Yeast For A Ginger Beer?

[Gulf]

Hi all,

I'm going to be putting together a ginger beer tonight. I've got a quick and easy recipe I've used with success a few times in the past but I've always used the kit yeast from the Cooper's ginger beer can. The results have been good but there's been a slight "yeasty" taste and not enough flocculation leaving the drink a little too cloudy in my opinion - even after a good few weeks in the keg.

So the question is this: What would be a your suggested yeast? I'm leaning towards US-05 as others on this forum seem to have used it with success in their recipes. Given I'm putting this down tonight, it needs to use something I have on hand, hence the following options: Cooper's GB kit yeast, Cooper's Pale Ale re-culture, US-05, champagne yeast (from Craftbrewer), ginger beer yeast (from Craftbrewer).

I'm not after recipe suggestions as there are plenty of threads dedicated to that already - only the yeast - but it is low alcohol, around 3.5-4%.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bum]

Depends, do you want it pretty dry? Then I'd go for the champers or GB yeasts. If not, prob the US05 out of that lot. Not that the US05 will make it particularly sweet, of course.

:icon_offtopic: I'm doing a (slightly mental) GB yeast experiment today, myself. S23. Yep. Anyone foresee any huge problems here?

 

[Gulf]

OK, just pitched the US-05 so we'll see how it goes. The ginger beer and champagne yeasts will have to wait 'till another day's experiments...
I might use the champagne yeast if I were making a high alcohol version, but I like this low-alc recipe I'm using, as a splash of Jamesons/CC/scotch is always an option (on ice, with a slice of lime/lemon, mint leaf, umbrella and bendy straw... yum).

In regards to S-23, I'm sure it will ferment, I would just worry about the conditioning time. I reckon my ginger beers are in their prime at around 4-6 weeks after which the fresh ginger zing starts to mellow, yet whenever I've used S-23 it's taken just under 3 months for the lagery-sulphur smell to completely dissipate.

Cheers.

 

[bum]

Yeah, I was worried about the bite dissipating too so I've upped my usual ginger amount by 50%. Hadn't considered the sulphur taking quite that long though. We'll see, I guess.

 

[jdsaint]

I am going to do a ginger beer (non-alcoholic) for x-mas, I just use 1kg of raw sugar and a can of coopers GB brew infermenter for 4-5 hours and bottle into coopers pet bottles, let condition for around 4-6 weeks, and presto great tasted ginger beer, I use for my dark and stormy's (rum & ginger beer)....

I would like to make a ginger beer around 2.5-3% though for that hot summer day

 

[chappo1970]

Always used US-05 in my GB's it's a great clean yeast. I'll be doing a double batch soon for summer and over the xmas break.

 

[DUANNE]

i havent done to many ginger beers but i would say not to use nottingham. i used this yeast with a kit + 1kg of ginger and it has scrubbed every bit of flavour out. tasted like ginger infused water or something , extremely bland.i have also used the kit yeast and 05 and would say that they will both do the job well enough.

 

[Barley Belly]

US05 all the way for me

My MKIII recipe:

Cooper's GB Kit
1KG LDME
1KG Raw Sugar
750ml Buderim GB Cordial
250g Grated Ginger

My updated MKIV recipe:

Cooper's GB Kit
1KG LDME
1KG Raw Sugar
750ml Buderim GB Cordial
250g Crushed Ginger
2 x Cinnamon Quills Crushed
4 x Cloves Crushed
1 x Lemon, zested and juiced

 

[EZE-09Z]

hi everyone,

sorry pretty new to this forum and this is my first post..........

im doing a Ginger beer for my first effort as i wasnt keen on a beer for a first go. im using a completly differnet yeast to whats on the board. the yeast im using is Lalvine ( EC1118)

the kit im using is a Grandma Norma's GB (alcho) kit without anything added to it and this is the yeast that came with the kit.

ive have it going now for 3 days and the SG was 1040 and now 3 days later its 1019. it says its a 7 day fermentation process so i still have a few more days to go but today after i took a gravity reading i decided to try what came out and i have to say its pretty darn good ! so i would imagine it will be better after the next 4 days plus the month in bottles.

i have to say im hooked in this home brewing now and look forward to the next kit i do........


cheers
Ernie

 

[bum]

I started on a GB kit too and hated mine (only a Coopers) but was hooked anyway - since yours is looking the goods already you're stuffed for life now, Ernie! Welcome aboard.

 

[Flash_DG]

I make my Ginger beer from a plant
non alc so the kids can have some too
is very nice and fun to make

 

[JindStar]

I make my Ginger beer from a plant
non alc so the kids can have some too
is very nice and fun to make

Hey Flash_DG, I'm wanting to make non-alcoholic GB too so my son and his friends can have some. The brew kits all say that they end up with a minimal - 0.7% approx alcohol content, so that 1.5litres is 1 standard drink- is your recipie absolutely no alcohol? and could you post it pls

 

[Flash_DG]

Hey Flash_DG, I'm wanting to make non-alcoholic GB too so my son and his friends can have some. The brew kits all say that they end up with a minimal - 0.7% approx alcohol content, so that 1.5litres is 1 standard drink- is your recipie absolutely no alcohol? and could you post it pls

No I don't think any of them are absolutely no aclohol unless you buy yourself a soda stream and use a ginger flavouring.
My kids drink this but only a glass once or twice a day. As long as it has yeast in it it will end up having alcohol in it.

 

[EZE-09Z]

No I don't think any of them are absolutely no aclohol unless you buy yourself a soda stream and use a ginger flavouring.
My kids drink this but only a glass once or twice a day. As long as it has yeast in it it will end up having alcohol in it.

thanks for the welcome guys........

the one i use can be non alcoholic......... just have to ask for the non alcho version.

the non alcho version has a different yeast and not a wine yeast as my kit has.

hope that helps.



Ernie