Easy Ginger Ale

[Peevish]

So I tried this recipe the other day, as described. Tastes ok, but it has a offputting eggy smell, I guess it classes as a sulfur smell - not eye-wateringly strong, but enough to affect the tasting experience.

I didn't have any 'brewing' yeast on hand, so added regular red star active dry yeast (bakery aisle) in the quantity given in the recipe.

I'm presuming this yeast choice is the culprit? Is this the case, or am I overlooking something else? I'm keen to get this right, as ginger ale is always popular in my house.

What is the best yeast to use for this? I've seen people have used champagne yeast so will try this next when I can get to my lhbs.

 

[Unibrow]

So I tried this recipe the other day, as described. Tastes ok, but it has a offputting eggy smell, I guess it classes as a sulfur smell - not eye-wateringly strong, but enough to affect the tasting experience.

I didn't have any 'brewing' yeast on hand, so added regular red star active dry yeast (bakery aisle) in the quantity given in the recipe.

I'm presuming this yeast choice is the culprit? Is this the case, or am I overlooking something else? I'm keen to get this right, as ginger ale is always popular in my house.

What is the best yeast to use for this? I've seen people have used champagne yeast so will try this next when I can get to my lhbs.

I also used Red Star bread yeast, and mine turned out very good! I tried an experiment making just seltzer water, and it had that eggy quality you've referenced. I'm guessing you used too much yeast...or not enough sugar. That's what I would guess because the stated amounts in the recipe worked out good for me.

 

[Peevish]

I also used Red Star bread yeast, and mine turned out very good! I tried an experiment making just seltzer water, and it had that eggy quality you've referenced. I'm guessing you used too much yeast...or not enough sugar. That's what I would guess because the stated amounts in the recipe worked out good for me.

Hmmm that's interesting - so.probably not the yeast at fault then. My scales are pretty crappy, so it could well be the sugar. Thanks for the input, really appreciate it :mug

 

[Nubster]

Could you use EZ-cap bottles or PET bottles? That way you could de-pressurize them from time to time in the fridge. Maybe carbonate in a large 2L or 3L bottle then transfer to smaller bottles. I am interested in this cause my brother LOVES ginger ale but most of the commercial stuff sux and this would be a great Christmas present. Individual bottles would be cooler though than a 2L.

 

[Yooper]

Could you use EX-cap bottles or PET bottles? That way you could de-pressurize them from time to time in the fridge. Maybe carbonate in a large 2L or 3L bottle then transfer to smaller bottles. I am interested in this cause my brother LOVES ginger ale but most of the commercial stuff sux and this would be a great Christmas present. Individual bottles would be cooler though than a 2L.

Any plastic soda bottles (any size) will do.

 

[cheesecake]

Just made 2 2l bottles of this......I can't wait to try it

 

[cheesecake]

Only problem with this is it disappears way to fast.

 

[Yooper]

Only problem with this is it disappears way to fast.

I agree! I'm not much of a soda drinker at all (haven't bought a commercial soda in YEARS) but I can suck a 2l of this down in a day or two!

 

[Channel66]

Just made 2 bottles excited to try this. Thanks for the recipe!

 

[JABBY]

My grandmother gave me this same recipe, she also told me about zesting some fruit. She told me use some orange zest along with some juice and you can get an orange soda. Glad that this is already up so I do not have to type it all out.

 

[moonmandave]

Everyone is suggesting plastic bottles. Would it be possible if I double up the recipe and ferment it a day in a 1 gal glass carboy, then (glass) bottled it into glass, and took it right to the fridge? I love old-timey ginger ale ESPECIALLY Vernors (which is impossible to convince the commissary on base in Japan to stock)
Any advice for doing this in glass?

 

[ericbw]

Everyone is suggesting plastic bottles. Would it be possible if I double up the recipe and ferment it a day in a 1 gal glass carboy, then (glass) bottled it into glass, and took it right to the fridge? I love old-timey ginger ale ESPECIALLY Vernors (which is impossible to convince the commissary on base in Japan to stock)
Any advice for doing this in glass?

This is tricky, But here's what I have been doing. I bottle in 1 L flip top bottles (glass) that had sparkling lemonade soda in them. But I also bottle a plastic bottle to test. When the plastic is firm, they all go in the fridge.

Sometimes, I just let it sit for 2 days and hope it's enough.

I wouldn't do it with any bottle that wasn't made for carbonated drinks (like i would not use juice, decorative, spirits, etc. bottles.) especially not if they are really old.

 

[Kirkwooder]

I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to pasteurize this in the bottle after it has fully carbed, in order to make it shelf safe. I have seen threads somewhere here about how to do that, but am wondering if the plastic bottles will hold up to the pressure of the carb and then the heat of pasteurization process. Any ideas?

