Ginger Beer?

[Doc]

Here are the details on my last batch of Ginger Beer which is fantastic.

Here is my Super Appeasement Ginger Beer recipe.

Beer Makers Ginger Beer kit
1kg Dextrose
200g Corn Syrup
300g Powdered Light Malt
200g Powdered Dark Malt
400g CSR Dark Brown Sugar

19.7 litres water

Rehydrated the kit yeast with the kit nutrient.
Pitched at 26deg and fermented at 20 deg.

Primary fermentation only (16 days).
OG 1052
FG 1008
6.5% alcohol.

It is a nice brown colour and nice and smooth. Funnily enough there isn't the hint of alcohol you would expect either. The corn syrup gives just enough sweetness too.

Cheers,
Doc

PS: Tonight I crack the 7.3% cider that was tasting fantastic when I bottled it.

Cracked a couple of bottles of this years brew of Ginger Beer using the Super Appeasement Ginger Beer recipe.

It delighted all again.

If anything it is still a little sweet. It will mellow with longer aging. Having just finished the previous batch (12 months old) that was wonderfully smooth and still tasting great.

Beers,
Doc

 

[GMK]

Doc

why dont you use any spices or fresh grated ginger in the secondary...

 

[Doc]

Two reasons.
One I don't secondary my ginger beer.
And two I can't really be arsed.

It isn't for me really and they all like it as it is. If it ain't broke don't try and fix it.

Doc

 

[Rod]

This recipe is KISS

I have made three batches and all were good
Beermakers Ginger beer with 1kg Dextrose , ferment as usual , place one piece of raw ginger in bottle , diameter to suit bottle and about 2 to 3 cm long, I cap of Buderim Ginger Beer cordial ( from supermarket). I bulk primed and used 120gm caster sugar , lower to take into account the Ginger cordial . The cordial has some preservative , but not enough to prevent carbonation . Mature about 4 months in the bottle.

Rod

 

[JasonY]

Well with selling the house & all the associated crap that comes with it I have not been able to spare a w/end day for a brew decided to finally throw a ginger beer down.

Pretty much followed GMK's recipe with the lemon, lime etc, only had about 40g of fresh ginger so grated that and chucked it in. Using a Coppers ginger beer can for it. Don't have any champagne yeast so used the can stuff plus pitched a 1272 I had started for a brew day that never happened on Sun

Smells pretty good hopefully the taste will match, the OG came in at 1.050! so I diluted to 1.045 (23L) to help the yeast get a lower FG.

 

[kungy]

With the Coopers and Morgans Ginger beer cans (which are exactly the same with the exception of the labels) is it possible for the artificial sweetner etc to taste slightly salty once fully fermented. I made the recipe up as GMKs recipe and hoping it improves in the bottle even though the beer is not for me

Will

 

[barls]

i make the morgans with a kilo of brewers suger and havent had any salty taste :chug: :beer:

 

[THE DRUNK ARAB]

A question on Ginger Beer.

Jo (Mrs Drunk Arab) made up a Morgans GB kit with 1kg of dextrose.
The gravity is down to 1005 so I believe it has finished fermenting.
There is 19 litres and I need to know how much sugar to use when priming as it is going into bottles?
Was going to go for medium carbonation.

C&B
TDA, On behalf of the missus <_<

 

[jgriffin]

With the Coopers and Morgans Ginger beer cans (which are exactly the same with the exception of the labels) is it possible for the artificial sweetner etc to taste slightly salty once fully fermented. I made the recipe up as GMKs recipe and hoping it improves in the bottle even though the beer is not for me

Will

[post="45731"][/post]​

I don't think you are right about Coopers and Morgans being the same. They are both made by Coopers, but have a different recipe - at least that's what my contacts at Coopers tell me. They certainly taste different too - the Morgans is far superior, the Coopers i can really taste the artificial sweetner.


As for carbonating, i actually use carbonation drops in my ginger beer, it's the one thing i brew where i really think the "softdrink" carbonation matches the style.

 

[barls]

i use the carbonation drops as well

 

[Curry]

G'day Guys,

Just about to do my first Ginger Beer.

I have read all through this thread and others and I have decided to give GMK's recipe a go but I do have a few questions if anyone can help me.

I won't be doing a double batch as per GMK's recipe but rather just a single can version, my question is, do I just halve all the other ingredients? It should be noted that I don't mind if the Alcohol percentage rises but I don't want to alter the taste too much.

Forgive me ignorance but I take it that "Dry ginger" is just the ginger root you can buy at the supermarket, am I correct?

Your help would be much appreciated.

Regards

Curry.

 

[BrissyBrew]

I don't think you are right about Coopers and Morgans being the same. They are both made by Coopers, but have a different recipe - at least that's what my contacts at Coopers tell me. They certainly taste different too - the Morgans is far superior, the Coopers i can really taste the artificial sweetner.


As for carbonating, i actually use carbonation drops in my ginger beer, it's the one thing i brew where i really think the "softdrink" carbonation matches the style.

Well well well.. Somebody told me coopers and morgans are the same (My LHBS). Now that explains it all, my first attempt was using morgans, (I did add 800grams of honey, and 100 DME, plus 50mls of fresh ginger juice) it was amazing. My last two past attempts have not been as good, I have blamed brown sugar, too much malt extract all kinds of things, but sure enough I was using the coopers mix, and if it does have artifical sweetners and the morgans does it probably explains my alergic reactions as well. Artifical sweetners dont settle well with me.

 

[Airgead]

and if it does have artifical sweetners and the morgans does it probably explains my alergic reactions as well. Artifical sweetners dont settle well with me.

