Ginger Beer

Hi everyone,

This is such a beginners question but we all need to start somewhere!

I've never made anything alcoholic and I plan on buying a wine kit, but just because I'm impatient I decided to have a crack at ginger beer.

I just used this recipe - http://www.channel4.com/4food/recip...whittingstall/ginger-beer-recipe#comments-top

It's been doing its thing for about 20 hours, but its not violently bubbling or anything which is what I was expecting. I have it in a warm place (is that right?) and I left the bottle tops lightly screwed on rather than tightly like the recipe said because someone in the comments section said to do that.

Should it be bubbling heavily or is it too soon? And how would I get a higher alcohol content, by just leaving it longer than the 48 hours it says?

Thanks in advance!

Ginger beer is generally a non-alcoholic soda and I don't believe the recipe you linked to was meant to contain much alcohol either. I've made ginger beer like this recipe many times. Basically, you mix your ingredients, seal the bottle and leave it on the counter until the plastic no longer has any give when you squeeze it. Then you place it in the fridge to slow/halt the fermentation process. Once chilled, drink your finely carbonated beverage.

By loosely capping the bottle, the CO2 is obviously going to escape. If you let it go long enough, you'll have an extremely dry and flat alcoholic ginger flavored drink that probably won't be very pleasant.

EDIT: When I make a recipe like this I simmer the water, sugar, ginger mixture for about 20 minutes then chill to pitching temps. I strain this mixture before putting it in the bottle and adding yeast.

I read that putting a tsp of sugar in after its filtered would make it fizzy again. Someone said using the same recipe they left it for a week and got 9% so how did they end up with that without it being too dry?

I've just let the gas escape a bit when the bottles are hard so they can fill up again.

KittyK187 said:

I read that putting a tsp of sugar in after its filtered would make it fizzy again. Someone said using the same recipe they left it for a week and got 9% so how did they end up with that without it being too dry?

I've just let the gas escape a bit when the bottles are hard so they can fill up again.

Click to expand...

How do you know that someones recipe didn't result in a super dry product? :-/

What wine kit did you end up ordering?

EDIT: Misread, you are PLANNING to order one.

Well they said it tasted great.

I haven't ordered a kit yet because I want to try one of the 7 day merlot kits so i can get some done for over christmas, but don't know what to choose because some people have said they were very thin and no body. Going to order tonight though before I leave it too late.

using "caster sugar" to bring the alcohol up would result in something dry, thin, low body as far I i know. Looks like caster sugar is just super fine table sugar.