Ginger beer please!

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slim chillingsworth

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I'm dying for a good Ginger beer recipe. Ideally aimed at 5 gallons force carbonated. Maine Root Ginger Brew is my favorite ever, Reeds is okay. Please help!
 
It's not "ginger beer" per se, but I enjoyed the Shakemantle Ginger Ale we brewed up out of Beer Captured.

It's simple: Wheat DME, fuggles to bitter and EKG for flavor, and fresh ginger. Dry hop with more fresh ginger. The ginger bits turn pretty dark, but the fresh stuff gives it both flavor and aroma (which I love!).
 
I don't want to buy a ginger beer plant, I can force carbonate so I don't need any yeast. The problem with most ginger beer recipes is that they have way too much sugar since they rely on it being digested for carbonation.
 
I have been looking for something similar too. If I understand you correctly, you are looking to make Ginger Beer Soda (as this is a ginger beer thread in the soda forum), like ginger ale with a nice, strong ginger bite, no alcohol. This is what I am looking to make too.

I have considered buy a soda extract, but would rather do it my self since I can get ginger root crazy cheap near by.

Well, I guess this really hasn't helped. When I free up a keg, I am going to just wing it on my own. I am thinking sugar, water, chopped ginger in some kind of herb ball. I am going to taste it as I go and boil to extract the ginger flavor and sanitize everything. Dump it in a keg and force carbonate to 4 volumes. Probably do 1 gallon at a time until I think it is right then make 4 or 5 gallons.

I am also considering using a carbonating cap and just bottle this stuff in some 2L bottles.
 
I've been trying to perfect a ginger soda recipe for a while now. The batches always turn out good but never great. The ginger flavor is exactly what I want - fresh and spicy, but there's always something missing. I've only been making about 1 quart at a time. Here's the basic recipe:

1 quart water
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
3 oz minced ginger (run it through a garlic press, being sure to collect all of the juice and bits)

Add the sugar and 1 cup of the water to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat off and steep the ginger for 5-10 minutes. Strain. Pour over ice and top up to make 1 quart. Carbonate.

I'm pretty firmly convinced that citrus is the missing ingredient. I made a batch with lemon zest that was marginally better. I think a healthy dose of lemon and lime zest would make a big difference.
 
Most recipes I've seen call for lemon zest or juice. I made a batch using baker's yeast that came out nice, but not exactly what I wanted. Let's keep this thread going with our experiments.
 
I use one lemon per gallon, no zest, just squeeze the lemon into the water/sugar mixture.

I steeped the ginger for quite a while, more like a simmer. Then I strained and dissolved the sugar into it and added the lemon juice.

I wrote down the exact amounts, but can't find them now! I remember using quite a bit more ginger than I thought I needed.
 
I've been looking for something like this too. I love reeds and other stronger ginger ales/beers (sodas). I'm in for experimentation and sharing the results!

For carbonation (of test batches) . . . I'm thinking what might work good is a seltzer bottle like this one . . . I already have one of these and they run about $50. Probably not worth it if you'd only use it for testing soda recipes, but if you also happen to enjoy making drinks that call for seltzer water (e.g. mojitos) it might be worth it.
 
I think that I will give this a shot too. My tap-a-draft bottles would be perfect for this.

I have been looking for a good use for them ever since I got the kegerator.
 
is that force carbonated? how's the flavor?

I've only bottled them- I made a gallon at a time, so I bottled in 20 oz PET bottles (used about 1/4 of a package of champagne yeast). I think I will force carb the next batch, though. What happens with root beer and ginger ale is you have lots of sugar. You add the yeast, and when the bottle is hard (in as little as 24-48 hours for ginger ale), you stick them in the fridge to retard further carbonation. That's ok for one gallon, but I don't have room for 5 gallons of bottles!

And, it was really GOOD!
 
What happens with root beer and ginger ale is you have lots of sugar. You add the yeast, and when the bottle is hard (in as little as 24-48 hours for ginger ale), you stick them in the fridge to retard further carbonation.


I want to avoid using yeast so I have more control over the amount of residual sugar, and because I've been able to taste the yeast when I've tried this route.
 
You will have to scale it up but this is my recipe. Very sharp ginger bite, not too sweet.

2 liters of water
4 oz. of Ginger sliced and bruised (smash it with the edge of the blade)
1 Cup of white sugar
approx. 1/4 cup of lime juice (to taste really)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
a dash of cracked white pepper (gives it some more bite and zing. Complements well I think)

Bring the water, ginger, sugar and pepper to the boil. Reduce heat add lime juice and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Strain out solids. Stir in vanilla extract.

Cool. I then add it to a 2 liter soda bottle set it in the fridge til cold and force carbonate with a homade carbonater cap

enjoy.
 
after a test batch last night I'm making a scaled up 3 gallon batch right now. i liked the vanilla but it wasn't what i was looking for. i also couldn't find any white peppercorns at my local grocery store, so i skipped that.

i work in a restaurant and saved a bunch of lime rinds that we had juiced, so i used that for the lime addition.

here's my recipe

3 gallons water
1.75 # ginger root, sliced and bruised
3 limes worth of rinds
6 cups sugar

brought to boil, simmered for 40 minutes, cooled

i'll be force carbonating this later tonight and i will post my results.
 
