Ginger Ale (5 gallon full volume boil)
 

Hi All-

I've been brewing all grain beer in 8 gallon batch sizes for a year but this is my first soda. I just got three taps and the ease of force carbonation tempted me to try this.

Let me know what you think of this recipe/process:

Batch Size: 5 gallons

Ingredients: .81 lb of ginger / 4lb of cane sugar / 1lb of beet sugar (because I have it left over from a Belgian Beer kit) / lemon juice?

Process: cut ginger and put in food processor, boil ginger 30 minutes in full volume of water (5.5-6 gallons to account for some boil off), kill the heat and stir in the sugar to dissolve thoroughly.

Chill liquid through Blichmann Therminator and into Keg

Chill Keg over night (to 35F) and then force carb at 30psi

Any suggestions?
Should I add the sugar earlier in the boil?
(kettle caramelization in a Ginger Ale?)

Does a vigorous 30 minute boil drive off any desirable aromatics in ginger?

Thanks for any input.

I don't really like the boiled ginger ale that I've made. I prefer it freshly grated, instead of heated. I have a very simple ginger ale recipe posted that I love.

This is for 2 liters, so you can just increase the ingredients by the size batch you want to do. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f171/easy-ginger-ale-208888/

Just finished cleaning up.

Made 5 gallons of Ginger Ale with a final recipe of:

.81 lb of ginger chopped in a food processor
4# of cane sugar
1# of beet sugar (just because it was left over from a Belgian Ale kit)
1 cup of lemon juice

Process: Brought 5.5 gallons on water to a near boil
Added the ginger and simmered for 10 minutes (not a full boil but over 170F)
Added the one cup of lemon juice a few minutes before knockout
Killed the heat: stirred in the sugars

Recirculated through the Blichmann Therminator Plate Chiller (for a minute or two to whirlpool the ginger mass)

BTW- The kettle has a screen on the valve.

Then ran off into a keg freshly cleaned with Oxyclean, water rise, and then StarSan.

The plat chiller knocked it down to about 70F and then I put the keg into the chest freezer that is temp controlled at 35F.

Tomorrow morning I plan to hook up the gas at 30psi and force carbonate.

I'll give a report how it turned out but already I think it tastes pretty good even warm and flat.

People really like the Ginger Ale.

One issue I am having is when it comes out of the tap, is fizzes furiously.... and then the soda is left mostly flat.

Any had this issue? Anybody have tips on making soda come out of beer faucet?

Are you using a long, long, serving line? I've found that I need 30 feet of 3/16" line to serve soda properly.

Look up other threads in this forum about putting bayonets in your kegs. 2 of them dropped down the dip tubes will allow you to use your beer length lines for serving.

Nope. Maybe 4' of 1/4" glass lined tubing.

Short run of glass lined tubing makes it even worse. Very little restriction.

The shanks that I bought had the 1/4" nipples welded on. I can't switch to 3/16" tubing.

I think I'm ok with beer at 15psi or so. It makes a large head but acceptable.
I don't think I'll be making any more soda.

15 PSI will give NO carbonation in soda