[post="58249"][/post]​

I have yet to find a kiig ginger beer that my wife can drink as she has a bad reaction to the artificial sweetners.

Has anyone out there tried to make a ginger beer fron scratch? My last effort was (for 20l)-

4kg LME
230g grated ginger boil gor 60 mins
50g grated ginger boil 10 mins.
800g crystal for body and residual sweetness.

No hops (the missus really doesn't like hops).

It was sort of OK but surprising non-gingery. I suspect I overboiled the ginger and destroyed the flavour. It also came out too 'beery' for her taste.

My next effort will be something like this -

2.5kg white sugar (or a mix of white and brown for a bit of colour)
1kg maltodextrine (for residual sweetness)
300gr grated ginger steeped for 20 mins in hot (not boiling) water.
Possibly some grated ginger in the secondary as well if there isn't enough ginger flavour.

Any comments/suggestions?

 

[Armstrong]

I don't think you are right about Coopers and Morgans being the same. They are both made by Coopers, but have a different recipe - at least that's what my contacts at Coopers tell me. They certainly taste different too - the Morgans is far superior, the Coopers i can really taste the artificial sweetner.

Well well well.. Somebody told me coopers and morgans are the same (My LHBS). Now that explains it all, my first attempt was using morgans, (I did add 800grams of honey, and 100 DME, plus 50mls of fresh ginger juice) it was amazing. My last two past attempts have not been as good, I have blamed brown sugar, too much malt extract all kinds of things, but sure enough I was using the coopers mix, and if it does have artifical sweetners and the morgans does it probably explains my alergic reactions as well. Artifical sweetners dont settle well with me.

Coopers and Morgans ginger beers are identical and are actually made by Morgans.
The only except would be the yeast and nutrient supplied with each kit ... that could explain the differences in results

 

[WildebeestAttack]

It was sort of OK but surprising non-gingery. I suspect I overboiled the ginger and destroyed the flavour. It also came out too 'beery' for her taste.

Sounds like its needs more Ginger.



The Ginger Beer recipe I use is:

1 kg Fresh Ginger
4 Lemons (Juice and Zest) (Can also use Limes)
4 kg Brew Sugar (Sometimes half Dextrose/ half white sugar)
1 tsp Cream of Tartar
Champagne Yeast (Lavlin EC 1118)
20 L Water

Peel and finely chop Ginger.
Take off zest of Lemons (make sure you dont get the white stuff), then juice.

Add Lemon, Ginger, Cream of Tartar and as much sugar as possible in largest pot, with water and boil for 30 minutes.

Add mix with remaining water (and sugar if any) in a fermenter then Cool (to around 18 C).

Pitch Yeast when cool.


Its a fairly popular drink. I personally find it a little sweet - but it always get drunk. I have to make a batch once a month. It now has its own fermentor as well (the ginger smell can linger into beers).

 

[Airgead]

Sounds like its needs more Ginger.

*snip*

The Ginger Beer recipe I use is:

1 kg Fresh Ginger
4 Lemons (Juice and Zest) (Can also use Limes)
4 kg Brew Sugar (Sometimes half Dextrose/ half white sugar)
1 tsp Cream of Tartar
Champagne Yeast (Lavlin EC 1118)
20 L Water

Sounds good. 1Kg ginger... boy no wonder mine came out a little low in flavour.

I'll give that one a try.

 

[NRB]

Don't the yeast need malt to multiply etc? I guess you pitch a fairly large starter?

 

[WildebeestAttack]

Don't the yeast need malt to multiply etc? I guess you pitch a fairly large starter?

[post="58788"][/post]​

I just throw a small sachet of yeast straight in. No starter. (I do starters for all my beers). I don't know about needing malt, just nutirents of some sort. I guess there is enough in the lemon and ginger. I suppose some malt would help things along. Anyhow, it works for me. Champagne Yeast is mighty tough stuff.

 

[Curry]

Hey Guys,

Well 3 days into fermenting GMK's recipe and it appears that fermentation has finished already. I am basing this on:-

1. No bubbles from airlock (water has equalized in airlock);
2. I got an OG of 1.039 and currently is 1.106 which gives the 3.5% GMK states.

My concern is that this has happened too fast - only 3 days. I will take another reading tomorrow to confirm that it has actually finished. The kraeusen that I got was about 2" high and the fermentation was very active - half the water got ejected out of the airlock.

Does this sound okay or normal to you guys? I am just concerned it happened to fast and it should be noted that this is my first ginger beer.

Thoughts

Regards

Curry

 

[sosman]

The Ginger Beer recipe I use is:

1 kg Fresh Ginger
4 Lemons (Juice and Zest) (Can also use Limes)
4 kg Brew Sugar (Sometimes half Dextrose/ half white sugar)
1 tsp Cream of Tartar
Champagne Yeast (Lavlin EC 1118)
20 L Water

Peel and finely chop Ginger.
Take off zest of Lemons (make sure you dont get the white stuff), then juice.

[post="58567"][/post]​

My take on this (ymmv):
- I prefer to use tartaric (or citric acid) rather than cream of tartar.
- 1 kg of ginger should be plenty - I last used only 240g for a 12L recipe and it was quite gingery - I also puree it with the stick mixer.
- My starting gravity is quite a bit lower and after trying champagne and ale yeast, I prefer ale.
Having said all that, if it works for you then no need to **** around with the recipe.

My recipe is at ginger beer. Next time round I would make a big starter and use some malt in the recipe. Also I might leave some of the acid additions till after fermentation.