Ginger

Has anyone experimented with adding ginger to a sparkling cider? I'm thinking it sounds like an interesting combination and might try it on an upcoming batch - maybe a small 2.5 gallon batch. Perhaps adding some coarsely shredded raw ginger after the really active fermentation dies down? Any thoughts or experiences to share?

I've not used ginger with a cider before, but I've used it in a beer. It was grated on a cheese grater. 3 oz in 5 gal. Clogged up the siphon something fierce.

Next time (and there will be a next time) I'm going to slice the ginger into thin "coins" and throw it in that way.

Good point on the shredding. Thin slices would be better - thanks!

I've used fresh ginger in a cider & found that it took quite a bit more ginger to get a ginger flavour from it. I ended up using 4oz. sliced into matchstick sized bits. It's still young & seems a bit tart to me, I'm hoping it will mellow a bit with age. Regards, GF.

EDIT: That's 4oz in 6 gallons. GF.

One of my favorite quick non-alcoholic drinks (for when I'm driving, etc.) is regular apple juice plus ginger ale. I've been hoping to make an alcoholic version because I like it so much.

jwynia said:

One of my favorite quick non-alcoholic drinks (for when I'm driving, etc.) is regular apple juice plus ginger ale. I've been hoping to make an alcoholic version because I like it so much.

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That sounds amazing, definitely post the recipe if you end up getting it downpat.

Pappers said:

Has anyone experimented with adding ginger to a sparkling cider? I'm thinking it sounds like an interesting combination and might try it on an upcoming batch - maybe a small 2.5 gallon batch. Perhaps adding some coarsely shredded raw ginger after the really active fermentation dies down? Any thoughts or experiences to share?

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I would caution you against using too much fresh ginger, it can easily overpower the apple flavors.

Last fall I made a Spiced Apple wine using 7 gal. fresh squeezed cider, 9.5 lbs sugar (to 1.105 SG), pectic enzyme, acid blend, yeast nutrient and Cotes Du Blanc yeast. Spices included 3 cinnamon sticks, 5 cardamom pods, 1 tsp. cloves and 2 slices of fresh ginger root, about 1.25" x 1/4" disks.

At two months I did a tasting and realized the ginger had taken over, so I removed it. At three months I racked a second time, sorbated and added 60 oz. of white grape juice concentrate (in order to sweeten and hopefully dilute the ginger). Now at 9+ months (still in the 6.5 gal. carboy) it tastes good but is more of a ginger wine than a spiced apple. Be careful with fresh ginger!

Hummer, I think I would only have the ginger in the cider for two weeks, three at the most. Also, I would leave my cider semi-dry, so the touch of sweetness would help balance the spice from the ginger. And the carbonation would help, too, I think.

Does that sound right?

Yes, that seems about right. Just didn't want you ruining a batch as I nearly did. Fresh ginger is potent stuff. As I removed the two ginger disks I accidently squeezed them a little, making the problem even worse. In my spiced apple wine the little bit of ginger overpowers the three cinnamon sticks, the cloves, the cardamom, and the seven gallons of apple cider itself.

Resurrecting an old thread. SWMBO just came home raving about Williams Dragon's Breath Cider, which is an apple ginger. Any consensus on how much to add to get a strong ginger flavor? Should I add it to the boil? Secondary? If secondary, does it need to be sterilized ahead of time in vodka or boiled in water separately?

You probably shouldn't be boiling your apple juice, unless you know what you're doing.

I started a 1-gallon batch with a 2-inch "thumb" of fresh ginger, grated with a microplane grater. At 2 weeks, the ginger flavour is really strong, perhaps stronger than I wanted since it's hard to detect the apple. It's of course very young at this point and the yeast hasn't dropped so I'm not going to make any conclusions yet.

If you grate it, it will sink to the bottom and form a layer right above the yeast cake, which is going to be really annoying when you are siphoning or decanting. If I were to do it again, I would probably slice it into thin wafers like they suggest in this thread. It's also easier to do.

I didn't bother with sanitization and would worry even less if I put it in secondary.

Sorry, that was unclear. By boil, I meant boil some water with the ginger before adding it to primary (something I read in another thread).

Sounds good otherwise. I think I'll experiment with my next batch by adding thin slices after primary has completed.

4 oz in 6 gallons added during secondary is about right. My latest batch is about 2 weeks into secondary, but my ginger was a bit old, so I an leaving it in for an additional week. The longer it soaks, the more extraction you will get. Tsste test after a few weeks, and then taste again about every three days after that till you hit the sweet spot. Good luck!

pfgonzo said:

Resurrecting an old thread. SWMBO just came home raving about Williams Dragon's Breath Cider, which is an apple ginger. Any consensus on how much to add to get a strong ginger flavor? Should I add it to the boil? Secondary? If secondary, does it need to be sterilized ahead of time in vodka or boiled in water separately?

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You shouldn't be boiling cider in the first place. I would add it during secondary, how much varies with how strong you want it to taste and how fresh the ginger is. Just because you bought it yesterday doesn't mean it's fresh either

If you want to sanitize it, go ahead and soak it in some vodka or rum or something.

I forgot to mention ginger that I used was shaved, not chopped or shredded.

I've had very good success with my dry ginger cider recipe.

6 gallons apple juice
1-2 lbs brown/white sugar (or comparable amounts of AJC)
6 oz fresh grated ginger
20-40 green cardamom pods
2 black tea bags
1 lemon

I crack the cardamom pods and steep them along with the lemon juice, tea bags and ginger. You don't want to boil you want it hot enough to pasteurize then steep. I use a strainer to keep the pods separated but I like to leave the ginger in the tea.

Add the "tea" and your pasteurized/inverted sugar (whatever you like to do) to the must/juice and follow your normal process. As far as yeasts go, I like s-04 it doesn't dry quite a much as montrachet.

This will usually finish in two weeks but I will quite often let it sit for a month. It's best highly carbonated and fresh. The ginger flavor drops off after about three months or so.

This is probably my most favorite cider recipe to date.