What would happen if.......?

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AJS2154

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Ok, not sure if this question should be in the all grain forum, the partials or even extract but here goes....

What would happen if I mash and boil say 25 litres of pale ale, as always. I would then pass it through my plate chiller and split the wort into 2 half batches of 12.5 litres. Each half into different fermenters.

At that stage I would add to each fermenter half a can of Coopers Ginger Beer, maybe 500g of sugar (or maybe some dark invert sugar) and top up with water to 23 litres and then ferment with Safale 05, or maybe even champagne yeast.

Has anybody tried it, would it work? What do you think would be the best beer to brew as a base? Maybe something with crystal in it perhaps so it isn't too dry?

Just kicking it around for now, but seriously considering it for my next brew day.

All feedback appreciated. Anthony
 
I don't know what a half all grain / half kit ginger beer would be called. Well my first thought was "what a stupid idea" but worth an experiment! you might have stumbled onto the next big thing! but I reckon you should alter one of the brews in some way so you don't get two identical brews. try different yeasts in each beer or do one 25% ginger beer and the other 75% to see the difference.
 
Yeah, thanks for the response Coodgee.

When I thought of it I original reaction was "what a stupid idea", but then I kicked it around for a while. I am looking for a ginger flavour in a beer, I think that would be nice.

Agree on not making 2 identical batches, but wouldn't want to change too many variables all at once. That is why I might need to do a standard beer and then maybe add in some steeped crystal, even a very slight roast / chocolate from some carafa II special.
 
From all my reading on the subject Coodgee, adding ginger is a bit tricky and it can fade in flavour over time. My approach to the kit was that is a pretty strong flavour and might be more obvious for longer.

So many ways to make this great product, and so little time available.
 
If I were heading down your proposed path, I'd be far more inclined to brew & ferment the ginger beer and the base beer separately, then bottle/keg most of each batch separately make up a dozen or so bottles in various proportions (maybe 4 bottles 25/75, 4 50/50, 4 75/25). That way I should ensure that I have at least the base beer as a decent brew, even if I hate the rest of it. Plus you could mix the separate brews if there was a combo you particularly liked.

If I wanted a great tasting beer with ginger notes, I'd be brewing a ginger spiced saison, maybe adding some other spices. I've often thought (but always too late to actually brew it in time) that a Christmas Saison would be just the ticket for an Aussie Christmas celebration - saison spiced with ginger, dried orange peel, cloves and cinnamon. Might have to give it a try
 
AJS2154 said:
From all my reading on the subject Coodgee, adding ginger is a bit tricky and it can fade in flavour over time.
Easy fix - drink it quicker.

Never tried it in a beer (other than ginger beer but that does not count), but my limited experience using it in cider is that it melds with the other flavors and becomes gentler and less harsh but you still know its there without it blowing your head off - more a gentle tickle on the tongue and a gentle warming. There is a theory that you shouldn't be able to distinguish individual spices used in a well brewed beer, which sort of makes sense for something fairly subtle like a good wit, but maybe less so if you want the spice to be the star.
 
There a a few ginger flavoured beers on the market - most of them are pretty horrible but it might work with a well made base beer.
Ginger beer kits usually contain an artificial sweetener so you are contending with that.

Not my cup of tea but not my beer either. No reason you can't make it work for you although I'd be going down the fresh ginger route personally, dosing up a favourite recipe per glass then extrapolatating to full batch.
Also consider cordial (buderim ginger cordial) in keg or glass.
 
AJS2154 said:
Ok, not sure if this question should be in the all grain forum, the partials or even extract but here goes....

What would happen if I mash and boil say 25 litres of pale ale, as always. I would then pass it through my plate chiller and split the wort into 2 half batches of 12.5 litres. Each half into different fermenters.

At that stage I would add to each fermenter half a can of Coopers Ginger Beer, maybe 500g of sugar (or maybe some dark invert sugar) and top up with water to 23 litres and then ferment with Safale 05, or maybe even champagne yeast.

Has anybody tried it, would it work? What do you think would be the best beer to brew as a base? Maybe something with crystal in it perhaps so it isn't too dry?

Just kicking it around for now, but seriously considering it for my next brew day.

All feedback appreciated. Anthony
A can of ginger beer is were I revolt. Those concentrated syrups are not nice or a real example of the real ingredient. The only ginger I like is to be put in fresh/grated. 20g to a 20lt brew in late boil makes a difference. Its just ginger only. Not a manufactured totally adulterated concoction syrup.
If I make a non alcohol Ginger ale or an all grain beer its the same principle. Use the real ingredients if you can.
 
A word of warning. The Coopers GB kit turns out very sweet (due to an excessive addition of artificial sweetener - think soft drink sweet) and is also quite cloudy. There is also something in it that can cause a pretty nasty hangover the next day if you have a few. I probably would not brew it again for those reasons as well as the fact that it took me over a week of repeated soakings in bleach to get the fake ginger stink right out of the FV.
 
Ok, understood. To be honest, I have never brewed the Coopers Ginger kit, I am surprised it is that sweet. I will keep researching some other methods.

Perhaps this is the way to go:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=141080

I am almost there with the AG recipe, I probably should keep going and add the ginger, lemon and honey. Get it done without the kit.
 
Not just my word but from Coopers web site spokesman PB2:

Yes, cloudy and sweet are good descriptors of our Ginger Beer - it contains a sweetener called “Sucralose”, which is not fermented by the yeast.
 
There's pretty much bugger all point in adding honey if you're going to boil it for an hour as per the linked recipe Boiling drives off the aroma and flavour compounds and you're left with a very expensive sugar solution with little of the honey notes left. If you don't want to use sulphite to sanitise the honey, you can steep at 70C or a little higher for 10 minutes with the lemon and ginger, or a little longer, to pasteurise - it also makes it easier to dissolve the honey and to extract the lemon and ginger flavours.
 
Blind Dog said:
.... you can steep at 70C or a little higher for 10 minutes with the lemon and ginger, or a little longer, to pasteurise - it also makes it easier to dissolve the honey and to extract the lemon and ginger flavours.
Sounds good. Yes, I thought it odd that he would put the honey in so early. I read that and immediately thought I would change to 5 minutes boil only.

I am interested in your comment though. Do you steep the honey / lemon, ginger at 70C and then just dump them directly into the fermenter, or back into the brew kettle then cool for fermentation?
 
You'll need a decent amount of water to dissolve the honey properly - about 500ml per kg of honey should do it, but it's reasonably obvious if it's dissolved properly or not. Personally, I'd cover it in foil sprayed with starsan and add it when cool.
 
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