugar (dextrose would be slightly cleaner and had of I remembered to bring some home I would have used this instead)
5grams Yeast Nutrient

Then after 5 days added this additional stuff to the fermenter:
2kg ginger - sliced it up with my food processer but you could probably use a mandolin or knife if you can be bothered doing this much by hand.
10grams nutmeg
4 Cassia Bark Sticks
15grams citric acid

I then crash chilled and back sweetened with additional 350grams sugar which I found to be good for me as I like it fairly dry. I am sure a lot of other people would prefer to use more sugar to back sweeten. I serve this over ice with a sprig of mint and works well for me.

I also have this chilled in a keg but if you are not going to refrigerate it then you would need to add potassium sorbate/sodium metabisulfite.

 

[Rastas]

Hello all,

When I make ginger beer I usually add a chopped chili to it.
Gives a nice little kick to it

Cheers.

 

[livo]

I just finished a ginger beer that turned out pretty well.

I used:

Dissolved sugar and yeast nutrient in hot water then cooled and put into the fermenter for 5 days:
2 packs of EC1118 (probably 1 pack would be fine but I was in a bit of a hurry to get it finished)
2kg Table Sugar (dextrose would be slightly cleaner and had of I remembered to bring some home I would have used this instead)
5grams Yeast Nutrient

Then after 5 days added this additional stuff to the fermenter:
2kg ginger - sliced it up with my food processer but you could probably use a mandolin or knife if you can be bothered doing this much by hand.
10grams nutmeg
4 Cassia Bark Sticks
15grams citric acid

I then crash chilled and back sweetened with additional 350grams sugar which I found to be good for me as I like it fairly dry. I am sure a lot of other people would prefer to use more sugar to back sweeten. I serve this over ice with a sprig of mint and works well for me.

I also have this chilled in a keg but if you are not going to refrigerate it then you would need to add potassium sorbate/sodium metabisulfite.

What is your total volume and how long did you leave it in the fermenter during stage 2? Is your nutmeg powdered or freshly grated?

 

[KegLand-com-au]

What is your total volume and how long did you leave it in the fermenter during stage 2? Is your nutmeg powdered or freshly grated?

I used powdered nutmeg but if I could be bothered freshly grated it would be better. I think the aroma for freshly grated is way better.

I did a 20L batch.

I would also recommend "old ginger" not "new ginger". The old ginger is more spicy too and has more of a kick about it. The new ginger is a few dollars cheaper per kg but you have to use a lot more so it's a false economy and also when you have to add more ginger you have much higher losses of liquid left behind in the fermenter due to all the solids in the fermenter.

With respect to time in the fermenter my fermentation was pretty quick and stage 2 was only an additional 5 days. Probably 3 days would have been sufficient to be honest as no more ginger flavor infused after 2 days and the fermentation was already completed. Probably because I added a bit more yeast that is normally required.

I should also say mine ended up quite clear so it looks bright in the glass. If you wanted a hazy ginger beer you may consider a different yeast.

 

[Nick the Knife]

I just finished a ginger beer that turned out pretty well.

I used:

Dissolved sugar and yeast nutrient in hot water then cooled and put into the fermenter for 5 days:
2 packs of EC1118 (probably 1 pack would be fine but I was in a bit of a hurry to get it finished)
2kg Table Sugar (dextrose would be slightly cleaner and had of I remembered to bring some home I would have used this instead)
5grams Yeast Nutrient

Then after 5 days added this additional stuff to the fermenter:
2kg ginger - sliced it up with my food processer but you could probably use a mandolin or knife if you can be bothered doing this much by hand.
10grams nutmeg
4 Cassia Bark Sticks
15grams citric acid

I then crash chilled and back sweetened with additional 350grams sugar which I found to be good for me as I like it fairly dry. I am sure a lot of other people would prefer to use more sugar to back sweeten. I serve this over ice with a sprig of mint and works well for me.

I also have this chilled in a keg but if you are not going to refrigerate it then you would need to add potassium sorbate/sodium metabisulfite.

And everyone bottle fermenting collectively groans at the simpicity of solving the backsweetening challenge via kegging! ;-)

You are a brave soul going with that much cassia bark (for the cinnamon flavor - though I wonder if any actual cinnamon is ever used these days as cassia is so much cheaper) and nutmeg as well! But sounds like this is a tried and trusted recipe for you.

Good recipe and well structured write up.

 

[livo]

Yes, I had bought some new ginger and it actually rotted in a very short time as it was very wet inside. I took my eyes of it for about a week and ended up tossing half of it. I also cook BIR style curry, so I have whole Nutmeg and Cassia Bark.

I hope you don't mind me asking, but I read your first post to say you've apparently done this in bottles and kegs. I'm a bit confused if the main process you describe was for bottles. I understand the 2 stage fermentation and flavouring part, then you cold crash it after 8 - 10 days in total. The yeast would go to sleep, and you then add 350g of sugar to back sweeten. Is this sugar also to bottle prime / carbonate? There's plenty there in 350g but for that to occur you'd need to warm it back up and then arrest bottle fermentation by chilling it again, wouldn't you? If your bottle carbonating, you can't sterilise the yeast.

20 litres would give 25 bottles at 750 ml so that will take up a bit of fridge space to keep on hold, so they don't ferment out too dry or explode.