Ginger Beer Plant source

CornyKegs 728
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I used a ton of ginger ground up, It looks like a lot was in the liquid and settled after a while. Its really hard to tell what is what. There is some slime but i cant tell what is sludge or ginger beer plant. Its cold here and its slow as heck really.
 
Dunno, mine's been in storage for about a year or so. I really should break it out and do up a couple of batches. Mayhap one of Ginger and one of Vanilla Cream. Mmmm....Blueberry Cream soda.....
 
Raudhbjorn said:
Dunno, mine's been in storage for about a year or so. I really should break it out and do up a couple of batches. Mayhap one of Ginger and one of Vanilla Cream. Mmmm....Blueberry Cream soda.....
Click to expand...

What recipe did you use for the Vanilla Cream? I think I'm ordering the gbp soon.

Thanks!
 
drinking my first batch of ginger beer now, its pretty good!
I recommend the yemoos people. They have answered any questions I threw at them in a timely manner. They seem friendly!
 
***FOR ANYONE WANTING TO BUY A GBP*** - IMPORTANT

Yes, you can order them on-line, but right now every supplier that I've found is back ordered. So I decided to take my chances and grow one myself... *WITHOUT YEAST. Naturally occurring yeast in the ginger and bacteria from the air will start to grow in the solution, and the result will be a Ginger Beer Plant.

Its simple and it only took 36 hours till it started bubbling, at 48 hrs its burping and slooshing around a bit. It's going to take awhile till its mature (at least 7 days, but shipping takes that long anyway, right???), but comes with the satisfaction that I grew it myself...

(ratio it out as desired...)

2 Pints sterile/spring/dechlorinated/bottled water
4 tsp fresh grated Ginger (dropped in boiling water for 60 secs to sterilize)
4 tsp powdered Ginger
8 tsp "Sugar in the Raw" or any other organic, unrefined cane/palm sugar, the darker and more moist, the better
1 lemons worth juice

put all in a sterilized jar covered with cheese/muslin cloth, and swirl it around
feed 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp powdered ginger a day
add crushed egg shells, spoon of dark molasses, or a pinch of cream of tartar after 7 days to really give it the nutrients it needs to thrive

Now you grew your own GBP for "free" and didn't have to wait for it to be shipped...
 
Thanks for the guide, I've seen others who have made their own ginger ferments this way. My understanding, however, is that the organism we call GBP is a specific type of yeast and a specific kind of bacteria working together (SCOBY - symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast).

While I am sure that you may be able to get something like that going yourself, you will likely either just have a yeast, and not a SCOBY, or have different types of yeasts and bacteria. I wonder if you get the gelatinous cubes (grains) that the GBP gives? I would worry a little about which kind of yeast and bacteria you get going, but I assume your taste buds will let you know if its gone wrong.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is flavour. If your drink turns out to taste great, then that's awesome, but it'll probably taste different than one made with GBP. I just ordered a GBP from yemoos.com, it arrived in a timely manner and I am about to start a ferment, I'll keep everyone posted.
 
The question is, how do I get the gelatinous cubes to form? I have Ginger beer plant and I can't seem to get it to make more. What is the gelatinous stuff anyways? For all the research done on GBP there is a serious lack of any info on the net.
 
Yes, a GBP is specifically Saccharomyces florentinus and Lactobacillus.

When I first heard of GBP years and years ago I was taught/learned that S.florentinus naturally occurs in ginger root, and the bacteria Lacto is also just naturally occurring in most homes and the fermenting ginger and sugar gives rise to the yeast which is then a perfect environment for the bacteria to set in via being exposed to the open air.Over time it develops into a scoby.

HOWEVER, I've spent like 4 hrs straight and yet to find anything that proves OR disproves this idea! I can't find any info on where S.f actually comes from, or it's origin. I read several places that state the GBP's original origin is actually UNKNOWN(?). All the research I can find only talks about what it is, how it works, what it does, and how to take care of it, but never where it comes from, other than saying in ginger water. According to the internet, it only exists in yeast banks, or people's kitchens, but it must live somewhere in nature, and have a origin. Everything else is everyone stating that certain strains are fake, or not the real GBP, etc.

So now Im quite perplexed.... Anyone have information on this???

For now, I will continue to mature this plant. It smells exactly like a GBP that I smelled in the past, (at least from memory) and it is supposed to form a gelatinous mass as well. Then make a brew to see what the outcome is, and report back.
 
Thanks for the info!

Well, it doesn't necessarily only exist in nature. It could be a product of mutated (evolved?) stuff over a few hundred years in people's kitchens, where the end product is not the same as the original -- like corn!

