Ginger beer please!

slim chillingsworth · 06-14-2008, 03:30 AM

I'm dying for a good Ginger beer recipe. Ideally aimed at 5 gallons force carbonated. Maine Root Ginger Brew is my favorite ever, Reeds is okay. Please help!

**Scotty_g** · 06-14-2008, 04:13 AM

It's not "ginger beer" per se, but I enjoyed the Shakemantle Ginger Ale we brewed up out of Beer Captured.

It's simple: Wheat DME, fuggles to bitter and EKG for flavor, and fresh ginger. Dry hop with more fresh ginger. The ginger bits turn pretty dark, but the fresh stuff gives it both flavor and aroma (which I love!).

dzlater · 06-14-2008, 01:51 PM

I just listened to this podcast yesterday. Not sure if this what your talking about when you say ginger beer. I thought it was pretty interesting.
http://cdn2.libsyn.com/basicbrewing/bbr08-31-06.mp3?nvb=20080614124338&nva=20080615124338&t=0f7 5c621575e1ed8a7842
Here's another link
http://www.fermentedtreasures.com/gingerbp.html

slim chillingsworth · 06-14-2008, 04:18 PM

I don't want to buy a ginger beer plant, I can force carbonate so I don't need any yeast. The problem with most ginger beer recipes is that they have way too much sugar since they rely on it being digested for carbonation.

Beerrific · 06-14-2008, 04:45 PM

I have been looking for something similar too. If I understand you correctly, you are looking to make Ginger Beer Soda (as this is a ginger beer thread in the soda forum), like ginger ale with a nice, strong ginger bite, no alcohol. This is what I am looking to make too.

I have considered buy a soda extract, but would rather do it my self since I can get ginger root crazy cheap near by.

Well, I guess this really hasn't helped. When I free up a keg, I am going to just wing it on my own. I am thinking sugar, water, chopped ginger in some kind of herb ball. I am going to taste it as I go and boil to extract the ginger flavor and sanitize everything. Dump it in a keg and force carbonate to 4 volumes. Probably do 1 gallon at a time until I think it is right then make 4 or 5 gallons.

I am also considering using a carbonating cap and just bottle this stuff in some 2L bottles.

**Yuri_Rage** · 06-14-2008, 04:54 PM

I've been trying to perfect a ginger soda recipe for a while now. The batches always turn out good but never great. The ginger flavor is exactly what I want - fresh and spicy, but there's always something missing. I've only been making about 1 quart at a time. Here's the basic recipe:

1 quart water
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
3 oz minced ginger (run it through a garlic press, being sure to collect all of the juice and bits)

Add the sugar and 1 cup of the water to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat off and steep the ginger for 5-10 minutes. Strain. Pour over ice and top up to make 1 quart. Carbonate.

I'm pretty firmly convinced that citrus is the missing ingredient. I made a batch with lemon zest that was marginally better. I think a healthy dose of lemon and lime zest would make a big difference.

slim chillingsworth · 06-14-2008, 05:17 PM

Most recipes I've seen call for lemon zest or juice. I made a batch using baker's yeast that came out nice, but not exactly what I wanted. Let's keep this thread going with our experiments.

**Yooper** · 06-14-2008, 10:08 PM

I use one lemon per gallon, no zest, just squeeze the lemon into the water/sugar mixture.

I steeped the ginger for quite a while, more like a simmer. Then I strained and dissolved the sugar into it and added the lemon juice.

I wrote down the exact amounts, but can't find them now! I remember using quite a bit more ginger than I thought I needed.

slim chillingsworth · 06-15-2008, 06:04 AM

is that force carbonated? how's the flavor?

**BakerStreetBeers** · 06-15-2008, 08:14 AM

I've been looking for something like this too. I love reeds and other stronger ginger ales/beers (sodas). I'm in for experimentation and sharing the results!

For carbonation (of test batches) . . . I'm thinking what might work good is a seltzer bottle like this one . . . I already have one of these and they run about $50. Probably not worth it if you'd only use it for testing soda recipes, but if you also happen to enjoy making drinks that call for seltzer water (e.g. mojitos) it might be worth it.