Kit & Kilo Ginger Beer

[milob40]

done a search for ginger beer on the forum but search seems to freeze up.
i want to brew a kit ginger beer, can anyone sugest a good kit for this from experience?
not interested in gettin too fancy with it, just a decent k&k style. (unless there are any fast enhancements)
also is it likely to taint my fermenter long term?

 

[barls]

ether morgans or coopers.
ive been brewing them for years and never had any taint in my fermentors.

 

[GrumpyPaul]

Last summer I made a non alcoholic version of this with my daughter (simply left out the sugar and bottled after about 5 or 5 days).

We only used about 200g of fresh ginger - (at the time it was $26 a kilo, so it was a bit expensive)

This makes an awesome ginger beer - with a little kick of chilli.


1 x Coopers Ginger Beer
500g Fresh ginger (1/2 grated and 1/2 sliced)
3 tsp of dry ginger
125g Buderum ginger marmalade
11 sliced up long red chillies
3 whole cloves
150g brown sugar
1 whole lemon squeezed

Boil up some water
Add in the lemon juice,honey, chilli and fresh ginger.
After 15-20 minutes add in the brown sugar,cloves and dry ginger.
Boil another 10-15 minutes.

Strain into fermenter (or don't strain, I didn't)
Add extract.
1.5kg of raw sugar.

This year I might have to try the proper alcohilic version

 

[Hatchy]

Coopers GB, 1kg raw sugar, water & yeast. Comes out at about 3.5% so if you want a headbanger then up the sugar. It would be better with better yeast but it's turned out fine for me with kit yeast.

 

[enuun]

Normally I brew my ginger beer in a 2l pet bottle with 150g grated ginger, 1 cup sugar and 2 lemons. Turns out nice and dry

 

[lczaban]

I've always used Morgans kits with my GB - the yeast & dry enzyme work a treat. My advise would be to use some fresh ginger, raw or dark/moist brown sugar and add a thinly sliced chilli into the fermentor to get a nice, ginger bite. Enjoy!

 

[roo_dr]

Just pitched my first one of these today - will let you know how things go...

Coopers GB can
500g LDME
600g Raw Sugar
500g Honey
75g rough grated fresh ginger

Yeast harvested from Cooper's Sparkling

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

This is going against the concept of the original thread, but I've done enough K&K GB to say something.

Don't use beer malt. I tried it once. It sucked. Not enough to stop me eventually drinking it, but it still sucked.

I have one ready to bottle. 3kg ginger (it's $10 per kg at the local markets and more fresh than the supermarkets) peeled, chopped up and boiled for a couple of hours and 1kg raw sugar (I prefer it). The boiling also acts as a fantastic insect repellant (extra rain=increase mozzies).

Smells great and has had a few weeks in fermentation (I don't want bottle bombs TYVM).

Goomba

 

[roo_dr]

Don't use beer malt. I tried it once. It sucked. Not enough to stop me eventually drinking it, but it still sucked.

Why wasn't I told this 24hrs ago?!!?!

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Why wasn't I told this 24hrs ago?!!?!

If it less than 25% or so of your bill, should be okay. I did one where it was 50/50 and it was drinkable, but not great.

Funny thing is monteith's summer ale is a beer using ginger and it is beautiful.

That was back when I was extract brewing. So it would have had saaz hops in it as well.

Goomba

 

[New2thebrew]

I have a simple GB in the fermenter at the moment;

1 can Coopers GB
2kg raw sugar
4 tablespoons grated ginger

Brought 250ml of water to the boil in a small saucepan, reduced to a simmer, added ginger and let steep for 10 mins. The liquid (strained) added to the fermenter with can & sugar.

Has been fermenting for a little over 2 weeks now & smells fantastic.

Should come out at about 7% ABV

 

[mkstalen]

I just cracked open the following recipe and was mighty impressed.

Ingredients for 21L:
1 Coopers kit ginger beer
750mL bottle of Buderim Lime refresher with Ginger
270g Dextrose
250g LDME
500g Brown Sugar
~300g Golden Syrup (what was left in the jar)
500g fresh ginger
50g ginger powder
4 small chillis
5 whole cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 sticks of cinnamon
1 lemon rind and juice
1 tsp of Vanilla Escense
2L Apple juice
US-05 yeast

Method:
Peel and grate ginger
Bash the cloves in a morter and pessle
Halve chillis
Into a pot put 3L water and add the Grated ginger, Golden syrup, Chillis (seeds and all), Cloves, Nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon, vanilla and Buderim refresher.
Bring to boil for 25 min.
Strain via my BIAB bag into a 2nd pot (that was mission in itself) and add the dextrose, LDME, and Coopers kit
Bring to boil for 5min.
Into the fermenter with the apple juice and top up to 21L.
Yeast pitched @ 24
Ferment @ 19deg

OG = 1.042
FG = 1.009

In primary for 2 weeks. Bulk primed with 160g white sugar and bottled into 1.5L & 2L PET.

 

[mattcarty]

I agree with hatchy

coopers kit, 1 kg raw sugar and yeast. all my mates even the ones who dont usually drink my beer love it. I spend ages doing intricate beer brews AG and extracts and the one they love is a basic K&K ginger beer.

wierd.

its an easy brew that still tastes great

 

[milob40]

I have a simple GB in the fermenter at the moment;

1 can Coopers GB
2kg raw sugar
4 tablespoons grated ginger

Brought 250ml of water to the boil in a small saucepan, reduced to a simmer, added ginger and let steep for 10 mins. The liquid (strained) added to the fermenter with can & sugar.

Has been fermenting for a little over 2 weeks now & smells fantastic.

Should come out at about 7% ABV

wow. sounds good but it'll kick like a mule :icon_drunk:
glad i started this thread as there's some very interesting variations in chemistry to tinker with
and i think tinkering with a gb is more forgiving if i screw it up.
what temp are you fermenting at ?

 

[milob40]

oh bugger , i suppose i'll have to buy some bottles (not a good brew for kegging as the secondary fermentation in the bottle probably adds the character/cloudiness?)
thanks for all the recipes , i'll probly make 2 brews ..... 1 with alchamahol and1without for the minister for finance and recreation

 

[Hatchy]

Where are you? There's a chance you'll score some free bottles from someone. I've kegged ginger beer without any problems.

 

[New2thebrew]

wow. sounds good but it'll kick like a mule :icon_drunk:
glad i started this thread as there's some very interesting variations in chemistry to tinker with
and i think tinkering with a gb is more forgiving if i screw it up.
what temp are you fermenting at ?

Currently fermenting at about 22c (which is not bad for Spring in Brisvegas)

 

[milob40]

Where are you? There's a chance you'll score some free bottles from someone. I've kegged ginger beer without any problems.

so hatchy , no long term tainting of beer lines?
thats what concerns me

 

[Hatchy]

Not that I've noticed. Probably worth running some sod perc through the line to make sure. I just ran water through.

 

[milob40]

one thing i didn't ask.... how long should i leave it to mature in bottles before it tastes reasonable?
does anyone invert the bottle to stir it up before opening to give it the authentic cloudy look or does it stuff it up?
hey hatchy, do you leave yours in the keg to mature for a few weeks or its it good to gas and guzzle straight away?