This has piqued my interest, however... I will try growing this GBP, and will make sure that it at least looks proper.. forming grains, etc. If it works well, then I will try to make my own plant using your method and I will compare the taste. Yemoos, where I got my GBP, claims that they got theirs from the German Culture Bank, so at least I hope its legit!
 
Here are some images. My camera (aka cell phone) cannot do good close ups unfortunately. This bottle is 2.8L (96oz), and I added the 2 Tsp ginger beer plant from Yeemos 24 hours ago. You can see bits of raisins (added for flavour, chopped) and the flat bits are slices of ginger. If you look closely you can see white grains of GBP starting to emerge! Some of them are very clearly visible and well defined, after only 24 hours. I'm pretty happy

the smell is very.. "warm," and a bit sour. I haven't tasted it yet, I'll give it a few days. It also isn't visibly bubbling yet.

Also, the colour is more orange than in the photos...

2012-01-26 22.06.27.jpg


2012-01-26 22.07.32.jpg
 
i just ordered a GBP from derbyshire, UK
that way i will be able to directly compare the two...

*edit
so i made a mistake... in my excited haste of finding a supplier that was in stock, i paid for it before reading the fine print, and it is not SCOBY, just prob the same organism thats growing on my counter, bummer :(
 
dinnerstick said:
i got my gbp from these guys
http://www.retro-culture.com/
a bit pricey but they were nice and the gbp is awesome
Click to expand...

They have not been taking orders for a few weeks, due to the demand.
I got mine from yemoos.com, it was $15 for a Tbsp and $5 shipping. Also, ship hydrated cultures in a vacuum sealed bag, but they are based state side. They only ship out on Monday's, and I got mine in the mail on wed. Already brewing the first batch based on your recipes:rockin:
 
for all interested in gbp, if you haven't heard it listen to the basic brewing radio podcast from august 31, 2006 where he interviews a gbp fanatic, it's interesting.
http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=basic-brewing-radio-2006
i have tried his technique of cooking the ginger briefly (i used to juice and use it raw) with the sugar and a few crushed cardamom pods and lemon juice and i absolutely love it. i crush it up with mortar and pestle, boil for a couple minutes, leave to cool, strain.
 
Jim...you will be happy with the GBP from yemoos.com, it is the true GBP...the same one that Jim has at www.gingerbeerplant.net in the UK. If you leave it long enough in solution it MAY form a scoby on top like a kombucha would, but ditch the scoby because it can take a turn toward acetobacter (vinegar) and if that happens your entire culture is gone. You will be fine, I have NEVER had a GBP scoby form, have ready of it happening to neglected cultures. I am so glad you got your plant!! You will have to take a photo of the grains in your hand, or heaped on a plate...though I know there is a photo of the grains on yemoos.com Visit gingerbeerplant.net because Jim has some recipes, or maybe it is their Facebook page--I fell in love with putting GBP in good apple juice or sugary fruit teas (black strawberry and black peach was a favorite), and then made ginger beer with the next batch. I miss my GBP.
 
Lb. hilgardii is also found in the milk kefir grain and is known to be responsible for lactate synthesis and then Saccharomyces florentinus is found in the water kefir grain--your everyday fungus. I have been making milk kefir and water kefir for years, from their own unique grains, so I find it interesting that the GBP shares some of the organism structure. Milk kefir grains can be made by putting fresh goat milk in a sheep intestine and over time a grain will form, this grain will ferment/culture milk, end result a rich probiotic beverage & the grains reproduce in milk. Water kefir grains have been sourced back to prickly pear cactus and ferment sugary-water and reproduce like wild fire, another probiotic rich beverage.
My theory is that some ginger was in a winter storage hutch and due to some exposure to the right condition when the human came to get the ginger for whatever reason they noticed a granular substance...they perhaps put the ginger with the grains (GBP) into sugary water, maybe apple cider for flavoring and when they came back in a few days they noticed the brew had fermented and there were more grains present. They gave some to friends, who continued using ginger-a sugar source and ginger beer came into existence & the plant is still around today. Just my theory.
I can tell you that the plant that yemoos.com sells and the plant that Jim from gingerbeerplant.net have are the same plant...seen them, held them, made GB with them. They are the only 2 sources I would ever recommend due to so many knock-offs and hybrids floating about. People are selling water kefir grains and bread yeast starters as "the" ginger beer plant.
 
I have some GBP from Raj Apte, he did a show on ginger beer plant on Basic Brewing. You guys should check it out if you haven't heard it. (Edit: oops, missed dinnerstick's post on this above.)

