Ginger Ale Recipe Help

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Lucky

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Ok I am using this recipe for my ginger ale.

Ginger ale recipe

I have made three batches and have only had a chance to taste the first one.

The first time through I did not boil my water. I just put the 3 tbls of lemon and orange juice along with the 3/4 c sugar and the 3oz of ginger in a quart and a half of water. I then put the burner on simmer and let it go for a hour. Then I added that to 3 quarts of water. While that was sitting there I put the 1/8 tsp of champagne yeast in 1/4 c water at 105 degrees. I let that sit for 15 mins and then added it to my mix. I then bottled it up and left it on the counter for 36 hours and then in the fridg until cold and tasted. Well it tasted like bad seltzer water.

I knew that the flavor was not right even before bottling so I had started a new batch. It tasted grate all the way up until I added it to the other 3 quarts of water but there was no ginger bite.

My second batch I boiled for an hour. Everything else stayed the same. This time there was a ginger bite in the boiled mix. But again once added to the 3 quarts of water it was diluted allot and had not flavor. So I am expecting this to taste the same as the first batch. It almost seems like there is not enough sugar in this recipe. I will be able to taste in the moring.

Third batch everything stayed the same except that instead of 3 quarts of water I added only a quart and one cup of water. Lots of ginger bite to this mix. I am afraid that it is still going to taste like seltzer water.

I bought some maltodextrin to hopefully add something.

What would that add? When do I add this?
 
The first thing that I would change is boiling the ginger for 1 hour. This is going to cook the ginger and lose most of the flavor that you want.

I "cook" my ginger in ~1/2 cup water in the microwave for 1 minute. Putting it in hot water to steep works as well.

check this site out:

Homemade Ginger Ale

This guy doesn't even boil his soda. just mix, bottle, and harden.

Again, my guess is don't cook the ginger. It is great as fresh. If you want to boil the water, then by all means do so. then add the sugars to dissolve. But cool the water before adding the ginger and yeast.
 
That was my very fist attempt at this before I found this other recipe. I really did not find this to be what I was looking for.
 
My problem when I don't boil is that I get no ginger flavor/bite. When I boil I get that bite.

I am still looking for some answers to Maltodextrin. So I add this either at the end of boiling or at bottling?
How much would I use in a 2L bottle?

What effect is this going to give me?

Is it going to make my seltzer water effect that I am getting into more of a soda feel? Thicker?
 
My problem when I don't boil is that I get no ginger flavor/bite. When I boil I get that bite.

I am still looking for some answers to Maltodextrin. So I add this either at the end of boiling or at bottling?
How much would I use in a 2L bottle?

What effect is this going to give me?

Is it going to make my seltzer water effect that I am getting into more of a soda feel? Thicker?

This is interesting in that I get plenty of ginger bite and flavor with ~2Tbl of ginger in 4L of water with no boiling or long simmering. Just fresh ginger in the pot and let it sit for 10mins or so. Then I strain into a pouring container then to bottles.

I have never used Malodextrin so I can't answer to that. To control infections I would suggest boiling it with your sugars for about 10mins. Kills will yeasts and bacterial.

The rate suggestion sounds like a great experiment. Take 5-6 2L bottles and make your mix up as normal. Then add increasing amounts to the bottles with one left without maltodextrin. Then carb chill and report your findings here. Maybe make your increments in ounces.
 
I found that the second recipe is good, but needs more ginger. I simply used more ginger, and simmered it a long time. (I like the taste better after being simmered). I tasted it along the way, realizing that aside from carbonation, it's going to taste the same after you're finished. When it was spicy and just right, I cooled it, added the yeast (just dry yeast mixed in with the warm mix) and bottled.
 
I think what I might do is just take 2L and a cup of water and toss in a pot. I like the ingredients of the lemon and orange juice. That is the great thing about soda is that you can taste it the whole way through. Add the juices and sugar to my liking then the ginger fresh grated instead of chopped. Let it sit warm for a few mins strain then bottle add 1/8 - 1/4 tsp yeast. I will have to give this a try. Whats more fun then yeast in a bottle.

If nothing else the next time I get sick I know the drink I am making. I loved tasting this through out the boiling process that I tried.
 
This what I just got done doing.

I boiled 2L water then turned the heat off.

Added 1 1/2C sugar

4tbls Lemon Juice

4tbls Orange Juice

3 1/2tbls Grated Ginger

I think it probably sat in this water for about a half hour as I was trying to get the ingredients to my taste.

When my thermometer read 105 degrees I added 1/4tsp yeast.

I split this into two one litter bottles. One of those bottles I added 1/4tsp Malto Dextrin.

I am not sure how much of this stuff to add yet. Any suggestions.

Now I just have to wait and see.
 
I 'm making some sugar free clear koolaid for the kiddies and used 1/2 teaspoon of malto. I wish Icould find more no colored flavors besides watermelon kiwi...
 
I made this yesterday!

because I did not have a whole lemon, I used 14.7 ml of lemon juice. I also did not have a tablespoon measure. 2 tablespoon, according to the internet, is approximately 30 gram. So I used 14.7ml lemon juice, 30 gram grated ginger, 2 liter water, and a cup of sugar, which is about 200g.

fearing bottle explosion, I stored the 4 ginger ale bottles in a bucket, which i'm glad I did. One of the bottle did explode, but the other three are okay.

They taste absolutely delicious!
 
The first recipe you posted is pretty light on sugar, so it would taste like bad seltzer. I think you need about 2 cups in a gallon, maybe less.

You definitely should grate the ginger to get the most flavor. It should be like mush really. A microplane if you have it.

Are you a beer brewer? You know how you get different flavors from hops the longer or shorter they boil? Like the IPA recipes where you add hops at 15 min, 10, 5, 2, 1, and flame out? Supposedly because each of those additions will taste slightly different, and that makes it complex.

I think ginger ale is the same. So if you boil the ginger, you lose that "zing" of fresh ginger. But you might extract more flavor in a different way. A deeper, more complex, yada yada yada. So I sometimes boil some in the water, turn it off and add the sugar and other ingredients. Then add more ginger at the end - or even in the bottle if you can tolerate the chunks. But if you want it clear, then add it at the end when the rest of the mix is cooler, and let it steep for a while and strain.

One more trick. Ginger "bite" fades over a little time. Some people add peppercorns when they boil it. Some add cayenne pepper, too. I think the sharpest Jamaican ginger beers have cayenne in them. So the bite is really the combination of ginger flavor and cayenne heat. Go easy on it. A few peppercorns (like a tsp of whole peppercorns) in a gallon seems to add something exotic. A small pinch of cayenne adds some heat, too.

So in ginger ale, you should have ginger flavor, some citrus, some ginger bite (or zing), and maybe some heat and other flavor (from peppercorns and cayenne).

The Fankhauser recipe is a pretty straightforward and basic ginger ale recipe. It gives you a good idea of the ratio of sugar and water.

I'm waiting to hear what maltodextrin does, because I've been considering it, too.
 
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