Christmas Ale or Ginger Beer :-(

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jbsayers

jbsayers

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I just transferred a Christmas Ale over to secondary and gave it a sample. Holy ginger! I don't even taste the cinnamon, lol.

I know I used too much but I didn't think it was that much. Can I expect the ginger taste to fade over some time as it ages? Is there a possibility I just taste the ginger so strongly now because it is only a couple weeks old? Anybody with ginger experiences that could share some lessons learned?

Thanks,
JB
 
Yes the ginger will definitely fade with time. I noticed the same thing on a Christmas Ale I just did where there was equal amounts of ginger and cinnamon. The Ginger was very strong for the first few weeks in the keg and then after about a month in the keg it started to fade and now has a great ginger/cinnamon balance. Enjoy!
 
I dont have much experience with ginger, but i was wondering when and how you used the ginger? From what ive read, the earlier you put ginger in the boil, the more flavor will come through. Also, did you use fresh ginger or powdered?
 
nicklepickles said:
I dont have much experience with ginger, but i was wondering when and how you used the ginger? From what ive read, the earlier you put ginger in the boil, the more flavor will come through. Also, did you use fresh ginger or powdered?
Click to expand...

I always use the freshest ingredients I can get. Never use powders. As for boiling time, there is a sweet spot. Too long and you can boil away flavors, not long enough and you don't extract any. See below for the answer to the rest of your question.

metanoia said:
Just curious, how much ginger did you use? When and how did you add it to the beer?
Click to expand...
I used 1 ounce at 10 minutes left in the boil then filtered it out when I transferred it to primary. I also added 1 ounce of new ginger the to primary because I didn't notice much of a ginger taste or smell after my wort cooled. Next time I will not add the second ounce of ginger in primary.

Sippin37 said:
Yes the ginger will definitely fade with time. I noticed the same thing on a Christmas Ale I just did where there was equal amounts of ginger and cinnamon. The Ginger was very strong for the first few weeks in the keg and then after about a month in the keg it started to fade and now has a great ginger/cinnamon balance. Enjoy!
Click to expand...

Gotcha. RDWHAHB, lol. Hopefully I get the same results.

Thanks for the replies, folks!
JB
 
You should be fine, i used 10oz of grated Ginger in my Ginger beer kind of split between boil and secondary and now like 4 weeks later its already fading quite a lot in the keg.
So much so i will probably bag and throw some into the keg for a few hours before i serve it for the party its destined for.
 
jbsayers said:
I always use the freshest ingredients I can get. Never use powders. As for boiling time, there is a sweet spot. Too long and you can boil away flavors, not long enough and you don't extract any. See below for the answer to the rest of your question.

I used 1 ounce at 10 minutes left in the boil then filtered it out when I transferred it to primary. I also added 1 ounce of new ginger the to primary because I didn't notice much of a ginger taste or smell after my wort cooled. Next time I will not add the second ounce of ginger in primary.

Gotcha. RDWHAHB, lol. Hopefully I get the same results.

Thanks for the replies, folks!
JB
Click to expand...

Thats interesting, i made a ginger pale using about 4 oz freshly grated, 2 in the boil at 10 min and 2 in after primary fermentation, and the ginger flavor didnt really come through. This was also a 2.5 gal batch. Im planning on redoing it with more ginger and maybe some lemon juice to help bring out the flavor. Im a huge ginger ale fan, so im looking for really prominent gingerness.
 
nicklepickles said:
Thats interesting, i made a ginger pale using about 4 oz freshly grated, 2 in the boil at 10 min and 2 in after primary fermentation, and the ginger flavor didnt really come through. This was also a 2.5 gal batch. Im planning on redoing it with more ginger and maybe some lemon juice to help bring out the flavor. Im a huge ginger ale fan, so im looking for really prominent gingerness.
Click to expand...

That's really weird. I used 2 ounces for a 5 gallon batch and I can taste nothing else.

JB
 
jbsayers said:
I did not shred it. I tossed it in chopped up in small chunks.

JB
Click to expand...