You add the yeast, and when the bottle is hard (in as little as 24-48 hours for ginger ale), you stick them in the fridge to retard further carbonation.

Later this week, I'm going to brew a few liters of Ginger Beer using some ale yeast. And, the one thing that I cannot figure out is what do you do with the yeast after the short fermentation? Do you rack it like when you transfer beer to the bottling bucket or keg (leaving the slurry behind) or do you just put the soda bottle with the yeast in the fridge and drink it when it's cold?

Thanks!
 
Later this week, I'm going to brew a few liters of Ginger Beer using some ale yeast. And, the one thing that I cannot figure out is what do you do with the yeast after the short fermentation? Do you rack it like when you transfer beer to the bottling bucket or keg (leaving the slurry behind) or do you just put the soda bottle with the yeast in the fridge and drink it when it's cold?

Thanks!

You will not have much slurry. You don't need much yeast in the beginning, and it ends up eating very little sugar. In the bottle you end up with a little yeast residue just like when you bottle condition beer. You just pour let that settle in the fridge and you pour gently as to not mix it back in when you are drinking it.
 
And if you use glass bottles for the natural fermentation, make sure that you bottle at least one in a plastic soda bottle so that you can feel the firmness of the bottle to know when to refrigerate it.
 
You will not have much slurry. You don't need much yeast in the beginning, and it ends up eating very little sugar. In the bottle you end up with a little yeast residue just like when you bottle condition beer. You just pour let that settle in the fridge and you pour gently as to not mix it back in when you are drinking it.

Thanks for the information. How much yeast should I use for a liter of Ginger Beer?

I brewed it on Thursday, using 1/2 teaspoon of yeast per liter. The result was good, but not great. I blame it on my recipe. I think that I needed more simple syrup and lemon zest. However, this was easy to remedy with another spoonful of sugar in the glass along with a shot of Goslings!
 
Here's my recipe - this is per liter so adjust as needed and to taste:
One hunk ginger root - 200 grams
2 tablespoons table sugar (sucrose)
pinch salt ( to taste - very little)
cayenne pepper extract - two drops (obviously this is not very quantitative)- use little red peppers in vodka to make (needs to soak for at least a week), don't use tobasco or frank's red hot as they have vinegar in them.

grate the ginger with a fine grater or food processor until it is a fine pulp, use your hand to sqeeze the juice out of the pulp.

Add all ingredients and FORCE CARBONATE. If you yeast condition then you will have to add priming sugar as per your experience etc.

I also like to add the juice of one lemon to this but please note that the more lemon you add, the less ginger bite you will taste (acid kills the "bite")

Cheers.:mug:
 
A friend in the local brew club had a great recipe that he brought last meeting. It contained lemon and lime juice as well as a little zest. You could play around a bit with citric acid/ascorbic acid, just don't overdo it.His tasted more like non-alcoholic ginger beer than ginger soda. It had just a hint of sweetness(he used lactose to sweeten w/ small amount of cane for priming) and had a nice strong ginger bite with a citric/floral finish. Bottle carbonating is great, but for small batches that you can carb quickly, get a Carbonator two liter cap(mine has gotten enough use to be worth the $15-juices, sodas, seltzer, and beer sampling).Cheers!
 
So, I've brewed a few batches since I last posted. Since I have a juicer, I have been juicing the ginger. Also, I've been using some simple syrup instead of sugar.

The first one wasn't really good. I used way too much ginger. The next batch was much better. I'm going to try some of the ideas/ingredients mentioned by giligson & left field brewer. Some cayenne pepper is definitely going in to my next batch.

I'm going to experiment a bit more over the next month and post my best recipe (as soon as I discover it).
 
You should stop using a juicer unless it's one you don't mind tossing. I have a friend who owns a restaurant and she has ruined many a juicer with ginger. The juice is pretty frickin caustic and will eat away at the parts. I have had a lot of luck extracting ginger by chopping it up real small and steeping it for an hour or so.
 
You should stop using a juicer unless it's one you don't mind tossing. I have a friend who owns a restaurant and she has ruined many a juicer with ginger. The juice is pretty frickin caustic and will eat away at the parts. I have had a lot of luck extracting ginger by chopping it up real small and steeping it for an hour or so.

I was wondering why no one mentioned using a juicer. Now I know! Thanks for saving my juicer.
 
I've made a number of ginger beer sodas, and I like the ginger flavor to be hot and forward. You can tweak the sugar to make it more or less sweet and the ginger to make it more or less hot.

