Sweetness Of Ginger Beer

[Newbiebrewer]

I have made gravityguru's recipe for ginger beer (recipe:GB) but ommiting the chilli. I find after sampling, that the brew is a fraction sweet and there is no ginger feel in the mouth. Will these issues correct with conditioning or will I have to remove some of the fermentables the next time I lay down a batch?

 

[bum]

If it is too sweet for you try omitting the dark brown sugar. I know it doesn't seem like much and I know people will tell you it will ferment right out but it definitely does effect the perceived sweetness of a GB. If that doesn't cut it look into recipes for a scratch GB as the tin's artificial sweeteners might be what is causing this problem for you. Or if you think it might just be a balance issue you can always put in more fresh ginger - my base recipe is somewhat similar to GravityGuru's but I use double the amount of fresh ginger and it works well for me. Also, a little chilli is known to extend the tail of the ginger bite which might rectify some of the issue for you (a little bit goes a long way, IMO).

Oh wait, when you say sampling what do you mean? SG samples? Or early bottle samples? If SG what is it sitting at?

In any case, once the GB is fermented out the ginger will only fade with time.

 

[Newbiebrewer]

I meant early bottle samples, my sg before bottling was 0.998. How much chilli would be sufficient to give it a boot in the arse? Also should I omit the dark sugar entirely or just cut it in half?

 

[bum]

Up to you and your tastes. Your FG suggests it is very dry already so if it is too sweet for you now maybe go large and omit it completely. Or possibly think about not using kits. Sounds like you like them pretty dry and a scratch GB is a pretty good way to go about making one of those. Have a look at this thread for ideas if you're interested: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...&hl=scratch

The chilli is a tricky one. Again, it comes down to personal taste. Me, I love hot food and it is never a problem but when it comes to chilli in drinks less is more for me. I'd say that one pretty hot chilli in a batch would be enough to subtly underscore the ginger bite but the balance is very fine, IMO, so you really just need to play with it and see what you reckon.

 

[Newbiebrewer]

hmm I might pour some gb today and add some lime through it to see if it can taste a difference.

 

[Wolfy]

I'd suggest you omit the kit for your next attempt, one would presume at that FG that all the sugars were fermented out which means the only sweetness you are tasting is the artificial stuff from the kit.

But lime/lemon are nice additions, I get lazy and use the bottled stuff from the supermarket as often as not.