Ginger Beer Plant (non-alcoholic Softdrink)

[benny_bjc]

Hi,

I just started making a ginger beer plant....

1/2 teaspoon dried yeast
teaspoon ground ginger
teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water

Then basically feed it a teaspoon of sugar and ginger each day for a week....


Now my question is - I used Dried bakers yeast, is this ok for making non-alcoholic ginger beer or will it produce yeasty/bready flavours???

Thanks!

 

[siiren]

I haven't heard about a ginger beer plant in a while....
My grandma used to use bakers yeast.

 

[benny_bjc]

Hi,

I just started making a ginger beer plant....

1/2 teaspoon dried yeast
teaspoon ground ginger
teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water

Then basically feed it a teaspoon of sugar and ginger each day for a week....


Now my question is - I used Dried bakers yeast, is this ok for making non-alcoholic ginger beer or will it produce yeasty/bready flavours???

Thanks!

Hello,

I am currently making the above ginger beer plant recipe but would like to use real ginger rather then ground in future batches.
How much fresh ginger should I use and in what form (Whole, Chopped, Grated finely or juiced?) ??

Thanks.

 

[wambesi]

I've done the ginger beer plant method many times myself and based my plant on using a raisin or six for the natural yeasts/lacto cultures.
If you haven't read it already, check out this thread (http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=16407) for a lot of useful info on ginger beer plants.

Bakers yeast will be fine, and as to how much fresh the best way is try it out. I use a good quality ground ginger for mine as it is easier for the plant and then the final recipe I use fresh grated and juiced ginger to bring it up to taste.

EDIT: URL and spelling.

 

[benny_bjc]

I've done the ginger beer plant method many times myself and based my plant on using a raisin or six for the natural yeasts/lacto cultures.
If you haven't read it already, check out this thread (http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=16407) for a lot of useful info on ginger beer plants.

Bakers yeast will be fine, and as to how much fresh the best way is try it out. I use a good quality ground ginger for mine as it is easier for the plant and then the final recipe I use fresh grated and juiced ginger to bring it up to taste.

EDIT: URL and spelling.

Thanks Heaps!

I want to have a nice ginger kick to mine so I will do what you suggest - and add fresh ginger in the final stage.

 

[benny_bjc]

just a thought....

I'm guessing you could do a similar recipe but not add ginger and then use freshly squeezed lemons or oranges in the final stage and make a fizzy lemonade softdrink??? or is it not quite that simple?

I.e.

1/2 teaspoon dried yeast
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar

Feed it a teaspoon of sugar per day for a week

Then Squeeze lemon juice (or other fruit juice) and use that instead of water
and add the appropriate amount of sugar based on ginger beer recipe and personal taste

 

[Flash_DG]

Hey Beer007, I have been doing the ginger beer plant method for the last few months and it has worked out well.
I have always used fresh ginger, grated skin and all (it will get strained anyway).
I use the brigalow yeast you get in the homebrew section of woolies, kmart, coles and the such. It works nicely.

But yesterday I was thinking, why do we spend a week feeding the yeast in a jar? I could find no answer so I did a bit more thinking.
I ended up grating about a cup of ginger (I think about 1/2 or so when grated, just a guestimate as I didn't measure it) and throwing that into about 6 liters of hot (70c) water and letting it steep for 60mins.
It was quite spicey and I think I may have used too much ginger then I topped my pot up to about 12 liters 8 cups of sugar and the juice from a few lemons.
my only problem was I threw in the yeast while it was still hot and thought I might have killed the yeast, it seems to be doing it's job now though (phew).
So anyway I have cut down a 2 week process down to 1 week spent in the bottle carbonating.

I'll let you know how it works out and I will be continuing to refine my process a little.

Flash

 

[benny_bjc]

Hey Beer007, I have been doing the ginger beer plant method for the last few months and it has worked out well.
I have always used fresh ginger, grated skin and all (it will get strained anyway).
I use the brigalow yeast you get in the homebrew section of woolies, kmart, coles and the such. It works nicely.

But yesterday I was thinking, why do we spend a week feeding the yeast in a jar? I could find no answer so I did a bit more thinking.
I ended up grating about a cup of ginger (I think about 1/2 or so when grated, just a guestimate as I didn't measure it) and throwing that into about 6 liters of hot (70c) water and letting it steep for 60mins.
It was quite spicey and I think I may have used too much ginger then I topped my pot up to about 12 liters 8 cups of sugar and the juice from a few lemons.
my only problem was I threw in the yeast while it was still hot and thought I might have killed the yeast, it seems to be doing it's job now though (phew).
So anyway I have cut down a 2 week process down to 1 week spent in the bottle carbonating.

I'll let you know how it works out and I will be continuing to refine my process a little.

Flash

Cheers! Look forward to hearing how it turns out!

 

[wambesi]

just a thought....

I'm guessing you could do a similar recipe but not add ginger and then use freshly squeezed lemons or oranges in the final stage and make a fizzy lemonade softdrink??? or is it not quite that simple?

Absolutely!

One of my ginger beer recipes actually uses freshly juiced oranges, the beauty of doing this is you can create your own home made soft drinks of almost any flavour, some may work some may not!

 

[benny_bjc]

When I feed my ginger beer plant each day - Should I Stir the yeast and ginger sediment, as the liquid clears out and settles to the bottom daily???
So far I have just left it be.

 

[Flash_DG]

I stirred mine helps aerate the water

 

[benny_bjc]

Absolutely!

One of my ginger beer recipes actually uses freshly juiced oranges, the beauty of doing this is you can create your own home made soft drinks of almost any flavour, some may work some may not!

out of curiosity and so I have something to base my own recipe on...

would you be able to share your actual recipe for lemonade (non-alcoholic) and Orange Fizzy.... using the plant method.

Cheers and Thanks Heaps for your help!

 

[benny_bjc]

This is a bit of a stupid question -
but after the week of feeding the plant sugar and ginger do you strain all the liquid from the plant to make up the ginger beer then divide the yeast sediment.....
or when it says to split the plant does it mean take only half the liquid....

I'm assuming it is the first method.

 

[Flash_DG]

yeah just split the solids

 

[benny_bjc]

Ok.... So it is 1 week and time to make up the ginger beer and bottle.

I have made up the syrup as per recipe:

4 cups sugar
24 cups warm water
1/2 cup lemon juice

mix well.

Strain Ginger beer plant through two layers of stocking and poured resulting liquid into barrel and stirred.

Took a tasting and the ginger taste is almost non-existant! It tastes like lemon and sugar with a very very very slight ginger. (you would hardly realise it was ginger unless told)

I will add some fresh ginger....
but wanted to check that everything was normal as I expected it would taste more straight from the ginger plant.

Thanks

 

[Infinitee]

To taste the ginger, and bring out it's warmth ... I've had to quadruple the amount recommended in recipes.
(270g for 21L became a kg of ginger - an expensive, but heartwarming habit)

I'd also recommend limes over lemons, include some peel and triple the fresh juice content.

Adding the ginger raw to the fermenter (as opposed to boiling in a wort) or even adding it post-fermentation also prevents some of it's flavour being leached out in the process.

Edit: Ginger also increases the efficiency of yeasts (as does tea, i seem to recall) so it should churn out your brews a bit quicker if nothing else.
I'd plant some ginger too if I were you (a 2cm knob will grow a whole new rhizome in a good year).

Forgive my enthusiasm, ginger beer makes up about 70% of everything I ever brewed.
Additives: Cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, tea, cayenne pepper, raisins.