Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Ginger Ale - 3rd place 2009 HBT BJCP Comp

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what do you think about lemon grass as a sub for the lemon juice/zest? I'm not sure how I;d calculate out the equivalent amount, but I was thinking and oz chopped in the boil and maybe 1/2 oz in the primary after fermentation is complete.
 
Lemon grass would be interesting. I would add it toward the end of the boil, and then add it in secondary with the ginger addition. If you are looking for lemon flavor, the lemon addition per the recipe does very well.

The beer starts off with a light flavor with lemon coming second, and then finishing off with a lingering ginger bite. I can see how people would want more ginger, but it is great as is and I wouldn't change anything if I were to brew it again.
 
thanks for the lemon info, I didn't see an addition of ginger in the secondary, only two additions in the kettle, did you add additional ginger to the secondary? or skip the second addition in the kettel and add it straight to the secondary?
 
I did both ginger additions in the kettle like the recipe calls for. I skinned the ginger and then ran it through a food processor and dumped it straight into the kettle. I was going to put the skins in too, but decided against it. I skinned about 3 ounces of ginger, minced it, and added it to the secondary in a nylon bag.

I didn't filter the wort at all while adding to the carboy. I wanted as much ginger flavor to stick around as possible. Like I said, it is remarkably clear even though I didn't filter anything or add any Irish moss. I did a 24 hour cold crash in the garage, but the temp only got down to about 50 degrees so it wasn't a true cold crash.
 
When trying to remove ginger skin: freeze the ginger, then grate it. The skin will be left ungrated pretty easily. Also, I was under the impression ginger contained plenty of yeast n bacteria. Do you boil your ginger before secondary?
 
Do you boil your ginger before secondary?

I just put it in the nylon bag, dunked the whole thing in starsan and then dropped it in the secondary. My beer turned out great, but I would think you could boil it and then dump all of it into the secondary. I would just be concerned about losing flavor or potency.
 
ginger in starsan or vodka better for secondary addition? how finely chopped and skinned to make it bug free?

I am going to brew this one today.
 
ginger in starsan or vodka better for secondary addition? how finely chopped and skinned to make it bug free?

I am going to brew this one today.
I'd love to hear an answer on this one. Adding unsanitized to a secondary really scares me.

Beautiful recipe, I plan on trying the extract version here shortly after my Vagabond Ginger Ale gets out of primary. I hit my FG in 10 days but it has zero ginger and I'd like to add a bunch to the secondary.

Cheers! :mug:
 
I added the ginger that was treated with vodka. Turned out nice. I made a strawberry ale without anything. Turned out nice. Most people agree that after the fermentation takes place the alcohol will kill the bad bugs. (Still a debated topic) I just washed the strawberries and starsan the container. Still sanitize all equiptment being used.
 
Awesome, thanks for the reply Crito! Did you do the AG or the extract version? How did it come out?

Just chop/mince/dice the ginger root, soak in vodka and bag it in the secondary? Sorry for the process questions, I'm still pretty new at this :eek:
 
No problems. I minced mine. I soaked it vodka. As little vodka as possible

All grain. For the first two weeks it had the full ginger flavor then it mellowed out. I liked it. Others didnt and drank all my caramel wheat pale ale, hehe

No bag. I just put it in my frementor. I personally dont secondary my beer.

I only used two pounds of honey and used more two row
 
This beer has been going forever!

Ive never had a beer move the airlock for so long...

I brewed it Sunday, and its Friday and its still bubbling once a minute or so...was fermented @ 63ish or so the entire time, atleast thats what my thermometer said taped to the outside of the bucket.

Never had a beer really bubble actively for more than maybe 3-4 days, this ones on 5 and still going...should be a good sign!
 
Mines finally done with primary, but it came out way lower gravity...after 2 weeks i am now at 1.004. Its pretty damn good though, can definately tell its ginger. Going to see how it fares with 3oz more ginger for secondary.
 
Yeah, for some reason this recipe always ferments way out - the FG in my original post was 1.002.

I like how dry it gets, though. It's super refreshing with the ginger and lemon.

-Joe
 
Has anyone considered adding to the grain bill? The beer seems a bit light - I get that's th point but I think I may be interested in a bigger ginger beer. Not sure, looking for feedback. Thx.
 
Brewed this today per the instructions in the first post. Only change was that I used 2 lbs of ginger. OG was 1.045. Sample tasted great. I am very excited about how this will turn out. Thanks!
 
