Ginger Beer?

[WildebeestAttack]

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.

[post="59057"][/post]​

[/quote]


Pretty similar recipes. I should add mine is very gingery. I also reckon you could use less ginger if you blended it up. I just leave it in thin slices so I can remove it. Hell, it comes out that pungent I could probably re-use it with the next batch.

Citric Acid would be good to take the edge off the sweetness. I'm not trying to overpower it with Lemon or Lime - so will give that a try and see how the punters respond.

Any recommendations on Ale yeast? I only have wyeast 1272, 1762 and 1084, but would give it a crack some time.

I'm also planning on adding a bit of malt to the next batch.

(I'm always playing around with the recipe, I just haven't given it any radical overhauls - besides, some of the punters are now making their own, so the basic recipe is always being done by some one)

:excl: One more recommendation - use plastic bottles. This brew builds up a lot of pressure. I've even managed to blow out a couple of soft drink bottles. It could be potentially lethal in glass.

 

[sosman]

Pretty similar recipes. I should add mine is very gingery. I also reckon you could use less ginger if you blended it up. I just leave it in thin slices so I can remove it. Hell, it comes out that pungent I could probably re-use it with the next batch.

Citric Acid would be good to take the edge off the sweetness. I'm not trying to overpower it with Lemon or Lime - so will give that a try and see how the punters respond.

Any recommendations on Ale yeast? I only have wyeast 1272, 1762 and 1084, but would give it a crack some time.

I'm also planning on adding a bit of malt to the next batch.

(I'm always playing around with the recipe, I just haven't given it any radical overhauls - besides, some of the punters are now making their own, so the basic recipe is always being done by some one)

:excl: One more recommendation - use plastic bottles. This brew builds up a lot of pressure. I've even managed to blow out a couple of soft drink bottles. It could be potentially lethal in glass.

[post="59070"][/post]​

I have used citric, tartaric, even phosphoric acid. I haven't brewed a ginger beer since I acquired a pH meter but I suspect part of the reason for slow fermentation I have observed is low pH, hence my recommendation for possibly adding at the end of fermentation (at least partially).

I have only used dried yeast in a ginger beer but I reckon the 1272 would go well. I am likely to try something a bit crazy next time like a wheat yeast (eg 3068).

Agree on the plastic bottles.

BTW when I puree the ginger I don't bother removing it. The grated stuff was a clog fest, but maybe I should have removed it before the ferment.

 

[TidalPete]

[/quote]
Has anyone out there tried to make a ginger beer fron scratch?
[/quote]

I found this on the web somewhere (can't remember where). It is remarkably similar to the ginger beer recipe that my grandmother made when I was a little fella in the 50's. Haven't got around to trying it out yet, but it looks good.

GINGER BEER PLANT (BUNG)

Put in vessel (not metal) - we used a large peanut paste jar with a crochet doily over it! -

1/2 cup sugar
1 dessertspoon ground ginger
juice of 1 lemon
1 pint water

Stand 3 days. Pour off half water and feed for 10 days
1 teaspoon ginger and
1 teaspoon sugar

Note: Use tank water to start a bug if town supply is heavily chlorinated. It may take a couple of 'feedings' of 1 week to get the bug strong enough to be worth your while. Just halve the bug (throw the other half away) and renew as below.

BEER
Dissolve 4 cups sugar in 3 cups boiling water.
Strain bug through cloth (I used 2 thicknesses of muslin) and squeeze well.
Add juice from bug to sugar mixture.
Add juice 2 lemons, 25 cups cold water and bottle. (I used beer bottles, metal spring caps).

RENEW BUNG
Keep 1/2 bug left in the cloth (give the other half to a friend)
Put it back into the jar and add 1 cup warm water, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons ginger.
Feed with 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon ginger for 1 week.


Good luck.

 

[Airgead]

Has anyone out there tried to make a ginger beer fron scratch?
[/quote]

I found this on the web somewhere (can't remember where). It is remarkably similar to the ginger beer recipe that my grandmother made when I was a little fella in the 50's. Haven't got around to trying it out yet, but it looks good.

GINGER BEER PLANT (BUNG)


Good luck.

[post="59124"][/post]​

[/quote]

I've seen a couple of recipies like that floating around on the web. I'll have to give it a go some day.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Sleepy]

Hi guys,

Have just joined the forum. Brewed a ginger beer on Sunday (couldn't wait for GMK's recipie on Monday):

1 X Can Beermakers Giner Beer
1 X kg dextrose
2 X teaspoons of fresh crushed ginger (quickly boiled)
1 X juice of lemon
Yeast and nutrient from can
good sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon

My brew is bubbling very very slowly (once every 20 - 30secs) considering it is only the second day of primary fermentation. Is there a problem?

Also, is it ok to add some dry malt and brown sugar now?

Cheers

 

[kungy]

"My brew is bubbling very very slowly (once every 20 - 30secs) considering it is only the second day of primary fermentation. Is there a problem?"

No problem there. There could be a few factors why it isn't bubbling to fast. ie not the most viable yeast, tad to cold etc

You could add some dry malt and brown sugar now if you really want too. Problems that you may face though is oxidation, the problems of actually getting it to dissolve would be a big one, and mixing it and not compromising sanitation of your beer.

