That looks like a good recipe. The amounts look good to me. I think the DME might be providing some nutrition to the yeast, so maybe you don't need anything else.
Day 7
Gravity 1.005. A substantial tartness has become apparent due to the dryness.
Hey love of rose how did you source your ginger? When I tried a ginger bug it didn't fail miserably but it was infected. I never got mold but i got a rancid smell in one recipe and a small slow ferment to the other. I used organic ginger root from the health store
2 tbl sliced root skin on with 2 tbl of cane sugar daily (as per Zimmerman's instructions).
I like the idea of the raw honey starter, I think I will try that along with an experiment with grapes from a friends vineyard. I really wanted to get into the wild ferment but had to save my recipes with a known strain. I've never homebrewed before haha I love Zimmerman's book, it got me diving in head first with joy! (See thread first batch need advice if your curious at the first attempt)
My previous attempt to make a honey bug resulted in mold only. How do I know? I streaked the culture on plates selective for yeast and grew no yeast. Success is only met after much failure. I repeat: Success is only met after much failure.
So what went wrong? Maybe too much honey. Honey is a hostile environment, so let's cut it back a bit. Also, maybe there was no viable yeast in the honey I chose. I can increase my chances by using multiple honey sources. Hopefully, at least one will have yeast. Let's try this again:
1. To a jar add the following:
-1/5 cup of honey from a mixture of summer Berry, OB, Meadowfoam, Acacia, and Tupelo varietals.
-4/5 cup ozarka spring water
I also made another ginger bug using only summer Berry honey as above plus a 2" price of ginger sliced thinly with the skin on.
Yes. After a few iterations, this recipe is perfect. See here: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/gruit-bomm/
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