Ginger wheat saison

[Biergarden]

I'm going back down uncharted territory here with the hopes that one of us has used powdered ginger vs fresh root. This is the design I'll use.

Ten Gallons

11 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM)
4 lbs Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM)
2 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
2.00 oz Saaz [3.75 %] - Boil 60.0 min
Yeast Belgian Saison Wyeast

But I'm not certain how much powdered ginger to use. My expectation is powdered ginger will give more consistent product time after time. Besides, I don't want to worry about having fresh ginger laying around
Any thoughts?

A

 

[tagz]

I have used fresh ginger a bunch and it's definitely the way to go. Peel a couple inches of root, dice it up real fine, toss it in at flameout.

 

[rhys333]

I agree that fresh ginger is the way to go. It's dirt cheap and you can wrap the rest and stick it in the freezer. I just did a ginger Saison a few weeks ago and added 1 oz grated ginger at 10 minutes (4 gal batch). It's just enough to be noticeable.

 

[m00ps]

fresh ginger, no question

I did a ginger cardamom saison with 3oz of fresh root, thinly sliced, added at flameout. Id start there. The ginger is nicely balanced with the yeast flavors. 5 gal batch

 

[GQT]

fresh ginger

Looks like there's a lot I can learn from you
Was just thinking about making a saison with a better pronounced ginger note, and was considering a right dosage and what I should use it together with.

 

[Biergarden]

Okay that's good stuff. What did you guys have as a grain bill and hop additions?

 

[rhys333]

Okay that's good stuff. What did you guys have as a grain bill and hop additions?

What you have will work. Your grain bill is kinda like a dunkelweizen though and if it were me I'd go for crisp instead of malty wheat beer... keeping same weight ratios maybe go 2 row, wheat, then Munich for the proportions (or wheat, 2 row, Munich). I think bittering only is a good idea as you have it and it'll place the focus on the ginger. I find lower IBUs work well for fruit/spice beers, but anything between 18 - 25 IBU should be fine.

 

[KyleWolf]

In my experience (with cooking in addition to brewing), fresh ginger will give you a more traditional "ginger" flavor in that it will have that same bite as ginger beer. Powdered ginger I have always perceived as having less bite and gives you the ginger flavor you often taste in "gingersnap" cookies (if you can get through all of the cinnamon).

In brewing, I have only used fresh ginger, peeled and cut into discs with a mandoline, added if I remember correctly, 2oz into secondary.

That being said, for powdered ginger, I would say start with maybe a 1/4-1/2oz. but that really only guessing based on cooking recipes for swapping fresh for ground ginger.

 

[Biergarden]

posted in wrong thread. Oops