pdilley
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 1/3/09
- Messages
- 1,393
- Reaction score
- 31
Ginger Beer Water-Kefir,
by Dominic Anfiteatro
This is quite possibly the original Ginger Beer Recipe. It is suggested that water kefir-grains were referred to as the Ginger Beer Plant when the culture was first introduced to the west, by British soldiers on their return back from the Crimean War.
Ingredients
8-cup glass Mason jar or similar with a good strong sealing lid [preserving jars with swing away lids are also ideal].
6 cups spring water [hard water-type is recommended, see tip below].
1/2 cup raw sugar.
1 Tsp black strap molasses
About 50gm [2oz] fresh ginger root [Young green ginger root is best].
Slice of Lemon.
1 dry Fig or 2 Tbs Sultanas, Sun Muscat or Raisins or a combination.
2/3 to 1-cup traditional Sugary Kefir-Grains (aka Water Kefir Grains, can be made from traditional Milk Kefir Grains).
1/8 to 1/4 Tsp pure baking powder [sodium bicarbonate].
* 1 cm or 1/2" square piece of eggshell from a boiled egg, either used as flakes or coarsely ground to grit. [Optional ingredient, but provides best SKG growth with bio-available calcium and magnesium, which is desirable. Substitute eggshell with oceanic coral or limestone or a mixture if you wish. Use about 1/4 Tsp coarsely ground grit]
Milk Kefir Grains and Water Kefir Grains side by side:
What the grains look like to scale:
Method
Finely grate fresh ginger root to a coarse consistency. Mix with 2 Tbs raw sugar in a bowl. With a strong spoon, firmly press the mash against the bowl to extract as much juice as possible from the grated ginger. [The sugar draws out more ginger juice through osmotic pressure. If you have a mortar and pestle, then use it to pound the mixture for a minute or so. This should extract more ginger juice from the pulp]. Put mash in a 15cm [6"] square piece of clean, white cloth and squeeze by hand to express the sweetened ginger juice into the 8-cup glass jar. Another option is to use grated ginger, and put this in a piece of cotton gauze, tied with string to make a tea bag of ginger. Simply put this in the jar with the rest of the ingredients.
Add sodium bicarbonate, rest of the raw sugar, molasses and eggshell or coral grit in glass jar with 6 cups water. Stir well to dissolve all the sugar and molasses and then add rest of ingredients including the sugary kefir grains. Seal jar airtight, and let stand for 2 days at room temperature [Stir contents after 24 hours, and again a few times when possible there after]. Strain liquid water-kefir, and store in airtight sealable bottles. Best enjoyed chilled after 1 to 2 days refrigeration. This shall increase carbonation to give a nice, refreshing fizzy ginger root-beer.
Tips: Try storing the sealed bottle at room temperature for one day before refrigeration. This should increase fizz and reduce sugar content faster than fridge storage. Water kefir-grains do not grow well, in fact, growth may cease altogether if using filtered water of any kind, including Brita or active carbon filtered water over some 6 or so batches. Chlorine is not good for natural organisms like in kefir grains so use water previously boiled in a kettle and cooled or leave water out overnight to off gas any chlorine gas.
Notes: Fresh ginger juice can be left to stand for a few hours to precipitate the starch, seen as a white sediment. This white starch sediment can be separated by decanting the ginger root juice. The sediment can be used to thicken stir-fry dishes, or soups, for it has a similar property to Kudzu [Japanese arrowroot]. The wet sediment can be air dried to a powder and stored in a sealed container for future use. If using a unrefined dry cane sugar juice such as muscovado, sucanat or demarara etc. omit molasses.
Cheers,
Brewer Pete
by Dominic Anfiteatro
This is quite possibly the original Ginger Beer Recipe. It is suggested that water kefir-grains were referred to as the Ginger Beer Plant when the culture was first introduced to the west, by British soldiers on their return back from the Crimean War.
Ingredients
8-cup glass Mason jar or similar with a good strong sealing lid [preserving jars with swing away lids are also ideal].
6 cups spring water [hard water-type is recommended, see tip below].
1/2 cup raw sugar.
1 Tsp black strap molasses
About 50gm [2oz] fresh ginger root [Young green ginger root is best].
Slice of Lemon.
1 dry Fig or 2 Tbs Sultanas, Sun Muscat or Raisins or a combination.
2/3 to 1-cup traditional Sugary Kefir-Grains (aka Water Kefir Grains, can be made from traditional Milk Kefir Grains).
1/8 to 1/4 Tsp pure baking powder [sodium bicarbonate].
* 1 cm or 1/2" square piece of eggshell from a boiled egg, either used as flakes or coarsely ground to grit. [Optional ingredient, but provides best SKG growth with bio-available calcium and magnesium, which is desirable. Substitute eggshell with oceanic coral or limestone or a mixture if you wish. Use about 1/4 Tsp coarsely ground grit]
Milk Kefir Grains and Water Kefir Grains side by side:
What the grains look like to scale:
Method
Finely grate fresh ginger root to a coarse consistency. Mix with 2 Tbs raw sugar in a bowl. With a strong spoon, firmly press the mash against the bowl to extract as much juice as possible from the grated ginger. [The sugar draws out more ginger juice through osmotic pressure. If you have a mortar and pestle, then use it to pound the mixture for a minute or so. This should extract more ginger juice from the pulp]. Put mash in a 15cm [6"] square piece of clean, white cloth and squeeze by hand to express the sweetened ginger juice into the 8-cup glass jar. Another option is to use grated ginger, and put this in a piece of cotton gauze, tied with string to make a tea bag of ginger. Simply put this in the jar with the rest of the ingredients.
Add sodium bicarbonate, rest of the raw sugar, molasses and eggshell or coral grit in glass jar with 6 cups water. Stir well to dissolve all the sugar and molasses and then add rest of ingredients including the sugary kefir grains. Seal jar airtight, and let stand for 2 days at room temperature [Stir contents after 24 hours, and again a few times when possible there after]. Strain liquid water-kefir, and store in airtight sealable bottles. Best enjoyed chilled after 1 to 2 days refrigeration. This shall increase carbonation to give a nice, refreshing fizzy ginger root-beer.
Tips: Try storing the sealed bottle at room temperature for one day before refrigeration. This should increase fizz and reduce sugar content faster than fridge storage. Water kefir-grains do not grow well, in fact, growth may cease altogether if using filtered water of any kind, including Brita or active carbon filtered water over some 6 or so batches. Chlorine is not good for natural organisms like in kefir grains so use water previously boiled in a kettle and cooled or leave water out overnight to off gas any chlorine gas.
Notes: Fresh ginger juice can be left to stand for a few hours to precipitate the starch, seen as a white sediment. This white starch sediment can be separated by decanting the ginger root juice. The sediment can be used to thicken stir-fry dishes, or soups, for it has a similar property to Kudzu [Japanese arrowroot]. The wet sediment can be air dried to a powder and stored in a sealed container for future use. If using a unrefined dry cane sugar juice such as muscovado, sucanat or demarara etc. omit molasses.
Cheers,
Brewer Pete
