Ginger Cream Braggot

I've been working on an alcoholic ginger beer for about a year now, and I've decided to try the next batch as a honey beer, with lactose to fill out the body and add some sweetness.
I've worked with both ginger and honey before, and I know the quirks of those ingredients, but I've never used lactose before, and I've only tasted it as a part of a stout.
Anybody have any thoughts? I'm going to be brewing in 5 days.
Also, anybody know where to get fresh exotic ginger like Jamaican or Chinese "white" ginger?
Here's the recipe so far:

Ginger Cream Braggot

For 5 Gallons:

1# 80L Crystal Malt
4# Honey
3# Pilsen Light Dry Extract
1# Lactose

1oz Fuggles hops

2# Ginger
“Bitter” Orange Peel
1 tsp Cinnamon

Safbrew Ale Yeast


Hang the crystal malt in the pot while the water heats up, let it hang out at 130º and again at 160º for about 20 minutes each. Drain the grain bag and bring the wort to a boil.
Chop up one pound of the ginger (food processor) and add it to the water – boil for about 10 minutes.
Add the extract, lactose, and 1/2 of the hops to the boil. Boil for 50 minutes.
Add the honey, the rest of the hops, the other pound of ginger, orange peel and cinnamon. Boil for 10 minutes.

Primary for at least two weeks, then secondary for at least a month so that the honey has time to ferment. Taste when a week is left and consider “dry hopping” with more ginger or orange peel.

Wow, one pound of ginger seems hardcore.

Coprinus said:

Also, anybody know where to get fresh exotic ginger like Jamaican or Chinese "white" ginger?

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Try your local asian market if you have one, that's pretty much the only place I can find it around my area.

Thanks. It seems like most of the ginger in the stores is from china anyway. My asian market's ginger was all dried up and had some mold on it, so I'm just going to go to Whole Foods and buy whatever they have.
I did come across a relative of ginger called galangal or thai ginger, but I don't think its flavor will give me what I want.
By the way Freeze, it looks from your profile that we have similar trajectories as far as brewing goes! Hooray for weird beers!

Update!

I impulsively added two vanilla beans to the secondary, just for fun.
I'm enjoying the first sips of this beer right now, and I couldn't be more pleased. The lactose has added a noticeable, but not cloying, sweetness that both calms down the ginger and accentuates the honey notes.
IMO, the heat from the ginger is perfect. Two pounds is dead on in terms of spice.
The only thing I might adjust in future batches is the second addition of the ginger. I think I could get more of the "softer" flavors from the ginger if I add some of it at the very end of the boil, or even in the secondary.
Overall, though, I think this is a home run for the holidays.

Hot damn! I am fortunate enough to have tried this brew and I gotta say that if you like ginger, you need to get this fermenting ASAP! About the only reason this isn't my next brew is that I'm counting on Coprinus to share more with me. The ginger spiciness is just right, (About in line with Reed's) but the mouth-feel is much more full and rich which balances the spiciness from the ginger. The other flavors are there but very subtle. You really have to be looking for them to find them under all the ginger, but they're there providing a nice base. This is simply one of the best home-brews I've ever tasted. I haven't plugged it into any brewing calculators, but with the honey I'm guessing this is up around 5% and you'd never know it. I think that's the only flaw. I want to drink it like a session beer. Coprinus may be right in that you don't get much in the way of softer ginger flavors, but this is so damn good as is that I wouldn't mess with it much. Highly recommended!

Another Update!
Like most brews, this one shows vast improvement after some bottle aging. The tangy citrus (orange gummy worms) on the nose is much more mellow, and the flavors are more integrated in general. My feeling is that the large amount of honey in the beer will allow it to age well for years.
This beer has been such a hit that I'm committed to brewing another batch soon, and I'm also formulating an Imperial version that will be all-grain (except the honey) and include another pound of ginger in the mash. I plan on bulk aging the Imperial until next Christmas. Should be awesome! Here's the recipe: http://hopville.com/recipe/139455/s...erial-ginger-cream-braggot-2009-12-27-version

Coprinus said:

Another Update!
Like most brews, this one shows vast improvement after some bottle aging. The tangy citrus (orange gummy worms) on the nose is much more mellow, and the flavors are more integrated in general. My feeling is that the large amount of honey in the beer will allow it to age well for years.
This beer has been such a hit that I'm committed to brewing another batch soon, and I'm also formulating an Imperial version that will be all-grain (except the honey) and include another pound of ginger in the mash. I plan on bulk aging the Imperial until next Christmas. Should be awesome! Here's the recipe: http://hopville.com/recipe/139455/s...erial-ginger-cream-braggot-2009-12-27-version

Click to expand...

Hey there! I realize This Thread is 10 years old, but one of my all-time favorite batches was a similar recipe that I considered an imperial Pilsner Ginger braggot, about half and half Imperial pilsner malt and honey believe on the order of 5 lb of each but it came out to about 9% alcohol after being lagered with a champagne yeast for 2 weeks oh, it was so delicious and never got bottled. Of close to 40 batches I've brewed this is by far my favorite no lactose no cinnamon or honey and the majority of the ginger goes in with your flavor and Aroma hops in order to get the more subtle flavors like you assumed. Anybody ever tries this let me know it was a excellent excellent batch actually the only lager I've ever made.