Looking for Bundaberg Ginger Beer clone recipe

[Chookers]

I am looking for a recipe to make some ginger beer for my nieces, they are only kiddies so its to be a soft drink.. really wanted it to be like Bundaberg ginger beer.

I have come across a lot of recipes, my criteria are:

NO KITS!
it will be bottle conditioned for fizz
I have lactose, and no experience using it..

I also have some Dried Dark Malt Extract about 750g, around 300g Lactose, about 300g ginger root.

I wanted to make about 4L.

heres another concern. I tasted the Lactose, and to me it was not sweet in the slightest, just chalky.. does this change during fermentation.

Give me your best recipes people. I wanted it ready by Christmas.

Cheers

 

[Chookers]

I'm just wining it then.. lactose is not working.. is it supposed to sweeten or not.. I used a lot and it didn't get any sweeter.

 

[idzy]

If you find one, I am interested.

 

[earle]

How much dark dry malt extract did you put in? If you put 750g in 4L and let it ferment you could end up about 6.8% alc.

 

[Beersuit]

I have a soft ginger beer on tap at the moment.
700g fresh crushed ginger
2kg sugar
1 lemon cut in half
Mixed up to 15l and let sit for 2 days keg and enjoy. Don't let it get warm or something might ferment it.

 

[Chookers]

I was trying to do this bottle carb, I don't have a keg set up.. Im starting to think I'd better get one.. Im just short on space and I only do small batches. I have only got one fridge and its got food in it.lol

idzy, if I find one, I will post it on here.

Earle, I used:

55g of Dark DME
181g Lactose
250g Coopers Brew Enhancer 1(I know it will not be soft anymore)
1 Lemon chopped
60g grated ginger
1/4tsp boiled yeast
Safale S04 yeast
Water up to the 4L mark

I tried to adapt this recipe, http://www.liquorcraft.com.au/wa.asp?idWebPage=13634&idDetails=108
to a 4L version, but I got the shits with it and added the Brew Enhancer, so I know it wont be for the kids anymore.. but now they're asking for it and I gotta come up with one for them that is bottle carbed and not a bomb.

I've also got an experiment going which is my Grandmas recipe, I am trying to make it as closed fermentation rather than the open version it was originally and inoculated it with the Safale S04. I think these will both end up down the drain.

The only other way I know of doing this is the unfortunate glass bottle pasteurizing of carbed, I think I read on here somewhere put them in a pot of water heat to 70 (or heated to 70, I cant remember which now) to kill the yeast and stop fermentation.. I am pretty nervous about doing that though.. don't want explosions. I know my glass beer bottles can take 4 gas volumes max carbonation. I don't know what ginger beer would be or how that would change with raising the temps.

 

[Chookers]

this sparkling wine bottle can do 7 gas volumes. http://www.plasdene.com.au/shop-menu/wine/sparkling/australian-range-2/cork-4/cork-ac-750-194-ag-detail

maybe I should get some of these???

 

[earle]

I would be very wary of ginger beer like this in glass bottles, maybe use PET or just recycle some soft drink bottles.

Without going to the full expense of a kegging system perhaps you could get the same outcome with a stainless steel carbonation cap (about $20) and a mini charger ($30-50) which uses the little co2 bulbs. CO2 is not cheap this way but if your only doing a few litres would probably be ok.

That way you could make a soft ginger beer like beersuit's recipe and force carb. Keep it in the fridge so no fermentation occurs, don't need to stuff around with lactose or trying to figure out how to sweeten it.

 

[antiphile]

I'm just wining it then.. lactose is not working.. is it supposed to sweeten or not.. I used a lot and it didn't get any sweeter.

G'day Chook

I've also seen many people claim that lactose in a brew provides sweetness. In my opinion, that is the biggest load of cobblers I've heard for a long long time. In my (limited) experience, it certainly provides more body, but absolutely bugger all sweetness. I reckon you may as well use maltodextrin (unless you're making a milk stout).

 

[fletcher]

I have a soft ginger beer on tap at the moment.
700g fresh crushed ginger
2kg sugar
1 lemon cut in half
Mixed up to 15l and let sit for 2 days keg and enjoy. Don't let it get warm or something might ferment it.

sounds awesome. if you don't mind, could you give us bit more detail about the process? i might try one myself. do you boil the ginger up first with the sugar and lemon? top up with cold water? what's the process? thanks mate!

 

[Beersuit]

No boil Fletcher just use a jug of boiled water to resolve the sugar. Add ginger and lemon top up with cold water.
If you were wanting to bottle you can always add some uso5 after a day and bottle this in PET. When the bottles get solidly stiff refrigerate.

 

[Chookers]

Earle, that's a good idea, I actually have one like this http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/262130137476?limghlpsr=true&hlpht=true&ul_noapp=true&hlpv=2&chn=ps&lpid=107&ops=true&viphx=1

I always dismissed it because I thought it wouldn't carb enough.. I don't know if the gas cylinders are still available.

I will try that recipe Beersuit, thanks and I will look into hunting down some gas cylinders.

 

[Chookers]

been experimenting with stevia today as I'm going it in the garden.. its sweet but kinda makes you thirsty... is that a good thing.. there is a slight bitterness, but I think that would be lost in a ginger beer..

 

[MaltyHops]

I am looking for a recipe to make some ginger beer for my nieces, they are only kiddies so its to be a soft drink.. really wanted it to be like Bundaberg ginger beer.
...

You could maybe just get some Buderim Ginger Refresher (no affil.) - mixed with soda/sparkl. mineral water in the right proportions, it is very close to the Bundaberg Ginger Beer.

 

[Chookers]

MaltyHops, "you just don't get it, do you Scott"

I have ginger cordial and soda water.. I just wanted to make my own.. if all else fails I will have something to fall back on though, thanks

 

[earle]

You could maybe just get some Buderim Ginger Refresher (no affil.) - mixed with soda/sparkl. mineral water in the right proportions, it is very close to the Bundaberg Ginger Beer.


w.buderimginger.com new_refresher_cordial_rgb.jpg

I was going to suggest the same but figured you wanted to make your own

 

[Chookers]

sorry for the Dr Evil quote.. lol

yeh, its just a stupid challenge I've set myself.. which I set myself infront of my nieces and they don't forget anything.. 5 year olds have memories like elephants.

 

[Kingy]

I love that buderim ginger with soda water so refreshing on a hot day. I usually brew a ginger this time of year might get my ass into gear and get one happening this weekend.

 

[Chookers]

is this idea for a 4lt batch wrong?

I was thinking I will try this with my stevia solution I have made up.. I know it will be quite thin if I do this, so I was thinking if I used the lactose as well it might round it out a bit.. ***any thought?***

Also thought I might try carbing it up with the Dark Dried Malt I have.. for 4L I have calculated around 30-40g.. any thoughts on this point.

Then that only leaves the flavour of the ginger, I have an acid mix with I was thinking of adding.. all by taste.. and another thought keeps popping in my head (I don't know why) but I feel like I should put vanilla essence in this thing... is that a normal thing to do with ginger beer??

 

[Chookers]

going to get my spare demijohn out and test this out.. I will take notes and hope for the best.