Looking at brewing this tomorrow. Has anyone substituted more grain for the 3 lbs of honey or know how I would go about figuring that out. I am doing 10 gal batches and don't really want to buy 6 lbs of honey. Thanks
 
I've been thinking about trying to make a ginger beer. I'm trying to find a recipe that is basically a refreshing clean beer with a nice blast of ginger.
For comparison purposes, I had Phillips ginger beer (http://phillipsbeer.com) once this summer and couldn't find it again but I loved it. There's another one that's in stock (called Crabbie's, I think) which i was not a fan of (tasted like it was sweetened a bit, kind of like a malty ginger ale pop/soda). I'm just not personally a fan of a sweet beer.
I guess I'm just wondering if this recipe is closer to the Crabbie's sweet(ish) ginger beer than to a regular beer with a nice hit of ginger flavour. My initial reaction is to think that with the extra honey in there that it would come out a bit on the noticeably sweet side, but I don't know enough about this whole process yet to know.
Thanks for any opinions/insight!

Edited to say, wait a minute, honey would just add more fermentable sugar, right?
 
bella_union said:
I've been thinking about trying to make a ginger beer. I'm trying to find a recipe that is basically a refreshing clean beer with a nice blast of ginger.
For comparison purposes, I had Phillips ginger beer (http://phillipsbeer.com) once this summer and couldn't find it again but I loved it. There's another one that's in stock (called Crabbie's, I think) which i was not a fan of (tasted like it was sweetened a bit, kind of like a malty ginger ale pop/soda). I'm just not personally a fan of a sweet beer.
I guess I'm just wondering if this recipe is closer to the Crabbie's sweet(ish) ginger beer than to a regular beer with a nice hit of ginger flavour. My initial reaction is to think that with the extra honey in there that it would come out a bit on the noticeably sweet side, but I don't know enough about this whole process yet to know.
Thanks for any opinions/insight!

Edited to say, wait a minute, honey would just add more fermentable sugar, right?

Yeah, you are right about the honey making more fermentable sugars. The yeast will eat it all up so there won't be a noticeably sweet taste.

I brewed this a while back and posted my process in this thread. Mine turned out great, very clean and crisp and not sweet at all. The lemon adds a great initial bite, followed with a little heat from the ginger. I would recommend this recipe for anyone who is looking for a good ginger beer. I'm going to brew it again this April for summertime!

Cheers!
Funk
 
ok, I think I'm going to try this.
A few questions, to show my utter ignorance:

1. Is it ok to ferment this at a slightly warmer temperature (maybe at 70-71 degrees max)? With the heat on now where I live, I don't yet have any kind of temperature control system other than the ambient air thermostat. Or if temperatures ever get that high is that just going to be too warm?

2. Can I BIAB this recipe and just skip the sparge or modify it to BIAB 'tea-bag' techniques?

3. What exactly is Cara-Pils/Dextrine (sounds like a processed chemical, but is listed as a grain)?

Thanks!
 
Mines been in the keg now for just over 2 months, and it still tastes amazing, almost gone though.

Amazing recipe, will definitely be making again at some point. Its crystal clear now its been in the keg so long.

GingerBeer.jpg.jpg
 
I'm drinking a Crabbie's right now. Not sure if I like it or not. It's not the sweetness that I'm at odds with. It's something in the ginger character that's kind of... cough drop like. I dunno. I keep alternating between liking it and being put off by it. Confusing.
 
could i use some sugar instead of honey? so money honey is going to be rather pricey!
 
I'm drinking a Crabbie's right now. Not sure if I like it or not. It's not the sweetness that I'm at odds with. It's something in the ginger character that's kind of... cough drop like. I dunno. I keep alternating between liking it and being put off by it. Confusing.

yeah, it's kind of syrupy or something...
 
I'm brewing this bad boy right now. Thanks for the recipe, nostalgia. Or maybe I should wait until I see/taste the results before thanking you.... but I'm pretty excited about it and the ginger smells great in the boil.
 
Testing the sample from my thief: taste is incredible. I've never tasted such complexity of flavor in wort, despite the absolutely simple grain bill. Can't wait till this one's ready.
 
Hi Joe,

I am brewing this on Saturday and wondering about the honey. below you state that you add all the honey at flameout, which is different than the recipes. thinking the honey would be needed during the boil for alcohol content. so, can you please clarify where I should add the honey?

thanks,
matt
Sure do :) See below. I haven't looked at it in years, so I'm not sure why the honey is split like that. I usually add all the honey at 0 minutes (flameout). It's also a partial boil.