The plant I received looks identical to the plant on Yemoos. This is the culture that came from the German tissue bank. A lot of other sites selling the plant are selling something that looks different.

I didn't get any instructions with mine. I was going off two different sets of recipes on Happy Herbalist's site. One uses lemon, one doesn't. One adds the sugar at the end of boiling the ginger, the other after it has all cooled. No mention of sanitization procedures in any. I figure this is pretty robust since this came from the time when iodophor and star san didn't exist.

What are you all using for sanitization?

Are you boiling the sugars and adjuncts like raisins?

I made one batch so far and I let it ferment 3 days at 70F. Just made another today and I cranked up the temp to 85F. No sanitizers, just swirled boiling war in the mason jar. I also boiled the sugar for 15 seconds because I am using organic unrefined sucanat.

Edit: I am a GBP newbie, this is my second batch.
 
matts said:
I didn't get any instructions with mine. I was going off two different sets of recipes on Happy Herbalist's site. One uses lemon, one doesn't. One adds the sugar at the end of boiling the ginger, the other after it has all cooled. No mention of sanitization procedures in any. I figure this is pretty robust since this came from the time when iodophor and star san didn't exist.

What are you all using for sanitization?

Are you boiling the sugars and adjuncts like raisins?
Click to expand...

I'm a newb to actual gbp. I was using god knows what before...
3 batches -so far so good.
I have yet to sanitize anything other than super hot tap water, and have had no problem with infection, so save the star san for beer:mug:.

I would suggest always using lemon, if only a little. The acid does help it to keep other stuff from growing. Always cream of tartar, the potassium helps it grow. Always add molasses or piloncillo, which is really the sugar it prefers, but doesnt taste the best..
I have not boiled any sugars, as of yet, just added to pot of hot water to help dissolve.

This is the recipe that I made first and its amazing. I based it mainly off of all Dinnerstick's recipes and hard work.:mug:

2.5oz raw ginger, blender-ed, and boiled in an inch of water, for ~30mins along with:
1/2 lemons worth of zest
2grams cloves

^strained& add to

64oz spring water
8oz Sugar in the Raw
2oz molasses
1oz piloncillo
1 lemon's juice
1t cream of tartar
8 thin slices of fresh ginger
GBP

pa 8.5% OG 1.067
brewed in a jar in a window sill with airlock for 5 days, (1.030) then strained into second bottle w/airlock for 3 more days, then "bottled" (put a cap on), waited several hours till bottle was rock hard, refrigerated overnight - DELICIOUS! My friend and I drank it all in one sitting!:drunk:
FG 1.022 and 5.5% alcohol!!!:rockin:

EDIT: I also added 6oz of Honey at "bottling", it wasn't quite sweet enough.

Good Luck
 
mjhszig said:
Hey, not trying to ding ya, but Ive read a couple places that retro-culture is NOT selling genuine gbp, its actually water kefir grains....

which still makes a delicious fizzy drink....
Click to expand...

no worries,
yeah, i find it interesting that others are interested in figuring out the exact differences between water keffir and gbp, and there will probably never be agreement, and i consider myself fortunate that i don't give a rat's bottom as long as it makes delicious ginger beer!!
which it does.
 
mjhszig said:
Always add molasses or piloncillo, which is really the sugar it prefers, but doesnt taste the best..
Click to expand...

weird, i love the molasses taste in there. a matter of personal preference i guess. can't get piloncillo here. your sounds good!
try cardamom pods!
 
matts said:
What are you all using for sanitization?

Are you boiling the sugars and adjuncts like raisins?
Click to expand...

i use very little sanitization, wash bottles and the 'resting vessel' with hot soapy tap water. i use tap water for everything (when i remember to plan in advance i leave it out to de-chlorinate overnight). not sure if this is a good idea or not but after many many batches all is still well. my plant went through a phase of smelling a bit vinegary, but the beer never tasted off, and now it smalls normal again. i put it to rest for a few months when i was traveling, don't know if this had anything to do with it.
i didn't used to boil the ginger, lemon, chili juices but now i do cause i think i like the cooked flavor a little more, it's spicier but less pungent somehow, and of course you need to heat and steep the spices to extract flavor. when i have used the culture to make fruit water keffir i only cook the sugar, just to dissolve. the next batch of ginger beer after making say plum mint honey keffir is interesting!
 
dinnerstick said:
weird, i love the molasses taste in there. a matter of personal preference i guess. can't get piloncillo here. your sounds good!
try cardamom pods!
Click to expand...