I would suggest you don't do anything, and chalk it down to experience. Leave it for next time. Instead you could try priming (if you bottle) with malt.

Will

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Been looking over this thread with some interest and thought some of you might be able to offer a bit of advice on re-creating a drink that I'm pretty fond of. It's an all naturally brewed ginger beer made in NZ by Phoenix, it's sold as a soft drink although being brewed it does contain around 0.9% alcohol. Its main characteristics are 1: a really strong fresh ginger taste (it's really good if you've got a cold!!) and 2: the fact that it's naturally sweetened using honey so it lacks the overpowering sweetness of the big commercial soft drinks and has a really nice honey taste to it. I'd love to try and approximate something close to it, although a bit more alcohol (say in the 4% range) would be nice. I'm only a novice so was thinking of starting with a kit and maybe adding a few enhancements, what would the best wa to add the extra ginger, honey and alcohol be? I was considering boiling up some malt, then dropping maybe 200gm of crushed fresh ginger and a jar of liquid honey into the boil just long enough to kill any nasties in them and adding the whole lot to the wort with the kit. Any suggestions? Does anyone know of any all-natural (or close to it) kits?

 

[barls]

the country brewer kit is pretty good, easy to make and very gingery

 

[yard glass]

hey guys,

This one is a mixture of a couple of recipes that i found.

Brigalow GB
Fresh Ginger 300gm ( finely grated )
Dex 600gm
Maltodex 400gm
Lemon Zest 2
Lemon Juice
Ground Nutmeg 1 tbsp
Brown Sugar 2 tbsp
Golden Syrup 2 tbsp
Ginger Powder 3 tbsp
Honey 2 tbsp
Cloves 2
Cinnamon 2'' stick
Champagne Yeast 10gm
supplied Nutrient

Bring 1.5lt water to boil
add dex, maltodex and fresh ginger, boil for 20min.
@ 20min add everything else except the Kit, Cloves and Cinnamon and boil for further 10min.
@ 30min add Kit, Cloves and Cinnamon, boil for further 10min.

Strain and top up to 22lt. I used filtered water.
Pitch @ 25* Cel.

This smelt and tasted awesome out of the bucket.

One question I have for you blokes that have used the EC-118 yeast.

How long can I expect this to take before it brews out ? Temp @ 24* approx.

One post I read earlier mentioned 16 days.
thanks
yardglass

 

[Charlie]

I made a batch from a real simple recipe:

1kg of ginger root (minced in a food processor)
4 lemons (sliced)
a couple of kilos of raw/brown sugar

I boiled/stewed the ginger root and lemons for around an hour in about my largest stock pot (aroudn 15L). Then mixed in the sugar until it disolved, and poured it into my fermenter, topping up with water (which was chilled). It ended up around 26 deg C, and I used a spare Cooper kit sachet I had lying around. There was a load of gunk at the bottom of the ferementer which made it hard to siphon off, so I would probably filter it out next time.

Turned out quite nice (I thought) really nice and gingery, but a little dry and not sweet enough for SHMBO. What sweet stuff could I through in instead that won't get fermented away - molasses ? golden syrup ? any other adjunct spring to mind ?

Next time I might add a chilli or two to the boil to give it a bit of a kick !

 

[yard glass]

hey charlie,

ever use the EC-118 Champagne with it?

How did it go ?

 

[Charlie]

No ... I've only made the one batch so far .... will that give it a sweeter taste ?

 

[user 5753]

Made a half batch and tried my first one today - beautiful. Great job GMK. Has a great subtle ginger taste, reminds me of Port Dock Brewery's Ginga - much better than a standard kit ginger beer.

I used a different yeast though (sorry, can't remember particulars).

Cheers GMK, well done.

 

[drsmurto]

Ginger Beer Recipee

Hi everyone, Just made this Ginger Beer up last Night.

Recipee is for a double batch.

2x cans of Beermakers Ginger Beer Kit
1.5kg of light malt
400gms of Dark brown sugar
1kg of Dextrose
3 teaspoons of Cinamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
one lemon and lime thinly sliced
1 x handfull of Cascade hops.
220gms of grated dry ginger..unpeeled.
General purpose Champagne dry yeast.

Make yeast starter.
Throw all ingredients except cans into large Saucepan with 6 litres of water.....Boil for 20mins.
Add can contents to fermenter. Strain liquid from saucepan into fermenter. Top up to approx 44 ltrs. Stir in yeast.

Note OG was only 1030. This should give approx 3.5 % when finished.
Will rack after 10 days for a further 2 weeks. Might need to add more ginger or lactose once racked to achieve balance - better taste.

Will let you know how it ends up....

After comments in a certain brew comp at a certain regional show i am looking to better my GB

Normally use ginger plus raw sugar and some spices - comments suggested its a tad thin.

So - tomorrow i will be reclaiming the kitchen for brewing, partner thought that AG meant i brewed outside.....

1.5kg ginger
1 kg LDME
1.5 kg sugar (combo of raw and dark/dememera)
0.5kg caramalt
2 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
2 lemons or 1 lemon, 1 lime
champers yeast

Cheers
DrSmurto