2 lbs fresh ginger, sliced (with or without the skin; with the skin results in a slightly darker brew but won't affect flavor)
5-15 cups cane sugar
1 whole lime, sliced into wheels
1 stick of cinnamon
1 tsp fresh allspice, crushed
1 tsp cream of tartar

Bring 5.5 gallons of water to a gentle boil, add the cream of tartar, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and lime (a grain bag works great for easy removal). After 60 mins, cut the heat, remove the bag of spices/ginger/lime pieces, add the sugar, and stir until it is all dissolved. Cool, keg, and force carb.
 
I was thinking of that as well. How did it work out?

For carbonation (of test batches) . . . I'm thinking what might work good is a seltzer bottle like this one . . . I already have one of these and they run about $50. Probably not worth it if you'd only use it for testing soda recipes, but if you also happen to enjoy making drinks that call for seltzer water (e.g. mojitos) it might be worth it.
 
Try this for your base (1 liter, multiply for larger batches of course):
1. liter water or 28/32 fluid ounces
2. 120-180 grams or 1 cup sugar (experiment with sugar types)
3. 4 grams ginger or 1 teaspoon
4. 1 gram cream of tartar or 1/4 teaspoon.
5. Slice of fresh lemon or tsp of lemon juice
And you would traditionally use your GBP at this time, but since you want to force carbonate you don't add you GBP, or ferment....so beyond this point I cannot make any suggestions. Good luck and keep us posted!!
 
The zombies are back to collect their thread. :eek: ...
I gave this a try today, well I loosely followed the directions. 2lbs of ginger, 2 small limes, 1 lemon, some cinnamon, 10 cups sugar, some cream of tartar, some all spice and some all spice chunks. took a taste of it as I was poring it in the keg. It tasted good. I have it under 40lbs for a few days and will see it how it tastes. If it is a loss oh well it was fun playing with...
 
The zombies are back to collect their thread. :eek: ...
I gave this a try today, well I loosely followed the directions. 2lbs of ginger, 2 small limes, 1 lemon, some cinnamon, 10 cups sugar, some cream of tartar, some all spice and some all spice chunks. took a taste of it as I was poring it in the keg. It tasted good. I have it under 40lbs for a few days and will see it how it tastes. If it is a loss oh well it was fun playing with...

Definitely curious as to how it turns out! I've been trying to come up with other stuff to keg, and I love ginger beer!
 
The zombies are back to collect their thread. :eek: ...
I gave this a try today, well I loosely followed the directions. 2lbs of ginger, 2 small limes, 1 lemon, some cinnamon, 10 cups sugar, some cream of tartar, some all spice and some all spice chunks. took a taste of it as I was poring it in the keg. It tasted good. I have it under 40lbs for a few days and will see it how it tastes. If it is a loss oh well it was fun playing with...

And how did this one turn out? What do you think?
 
I plan on trying this soon... I will probably add in some peppercorns. Can anyone tell me what the cream of tartar is for?


I've made a number of ginger beer sodas, and I like the ginger flavor to be hot and forward. You can tweak the sugar to make it more or less sweet and the ginger to make it more or less hot.

2 lbs fresh ginger, sliced (with or without the skin; with the skin results in a slightly darker brew but won't affect flavor)
5-15 cups cane sugar
1 whole lime, sliced into wheels
1 stick of cinnamon
1 tsp fresh allspice, crushed
1 tsp cream of tartar

Bring 5.5 gallons of water to a gentle boil, add the cream of tartar, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and lime (a grain bag works great for easy removal). After 60 mins, cut the heat, remove the bag of spices/ginger/lime pieces, add the sugar, and stir until it is all dissolved. Cool, keg, and force carb.
 
ok ... I just made it. Took me about 2 hours in total with cooling process, force carb and cleanup! SO, IMO I would add in about 2 times the ginger and definitely add in 1 tablespoon of uncracked pepper corns (which I did and really liked it). I think 5 cups of brown sugar would be perfect sweetness. I used 5 cups brown and 1 cup white (all i had on hand otherwise I would have used 5 white and 1 brown) but I liked the brown sugar, just a little too sweet for my taste. I ended up using my vitamix to blend up the ginger (unpeeled) with some water. Also, I brought the mixture to a boil then just steeped it. Not sure that makes a difference but I didnt think that boiling it made much sense. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Either way, I think this is a great start !
 
So, I was just handed a brewing death blow. Turns out that I have chronic liver disease and can't drink alcohol any longer. So I am probably going to sell off all of my brewing equipment and transition to Ginger Beer and maybe Root Beer.

Has anyone on here experimented with flavoring their Ginger Beer? I am guessing that citrus is a no brainer. But how about berries? Should I try using concentrates?
 
Just for fun and for the brew of it, I made a ginger beer for the purpose of making Moscow mules. I wanted to make a gluten free alcoholic ginger beer. Made it simple and it turned out a lot better than I expected.
1lb of minced ginger root in a steeping bag
3lbs of sugar
Champagne yeast.
That's it. Brought it to a boil and let it steep for 30 minutes. Added the sugar, quickly chilled and added the yeast.
Back sweetened after 5wks and force carb in the keg. Was great. I will get more technical as I make more. 5 gallons didn't make it through the Halloween party even with four other beers and ciders on tap.
 
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