Topic: Ginger Beer Recipe, please?

[Gadfium]

Can anyone help? 

I've never made beer/wine before, but have a real hankering for proper (non-adulterated with nasties) old-fashioned ginger beer.

How do I go about it, on a tight budget?

 :P

[SpeedyMango]

The 'recipe' below was nicked from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A634664.

I've never made it but often meant to. My Mum used to make it when I were a lad, and it were beautiful. Of course in them days she used glass bottles, and we had a few very loud explosions in the garage if they got too warm. using plastic pop bottles means you can allow for expansion (see below). Make sure you use pop bottles, i.e. those designed to withstand pressure! Might have to give it a go myself now!

Alcoholic Ginger Beer
There are two ways of making ginger beer. The first consists of shredding ginger root and boiling it up with water and sugar. The second involves making a ginger 'plant' which can be re-used time and time again. This makes a batch once a week. The brewing process that will be discussed in this entry is the latter.

Equipment and Ingredients

Equipment
A jar and lid which is big enough to contain the plant.
One pint-sized measuring jug
Several clean and dry two-litre plastic bottles.
Teaspoons
A large pan
A fine cloth for straining the plant

Ingredients
Dried ginger
Dried yeast
Sugar
Juice of four lemons
Water

Making the Plant
The plant is a mixture of dried ginger, yeast, sugar and water. This creates a yeast culture.

In the jar, place one teaspoon of dried yeast, two teaspoons of dried ginger, four teaspoons of sugar and a pint (600ml) of cold water.

Stir and keep at room temperature.

Feed the plant every day with two teaspoons of dried ginger and four teaspoons of sugar. Stir after feeding.

The plant will be ready after one week.

Making the Ginger Beer
Place 1kg (2lb) of sugar and two pints of boiling water in the large pan. The sugar will dissolve.

Add the juice of the four lemons to the pan.

Strain the contents of the jar - the plant - through the cloth into the pan. See below for what is to be done with the solid portion of the plant.

Add 14 pints of room temperature water.

Stir and bottle. Fill the bottles about seven-eighths full as you need to allow for expansion. Squeeze the air out of the bottles to stop them exploding under pressure from their contents.

Store the bottles in a safe place at room temperature, and leave for three to four weeks to 'brew'.

Discard half of the solid from the plant or give it to someone so they may start their own. Place the remaining half in a clean jar with a pint of water and continue to feed as above.

[moonbells]

OoOH  fantastic - I've wanted to do one of these for ages!

The nice thing is that the recipe amounts can be halved easily, so I won't necessarily wind up with bottles everywhere - they will have to go in the conservatory with all the other plants :)

Must get Sir to not crush his lemonade bottles for a week or two.

moonbells

[ruudbarb]

Just a word of caution - don't stand the bottles anywhere near a heat source or where a blown bottle can empty it's contents onto something important or valuable............. 8)

[Gadfium]

Thank you, sounds just the ticket.   :D

Saving up the old plastic drinks bottles already.

[Beer Monster]

As soon as I saw this thread come up I had to have a go.

Its now entered its third week in the bottles and I think the pressure is getting a bit much for the bottles, they are starting to distort.

 ??? Am I ok to release some pressure (carefully) before they explode ?

 ??? When it is ready to drink (2 weeks yet) do I leave the sediment in the bottles when decanting like other homebrew beers or is it ok to drink ?

ta muchly.
The Beermonster

[derbex]

Beer Monster -I'd let some of the pressure out, it might stir things up a bit but they should settle back down eventually.

The sediment is still likely to contain dead yeast, so I'd leave it -unless you need a clear out ;D

[Beer Monster]

Well I tried my first bottle last night.................its gorgeous.

Really well chilled, it will be just the ticket for those long hot summer days (if we get them !).

I wil probably make a couple more batchs for the summer, I would recommend having a go to anyone.

Roll on the summer.

[derbex]

BM - Did you make a 'plant' & keep it?

[SpeedyMango]

I have a 'plant' going this week. It's doing well at the moment. I shall bottle it up at the weekend then donate part of the plant to my folks, who haven't made ginger beer since I were a lad.

[Diana]

When it says dried ginger, is that the slices or ground?

[dochim]

I started a plant last week froma recipe which said to use 8 dried sultanas, apparent;y they have natural yeats on the skin. I was a bit dubious about the plant working, so I put in a few grains of bread yeast, - my husband says it's going to be horrible now. There's a good fizz going on the plant. I'm wondering if I should throw it out nd start again with a brewing yeast, orjust give it a go. I don't want to wast time and money when it'sll just end up down the toilet.

Also, we have loads of honey, so I'm thinking of using honey instead of sugar. Has anybody done this? - perhaps I could use half sugar/half honey. Any suggestions?

[ruudbarb]

I don't want to waste time and money when it'll just end up down the toilet.

............might be you up and down on the toilet using bread yeast.... :o :o :o

There should be enough natural yeast on powdered dried ginger to start fermentation so you don't need any extra but in truth I don't think bread yeast will do any harm except that it isn't the best of yeasts to use because it has a very low alchohol tolerance.  Beer or wine yeast would have been better but try it with out any first.  Keep the plant warm and covered with muslin to prevent slugs and flies etc from doing a Duke of Clarence............... ;D ;D ;D

[Diana]

I started some off last sunday, but my plant isn't very solid - should it be?

[ruudbarb]

I started some off last sunday, but my plant isn't very solid - should it be?

Hi Diana - it's a while since I made ginger beer but I seem to recall it was a sludgy mess and not very solid which is why it needs straining through muslin or similar.  Progressed to home brewed beer afterwards so be warned.

 ???

[moonbells]

well I've finally started a plant off today :) now I've finally found some brewer's yeast (beer not wine, the chap said...)

Roll on July. I may end up opening a bottle or two early, but we shall see... Sir has a bucket of home brew going too so I have put my plant next to his bucket as I figure the temperature won't drop too much if Sir has any say in it!

moonbells

[Beer Monster]

Hello everybody,

I have supped all my first brew and completed a plant for my second lot.

I don't want to muck about with bottles again, its a pain letting off the excess pressure so I have acquired a pressure barrel with a relief valve so I can just leave it alone brewing.

Q. its a 5 gallon barrel but the recipe says add just 14 pints. Can I add more water (40 pints) without any detriment to the brew or do I have to add more sugar water etc or is it just a no no ?

Ta muchly
BM

[ruudbarb]

Hi BM - I would think that would water it down too much even in Prohibition times........ 8)

You need to sort out some sort of ratio to maintain strength which may take years of trial and error....................... ;D ;D ;D

[moonbells]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D

Have three witches' brews going now - one elderflower cordial, one champers and one ginger beer (bottled first half batch, now have a full sized plant for batch two!)
This is all in addition to Sir's barrel of beer!

Wondering now which is going to explode first!

moonbells (our summer party is in 12 days so have feeling ginger beer isn't going to be ready in time but I may try it anyway!)

[Macca]

Did enjoy the brew but would like something a bit spicier, anyone tried adding some raw ginger to it. Maybe i'll give it a go next time round.
Also anyone got any idea on what the alcohol content maybe?