When I first "brewed", the smell of molasses was so potent that I wrote in my notes "WAY too much molasses!!"
but the scent soon subsided, and I cant hardly taste "molasses" in the final product, its just delicious! Im going to add more next time.:rockin:

I guess I take piloncillo for granted living 300 miles north of Mexico. It's just pure, unrefined cane sugar. Muscovado, panela, demerara, & raspadura are all similar or the same thing.

I'm waiting to see how the lemongrass works out, and then next I was going to try coriander, but I think I try cardamom first:mug:
 
dinnerstick said:
no worries,
yeah, i find it interesting that others are interested in figuring out the exact differences between water keffir and gbp, and there will probably never be agreement, and i consider myself fortunate that i don't give a rat's bottom as long as it makes delicious ginger beer!!
which it does.
Click to expand...

There is a BIG difference in WaterKefir and GingerBeer Plant...
Here are the cultures typically found in water kefir grains, keep in mind the yeasts can change depending on the wild yeasts in your area:
Lactobacillus brevis : identified as the species responsible for the production of the polysaccharide matrix that forms the grains
Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus
Lactobacillus alactosus
Lactobacillus casei casei
Lactobacillus pseudoplantarum
Lactobacillus plantarum
Streptococcus lactis
Streptococcus cremeris
Leuconostoc mesenteroide
Saccharomyces florentinus
Saccharomyces pretoriensis
Kloeckera apiculata
Candida lambica
C. valida

And here are the cultures in GBP:
Saccharomyces florentinus
Lactobacillus hilgardii

And I agree, they both make a great ginger beverage. I just hate that someone thinks they are getting GBP but are being sold a water kefir grain or hybrid. When you work with the independent cultures long enough, and taste what their ferments taste like, you come to appreciate each of them. The actual grains of each ferment source are visibly different and identifiable on sight. If you are dying for a ginger beer beverage and don't care one way or the other, and want a quick growing grain, then get water kefir grains. You will have enough to share with friends within 1-3 ferments if you have a mineral rich water, don't skimp on the sugar, and give the grains access to oxygen when they are in the solution. You can also visit www.gingerbeerplant.net and follow the links to recipes, Jim has recipes for making traditional ginger beer, scrumpy, using tea and using honey...I have made each and every one of them with his GBP and they are delicious.
 
Redhammer Ginger Stout
Ingredients
Honey - 12 Lbs. 5 oz. (Divided 12 Lbs. and 5 oz.)
Blackstrap Molassas Unsulphured - 1 bottle
Rolled Oats - 1 Lb.
Ginger Rhysome - 2 Lbs. (shredded)
Pineapple Juice - 27 oz.
Lime Juice - 20 oz.
Pure Vanilla Bourbon - 1 Tbsp

Boil the oats (in a grain bag) for 30 minutes with 5 gallons of water and then add the shredded ginger to the wort. Allow to boil for an additional 15 minutes, then remove the oats, blend in 12 lbs of honey and the molasses. Chill and transfer (ginger an all) into a fermenter and stir in the juice. Pitch the GBP and install the airlock. After a week or so, stir in the Vanilla and the remaining 5 oz of honey then rack into bottles or keg. Be certain to salvage your GBP.
 
saramc said:
There is a BIG difference in WaterKefir and GingerBeer Plant...
Here are the cultures typically found in water kefir grains, keep in mind the yeasts can change depending on the wild yeasts in your area:
Lactobacillus brevis : identified as the species responsible for the production of the polysaccharide matrix that forms the grains
Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus
Lactobacillus alactosus
Lactobacillus casei casei
Lactobacillus pseudoplantarum
Lactobacillus plantarum
Streptococcus lactis
Streptococcus cremeris
Leuconostoc mesenteroide
Saccharomyces florentinus
Saccharomyces pretoriensis
Kloeckera apiculata
Candida lambica
C. valida

And here are the cultures in GBP:
Saccharomyces florentinus
Lactobacillus hilgardii

And I agree, they both make a great ginger beverage. I just hate that someone thinks they are getting GBP but are being sold a water kefir grain or hybrid. When you work with the independent cultures long enough, and taste what their ferments taste like, you come to appreciate each of them. The actual grains of each ferment source are visibly different and identifiable on sight. If you are dying for a ginger beer beverage and don't care one way or the other, and want a quick growing grain, then get water kefir grains. You will have enough to share with friends within 1-3 ferments if you have a mineral rich water, don't skimp on the sugar, and give the grains access to oxygen when they are in the solution. You can also visit www.gingerbeerplant.net and follow the links to recipes, Jim has recipes for making traditional ginger beer, scrumpy, using tea and using honey...I have made each and every one of them with his GBP and they are delicious.
Click to expand...
saramc said:
There is a BIG difference in WaterKefir and GingerBeer Plant...
Here are the cultures typically found in water kefir grains, keep in mind the yeasts can change depending on the wild yeasts in your area:
Lactobacillus brevis : identified as the species responsible for the production of the polysaccharide matrix that forms the grains
Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus
Lactobacillus alactosus
Lactobacillus casei casei
Lactobacillus pseudoplantarum
Lactobacillus plantarum
Streptococcus lactis
Streptococcus cremeris
Leuconostoc mesenteroide
Saccharomyces florentinus
Saccharomyces pretoriensis
Kloeckera apiculata
Candida lambica
C. valida