I have a feeling the ginger i used wasnt as fresh as it could have been. Also i think ive seen more brewers chopping it up like you did, rather then shredding. When i redo my recipe im definitely going to chop it up and see if it helps.
 
nicklepickles said:
I have a feeling the ginger i used wasnt as fresh as it could have been. Also i think ive seen more brewers chopping it up like you did, rather then shredding. When i redo my recipe im definitely going to chop it up and see if it helps.
Click to expand...

Just as a general cooking tip that also applies to brewing, don't chop too long or too fine with any spice/herb. Most of the time the compound that carries the flavor or aroma of the spice/herb is an oil that you extract for them plant. If you chop too long or fine, you will just end up with all that oil in your cutting board and on your knife and none left in the plant to be extracted into your dish/brew.

Something to keep in mind,

JB
 
jbsayers said:
Just as a general cooking tip that also applies to brewing, don't chop too long or too fine with any spice/herb. Most of the time the compound that carries the flavor or aroma of the spice/herb is an oil that you extract for them plant. If you chop too long or fine, you will just end up with all that oil in your cutting board and on your knife and none left in the plant to be extracted into your dish/brew.

Something to keep in mind,

JB
Click to expand...

Hmm, interesting. That was probably the case with me, i remember a lot of juice ending up in the grater instead of in the boil.., thanks for the tip!
 
jbsayers said:
Just as a general cooking tip that also applies to brewing, don't chop too long or too fine with any spice/herb. Most of the time the compound that carries the flavor or aroma of the spice/herb is an oil that you extract for them plant. If you chop too long or fine, you will just end up with all that oil in your cutting board and on your knife and none left in the plant to be extracted into your dish/brew.

Something to keep in mind,

JB
Click to expand...

If you keep your cutting board sanitiary while you are shredding/slicing, you should be able to get everything.

I shredded 5oz and scooped it off my cutting board along with all the juice and pulp onto a sanitized piece of plastic wrap, then went over and slowly dumped it down into my secondary.

My ginger beer is actually quite ginger flavored now, my previous comment isnt as true now, i think it was the first pint pulling all the yeast and crap off the bottom of the keg that was muddling the flavor..now it comes out crystal clear and there is no doubt its ginger beer.

I will say if you are going to shred it, put it in a bag dont just drop it in...i lost probably half a gallon of beer because my auto siphon kept getting clogged with all of the ginger and sucking air...
 
FuzzeWuzze said:
If you keep your cutting board sanitiary while you are shredding/slicing, you should be able to get everything.

I shredded 5oz and scooped it off my cutting board along with all the juice and pulp onto a sanitized piece of plastic wrap, then went over and slowly dumped it down into my secondary.

My ginger beer is actually quite ginger flavored now, my previous comment isnt as true now, i think it was the first pint pulling all the yeast and crap off the bottom of the keg that was muddling the flavor..now it comes out crystal clear and there is no doubt its ginger beer.

I will say if you are going to shred it, put it in a bag dont just drop it in...i lost probably half a gallon of beer because my auto siphon kept getting clogged with all of the ginger and sucking air...
Click to expand...

It really isn't a matter of sanitation. Wooden cutting boards will absorb some of the juice you are trying to extract. Even plastic boards, unless they are brand new, will trap the juice. I know my plastic cutting board has many grooves in it from a couple years of use. You are just best following the advice I gave before. I got that advice from a well known chef. I def notice a difference when I cook by not over slicing/chopping my herbs. YMMV.

Cheers,
JB
 
UPDATE

So I bought a kegging system (5gal ball lock with 10lb CO2 tank and picnic tap) and kegged the Christmas Ale (which I have named "Sayers' Bah Humbug Brew"). Of course I sampled a bit and the ginger has significantly subsided and the beer has a wonderful balance of cinnamon and ginger. The aroma has hints of both and was very pleasing.

I may not change this recipe at all the next time I brew it. I'll wait a week for it to be carbed before I make my final determination.

Hope this helps those that replied with their holiday brews!

Cheers,
JB
 

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