 

[keezerj]

I kegged this and put the ginger in a paint strainer bag and right in the keg. Taste great and no floaties. Thanks yoop for another great one

 

[Snow4phil]

x2 on the pasteurizing idea. I was thinking about bottles, and using a few plastic ones as feelers for when pressure is good, then pasteurizing the glass bottles.

 

[bolus14]

sub'd. Wife has been pushing me to make some "real" Root Beer and Ginger Ale since I started brewing about a year ago.

This looks easy and quick so that'll be nice. If I end up doing this I may double or triple it and try using 2 or 3 "regular" 12oz bottles and put the rest in plastic Polar Seltzer water bottles. If cider can be pasteurized I don't see why the same process can't be done for soda.

Looks like the easiest bottle pasteurizing method is in the dishwasher, do a search for dishwasher pasteurizing.

 

[ericbw]

sub'd. Wife has been pushing me to make some "real" Root Beer and Ginger Ale since I started brewing about a year ago.

This looks easy and quick so that'll be nice. If I end up doing this I may double or triple it and try using 2 or 3 "regular" 12oz bottles and put the rest in plastic Polar Seltzer water bottles. If cider can be pasteurized I don't see why the same process can't be done for soda.

Looks like the easiest bottle pasteurizing method is in the dishwasher, do a search for dishwasher pasteurizing.

I don't think you can pasteurize in plastic, though.

 

[bolus14]

Right. Plastic would have to go in the fridge. For glass I don't mind throwing a case or so in the dishwasher. Standing over the stove doing 5 or 6 bottles for an hour or longer isn't fun.

I found the dishwasher pasteurizing post while looking at this post. I think my preference would be to do it in glass, pasteurize, and not have to take up the fridge space.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Kirkwooder]

Do not try and heat pasturize in the PET bottles. They become way too pliable and stretch out under the pressure form inside.

 

[N2GN2]

I'm carbing my first ginger beer attempt. Here is what I used for 2 liters:

4 ounces of fresh ginger juice to give that nice burn
1 lime
1/2 a lemon
2/3 cup blue agave

I'm carbing at 30 psi with the carbonator.

*Notes*

0.68 Lbs of ginger (USA) produced 8 ounces of ginger juice with a masticating juicer.

I'm will try my next batch with organic cane sugar.

 

[lotusworker]

you could carb this with the carbonator cap instead of yeast..can't wait to try this

 

[N2GN2]

I'm carbing my first ginger beer attempt. Here is what I used for 2 liters:

4 ounces of fresh ginger juice to give that nice burn
1 lime
1/2 a lemon
2/3 cup blue agave

I'm carbing at 30 psi with the carbonator.

*Notes*

0.68 Lbs of ginger (USA) produced 8 ounces of ginger juice with a masticating juicer.

I'm will try my next batch with organic cane sugar.

This was not quite the taste I was looking for. It seems a must to steep the ginger instead of juicing. Mine has a little bitter taste that I associate with raw ginger juice. Steeping the ginger must give it a full bodied mature flavor.

 

[Micha]

Will try that tomorrow! By the way, when you say Measure out 1/4th teaspoon fresh yeast., do you actually mean fresh yeast? That'd be a 1/8th teaspoon of dry active or a 1/16th teaspoon of instant yeast. As I read above that there is some critical amount of yeast to use it's probably better to clear that up Though all in all, I'll be using dry active bread yeast and hope for the best

EDIT: I also have some Motueka that I will steep in the warm water for 5 minutes for extra hoppiness. There; a perfectly fine batch of ginger ale ruined by the accidental availability of hops

 

[bolus14]

Why are you using bread yeast? Have you done it before? From what I've read this will give you a very "bready" " yeasty" beer.

 

[Yooper]

By 'fresh yeast', I mean not stale or previously opened yeast. Once a package of yeast is opened, it absorbs water and should be used within a week or so. The wine yeast is dried, with a date that is good for a few years after packaged.

It's important to use a neutral flavored wine yeast, unless you like yeasty flavored ginger ale. The amount isn't important- you want enough to go the job, but you can use more than is strictly required with fine results.

 

[Micha]

Thanks for the clarification! As for bread yeast, some success was reported (#35) in this thread, so I'll give it a try, and see how awfull it turns out

EDIT: I ended up using S-05 scooped from a ginger/pepper beer that was freshly put to primary. The ginger ale is great, although I made one mistake: I blended the lemon rather than juice it; it floated in the bottle and made the opening of the bottle very messy. Pros: great smell in the kitchen; Cons: lemon pulp everywhere.

 

[bluewithenvy]

If I was going to make gallon of this how would I bump up the ingredients

 

[ericbw]

If I was going to make gallon of this how would I bump up the ingredients

If someone is talking about a 1L recipe, you need to multiply by "about" 4 to get the quantities for a gallon. If it's a 2L recipe, then it's a little more than double. But a liter is roughly a quart.

Does that help?