I've got 10 gallons of the AG version sitting in the fermenters now. It smells so good :)

Code:
Mash or Steep Grains
 
  Steep Grains at 165.0 F Amount Item Type % or IBU 
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 15.38 % 

 
  Steep grains as desired (30-60 minutes)
 
  Remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
 

 

Boil Wort
 
  Add water to achieve boil volume of 3.25 gal
 
  Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.069
 
  Boil Ingredients Boil Amount Item Type 
60 min 0.50 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 
60 min 1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 
60 min 1.00 lb Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 
60 min 2.00 lb Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 
30 min 1.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract [Boil for 30 min] Extract 
30 min 2.00 items Lemon Juice (per lemon) (Boil 30.0 min) Misc 
30 min 6.00 oz Ginger Root (Boil 30.0 min) Misc 
15 min 1.00 lb Cane (Beet) Sugar [Boil for 15 min] Extract 
15 min 1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 
10 min 2.00 oz Ginger Root (Boil 10.0 min) Misc 
10 min 2.00 items Lemon Zest (Boil 10.0 min) Misc 
2 min 1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (2 min) Hops 

 
   

 

Cool and Prepare Fermentation
 
  Cool wort to fermentation temperature
 
  Transfer wort to fermenter 
  Add water to achieve final volume of 5.00 gal

-Joe
 
Just brewed this today -- extract version, full boil -- my OG was 1.035 which seems a little low. Should be fine, right??
 
Hi Joe,

I am brewing this on Saturday and wondering about the honey. below you state that you add all the honey at flameout, which is different than the recipes. thinking the honey would be needed during the boil for alcohol content. so, can you please clarify where I should add the honey?

thanks,
matt

I am confused about this as well...
 
Hey all, sorry for the delay. Been away from HBT for a while.

Whether you add the honey during the boil or at flameout will not change the alcohol content. You're adding sugar either way. I don't like to boil honey that long because it breaks down all of the delicious flavor and aroma compounds. It can also burn to the bottom of the pot.

I just warm up the bottles in some hot water beforehand--so it flows more easily--then dump it in during the last minute or two.
 
Hey all, sorry for the delay. Been away from HBT for a while.

Whether you add the honey during the boil or at flameout will not change the alcohol content. You're adding sugar either way. I don't like to boil honey that long because it breaks down all of the delicious flavor and aroma compounds. It can also burn to the bottom of the pot.

I just warm up the bottles in some hot water beforehand--so it flows more easily--then dump it in during the last minute or two.

When it is added can make a difference on whether you get a slight honey flavor or not. I usually add it just before or right after flameout but wanted to clarify what you did for this recipe. Thanks!
 
Just had the first glass of this from the keg. Wow. Very nice. Brewed with original all grain recipe, maybe a tad more ginger when kegging. Nice ginger nose, and mild bite, but really refreshing with honey coming though. Won't last long with my friends around. Yay.
 
I'm anxious - brewed this last weekend using all Mosaic for a bit of fruit flavor. I can't wait for it to finish.

I was surprised when you grate that much ginger how much volume it is (I used the food processor to maximize the surface area and get the most bang for the buck).
 
Wow, I'm guessing that running the ginger through the food processor got more utilization than the original. It's not quite Jack Daniels, but the ginger definitely puts a burn in your throat from 6oz and 4oz in the boil with none in the primary.
I had to add a simple syrup and some yeast stabilizer to soften it up (with that much ginger and FG=1.000 let's say it's not a mass market beer).
Hopefully once it's fully carb'd it is a nice refreshing summer session.
 
Just brewed this today -- extract version, full boil -- my OG was 1.035 which seems a little low. Should be fine, right??

I brewed an extract version this the other day as well and I think my OG was 1.039. That was at 20C so should be pretty accurate.

What temp was your wort when you checked it?



BTW, the taste from the sample is pretty good - perfect amount of ginger.
 
This beer has been going forever!

Ive never had a beer move the airlock for so long...

I brewed it Sunday, and its Friday and its still bubbling once a minute or so...was fermented @ 63ish or so the entire time, atleast thats what my thermometer said taped to the outside of the bucket.

Never had a beer really bubble actively for more than maybe 3-4 days, this ones on 5 and still going...should be a good sign!

Mine has been going for 11 days now. Started at 63ish (Two Wednesdays ago) like you and slowly moved it up to about 70 over the last few days (today is Sunday).

I'm hoping it's done and I can rack it by next week!
 
I brewed this middle of June and ended up with OG 1.044, FG 1.006. Used slightly higher amount of Ginger during boil. As the hydro sample after fermentation had a lot of ginger flavor too it I decided to leave out the ginger addition during secondary fermentation. The final sample before legging tasted great, can't wait to see how this will taste once fully force carbed.

Any idea what BJCP category this would fit in (23?)?

Thanks,

Heiko
 
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