And here are the cultures in GBP:
Saccharomyces florentinus
Lactobacillus hilgardii

And I agree, they both make a great ginger beverage. I just hate that someone thinks they are getting GBP but are being sold a water kefir grain or hybrid. When you work with the independent cultures long enough, and taste what their ferments taste like, you come to appreciate each of them. The actual grains of each ferment source are visibly different and identifiable on sight. If you are dying for a ginger beer beverage and don't care one way or the other, and want a quick growing grain, then get water kefir grains. You will have enough to share with friends within 1-3 ferments if you have a mineral rich water, don't skimp on the sugar, and give the grains access to oxygen when they are in the solution. You can also visit www.gingerbeerplant.net and follow the links to recipes, Jim has recipes for making traditional ginger beer, scrumpy, using tea and using honey...I have made each and every one of them with his GBP and they are delicious.
Click to expand...
saramc said:
There is a BIG difference in WaterKefir and GingerBeer Plant...
Here are the cultures typically found in water kefir grains, keep in mind the yeasts can change depending on the wild yeasts in your area:
Lactobacillus brevis : identified as the species responsible for the production of the polysaccharide matrix that forms the grains
Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus
Lactobacillus alactosus
Lactobacillus casei casei
Lactobacillus pseudoplantarum
Lactobacillus plantarum
Streptococcus lactis
Streptococcus cremeris
Leuconostoc mesenteroide
Saccharomyces florentinus
Saccharomyces pretoriensis
Kloeckera apiculata
Candida lambica
C. valida

And here are the cultures in GBP:
Saccharomyces florentinus
Lactobacillus hilgardii

And I agree, they both make a great ginger beverage. I just hate that someone thinks they are getting GBP but are being sold a water kefir grain or hybrid. When you work with the independent cultures long enough, and taste what their ferments taste like, you come to appreciate each of them. The actual grains of each ferment source are visibly different and identifiable on sight. If you are dying for a ginger beer beverage and don't care one way or the other, and want a quick growing grain, then get water kefir grains. You will have enough to share with friends within 1-3 ferments if you have a mineral rich water, don't skimp on the sugar, and give the grains access to oxygen when they are in the solution. You can also visit www.gingerbeerplant.net and follow the links to recipes, Jim has recipes for making traditional ginger beer, scrumpy, using tea and using honey...I have made each and every one of them with his GBP and they are delicious.
Click to expand...
saramc said:
There is a BIG difference in WaterKefir and GingerBeer Plant...
Here are the cultures typically found in water kefir grains, keep in mind the yeasts can change depending on the wild yeasts in your area:
Lactobacillus brevis : identified as the species responsible for the production of the polysaccharide matrix that forms the grains
Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus
Lactobacillus alactosus
Lactobacillus casei casei
Lactobacillus pseudoplantarum
Lactobacillus plantarum
Streptococcus lactis
Streptococcus cremeris
Leuconostoc mesenteroide
Saccharomyces florentinus
Saccharomyces pretoriensis
Kloeckera apiculata
Candida lambica
C. valida

And here are the cultures in GBP:
Saccharomyces florentinus
Lactobacillus hilgardii

And I agree, they both make a great ginger beverage. I just hate that someone thinks they are getting GBP but are being sold a water kefir grain or hybrid. When you work with the independent cultures long enough, and taste what their ferments taste like, you come to appreciate each of them. The actual grains of each ferment source are visibly different and identifiable on sight. If you are dying for a ginger beer beverage and don't care one way or the other, and want a quick growing grain, then get water kefir grains. You will have enough to share with friends within 1-3 ferments if you have a mineral rich water, don't skimp on the sugar, and give the grains access to oxygen when they are in the solution. You can also visit www.gingerbeerplant.net and follow the links to recipes, Jim has recipes for making traditional ginger beer, scrumpy, using tea and using honey...I have made each and every one of them with his GBP and they are delicious.
Click to expand...

ok thanks for the same info again. consult part in previous post about rat's bottom
 

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