Monster Ginger Beer Help!

[Stagwa]

I have made up a ginger beer that is a bastardisation of Chappos father and son that looks like this:



10 Liters

500g light dried Malt

500g Honey

1KG brown sugar

700g Fresh ginger

3 Cinnamon sticks

3 Limes (juice and zest)

2 Lemons (juice and zest)

Crap kit yeast for nutrients



Took a sample this morning to get OG and pitched Coopers kit yeast and then read the Hydrometer 1.078!!!



Is this too big for a ginger beer?



Cheers,

Stagwa.

 

[chappo1970]

Is this too big for a ginger beer?



Cheers,

Stagwa.

Looks perfect! Obviously your going for an alcoholic version so yes it's going to be a high ABV but the ginger will disguise the alcohol hot taste and flavour.

Cheers

Chappo

 

[bum]

Will a kit yeast survive that high alc level if it tries to ferment down as low as GBs usually do?

Anyone else wondering if it'll stop around 1020?

 

[Pete2501]

That's going to be a beasty GB @ 1.078. I made one on Saturday but wasn't nearly as high. Someone left the tap open and we lost about a pint of wort.

• 1.25kg Super brown sugar
• 1kg dextrose
• 750ml Bundaberg premium ginger cordial
• 2 lemons sliced
• 1kg fresh ginger

After losing some of the wort it had a OG of 1.050. I used a generic yeast from LHBS TWOC which should chomp through the sugars just fine.

I boiled everything but the cordial for an hour then strained the wort and added the cordial.

 

[Pete2501]

I have made up a ginger beer that is a bastardisation of "Chappo's father and son" that looks like this:

10 Liters

Only 10 litres for all of that? I made mine up to 21 and a half.

 

[Stagwa]

Thanks Chappo should be able to anethetise my mother in law at Christmas time!



Bum - Ill let you know if the yeast manages to survive and eat its way through all the fermentables.



Pete I used this http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=30492 as a base and sort of halved (I only have space in fermenting fridge for 10 l Jerry can) and added the malt for some residual sweetness.



The sample tastes promising, a little sweet at the moment though.



Cheers,

Stagwa

 

[ant]

I've used a champagne yeast with success before to drop a monster GB that had stagnated at 1.024 down to about 1.008. Was too much residual sweetness above 1.020.

 

[bum]

Bum - I'll let you know if the yeast manages to survive and eat its way through all the fermentables.

Please do. I just read my post back and it looks a bit narky. Not intended at all. Good luck with it.

 

[Stagwa]

No Worries mate, I have the same thought.

 

[marlow_coates]

+1 for using a champagne yeast if the kit yeast doesn't do the job.

Made a 9% GB from an online recipe, and it took a good while to ferment out, adding the extra yeast after about 2 weeks from memory.

The champagne yeast did leave it quite dry though, but I was after that quality so was happy.

Good luck,

Marlow

 

[Pete2501]

The champagne yeast did leave it quite dry though, but I was after that quality so was happy.

Good luck,

Marlow

I don't want a sweet GB so this is good news.

 

[manticle]

How certain are you that the reading was accurate? Was there malt in the tap? Did you double check?

If it is that high, you'll be able to fermetn it down using some of the above suggestions (wine/champagne yeast etc).

Then mix it with rum and lime and drink during summer.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

If kit yeast was nutrient what was actual yeast? Sorry if I missed it.

 

[Stagwa]

Manticle - Yeah man that is the reading. The jerry can was in the fermenting fridge over night to cool down before pitching. The malt was mixed & boiled with water. I took a sample in the flask and pitched the Cooper kit yeast (from a beer kit) before floating the hydrometer. First reading was 1.082!! I then shook the shite out of the fermenting vessel to make sure it was mixed, next sample come out at 1.078. There was some crap Brigalow yeast used in the boil for nutrients (Chappos recipe suggested using nutrients).



At the moment fermentation seems to have kicked off froth forming, condensation and dare I say it air lock action. If the yeast has a problem finishing I will try the champagne yeast.



Sounds dangerous with rum and lime Its always summer in Cairns!



Cheers,

Stagwa.

 

[manticle]

Manticle - Yeah man that is the reading.


Cheers,

Stagwa.

The only reason I ask is because it's a common problem for brewers to read the hydrometer too high on their first reading as malt may gather down the bottom of the fermenter before fermentation begins. This can give too high a reading. Always best to tap off a little and drink or discard, then take another smaple. Sorry if you alrerady knew this.

Beyond that - nothing wrong with high gravity anything in my book.

 

[Pete2501]

Ten days later how are things tasting?

 

[Stagwa]

Just a quick update:

Hydro reading on the weekend was 1.004 and it tastes rather boozy. More like a wine and the ginger flavour is not very strong. I have racked into a secondary vessel onto 500ml of Bundaberg diet ginger beer cordial in the hope that this will give it some sweetness and more ginger beer flavour.

Cheers,
Stagwa

 

[Pete2501]

I kegged Thursday or Friday last week and started drinking Saturday. It'll need a couple more days to get it carbed right but it was fine for a Sunday session BBQ in the back yard.

Mine was a bit sweet but I kegged at 1010. Also the ginger bite was light but It's only 2 weeks old beer so meh. I think its more that the sugar is masking the ginger bite.

Edit: ginger taste.

 

[wynnum1]

you can put Cayenne Pepper in only a small amount