Ginger Beer?

[dane]

I am interested in brewing a ginger beer - probably a slightly alcoholic ginger beer.

Doc has posted his recipe and he said that it tasted quite good, and as follows :

Beer Makers Ginger Beer kit
Dextrose 800g
Powdered Light Malt 400g
Corn Syrup 200g
CSR Dark Brown Sugar 200g
20.2 litres of purified water
Yeast from kit re-hydrated with nutrient from kit
It came out at about 3% this one.


I would have thought a realy ginger beer would require actual ginger from the plant - rather than just using a kit. Does anyone have a different recipe that I can look at - that maybe has actual ginger in it?

Otherwise what other recipes are people using for a slightly acoholic ginger beer?

Thanks.

 

[Linz]

This recipe comes from "Home Brewing the CAMRA guide " by Graham Wheeler.

Pale malt 4kg
Crystal malt 300gm
Goldings hops 70gm(90mins)
Ginger root 30gm(15mins)

OG 1038
bitterness 30ebu
fg 1009
alc 3.9%
mash 67 deg C
mash 90min
boil 90min

Extract can replace pale malt with 3.450kg of light malt extract

Haven't done it so NO guarantees it works
only ginger beer I have made was an "Old Fashioned" kit g/beer with 1kg raw sugar instead of the 350gm to the con asks for. The family in-laws say its just like the ones they used to make from root ginger and sugar. I'm still trying to get their reciepe! ^_^

 

[kook]

http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/facts/200...gerbeer_16.html

That was linked in a thread on OCAU.

If you used more sugar in the boil (and some LDME or LLME) and transfered it to a fermenter after the boil it might be what you're looking for.

 

[Doc]

The recipe I posted doesn't need any more ginger in it as the amount from the Beer Makers kit is plenty IMHO.
However my LHBS does sell a Ginger Beer Booster if you want more of a ginger taste.

Cheers,
Doc

 

[PMyers]

Actually Doc, the ginger beer boosters are no longer produced IIRC.

However, most people treat ginger beer exactly like they would normal beer, which is a mistake. Whenever I brew ginger beer I give the fermenter a slight rock just before bottling to get some of the sediment back into suspension. Then before I open each bottle, I invert them several times to mix the bottle sediment through the brew. If you don't do this, and pour the ginger beer like you would your other beer, then you will end up with a rather tasteless fizz-water the colour of commercial lemonade. In ginger beer, it is the sediment that gives it the flavour and zing.

Cheers,
Pete

:chug:

 

[Doc]

Well if you want some of the ginger beer booster I'm sure I saw some at the Country Brewer in Thornleigh when I was their just before xmas.

As for my current batch of ginger beer, I added more CSR Dark Brown sugar and more dextrose to make the beer darker and more alcoholic. Took a reading this morning at it is sitting at 6.7%. Bit stronger than I wanted but the colour looks good.

Will bottle in the next couple of days. Will let you guys know when I sample the first bottle.

Beers,
Doc

 

[GMK]

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....

 

[dane]

I will be interested to see how this batch turns out!!

 

[GMK]

I will be interested to see how this batch turns out!!

Ginger Beer

We racked the ginger beer 2 weeks ago.
Tasted after racking....it didn't need anything.

Tasted some yesterday from the keg......gassed with nitrogen/CO2 mix.

Very, Very Tasty.
Not too much ginger so that it is over the top.
Finishes very clean and crisp...no after taste.

I contribute this to the use of the general champagne yeast....makes the finish dry and clean.

All in all, very well balanced, complex, full bodied ginger beer.
Excellent result for first time with this recipee.

Next time, might also add the following:

4 hands of rolled oats
4 hands of light rye malt
200 gms of franklin malt
All steeped for 90mins.....this should make it more complex and increase the alcohol % and make it more full bodied.

Will have to wait and see......Meanwhile, i will have another Ginger Beer.

:chug:

 

[dane]

Next time, might also add the following:

4 hands of rolled oats
4 hands of light rye malt
200 gms of franklin malt
All steeped for 90mins.....this should make it more complex and increase the alcohol % and make it more full bodied.

Are these additions for a 'double batch'?

I am planning on starting this recipe very soon - just want to get my quantities right.

 

[GMK]

Fin,

Because this is Ginger Beer, the quantities should be right...

I made a single batch of IPA with
200gms Franklin,
2 hands rolled oats
2 hands Light Rye
4 hands of Xtal Malt.

However, i will increase the Light Rye and Rolled Oats next time...will go for four hands (approx 100 gms) of each in a single beer batch - IPA, Killkenny, Dark and Stout.

This being the second time i have done this, adding oats and light rye malt...i am starting off conservative.
Instead of Franklin Malt, can choose any other light malt that is high in enzymes.

 

[PMyers]

Update on the above post regarding Ginger Beer Boosters...

... Pacific Brewing, the company behind Jads Ginger Beer and the afore mentioned Ginger Beer Boosters, will be ceasing production on their ginger beer lines in the next few months. I am unsure of an exact date, but we have been unable to order the boosters since Christmas, and the kits will go off the market VERY soon.

Cheers,
Pete

:chug:

 

[Doc]

Well I cracked the first bottle of my second batch of ginger beer on Sunday night.
Yummmmm.
After my first batch that came out at 3%, I wanted this one to be a darker colour and more alocholic.
Darker it is and weighing in at 6.3%.
I tastes fantastic too.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Juan Antonio Hernandez]

what did you add to raise the alco level so high......

 

[Doc]

an extra:
200g dextrose
100g powdered light malt
200g csr dark brown sugar

that and the final gravity was lower (prev. 1014 now 1008)

Cheers,
Doc

 

[Juan Antonio Hernandez]

GMK started your ginger beer double batch today..... only did 23l but still looked smelt and tasted great..... i also added some honey and left out the lemon (only because i couldn't get 1) now i have to wait unfortunately.... looks like a great drop.... i just added a champage yeast called LALVIN EC-118.... just wondering if that will be okay...it says selected in champage regions so i assume all will be okay....anyways thanks for the recipie now wanna start a merry berry..... how has that batch come of age...???? :chug:

 

[PMyers]

EC-1118 is an excellent yeast for a dry wine as it is more attenuative than generic ale yeasts. It should help get the F.G. down a little lower due to this. It is a very good yeast and will ferment neutral so it shouldn't give off much in the way of taste differences.

Cheers,
Pete

:chug:

 

[dane]

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....

Just about to head up to the local HBS to get the goodies for this batch GMK.

My mate (Juan Antonio Hernandez - have to congratulate him on that nick) started it last night and he said it have be bubbling away furiously!!

Looking forward to it

Will keep you all informed and post any findings/results :chug:

 

[fergiej]

After reading about these great ginger beer recipes I decided to give an achoholic one a go (I had made soft drink versions before). After mixing it up and taking an SG, I decided to add more sugar for a bigger kick .

Well, I've just tried my first one and it was shocking, way to sweet :blink: . I had a FG of 1.000.

Should I leave this longer to condition? (4 weeks now).

Has anyone else had this problem?

I would like to get this right and if I can't save it I will try again.

 

[dane]

My current batch is WAY to sweet as well - it has been in bottles for about a month now - I will just leave it to see if it changes much - i doubt it.

It seems that whatever sugar levels are specified just stick to those.

i will hopefully get time to try GMK's version this weekend - been too busy to put it on.