First Time Brewer, Starting a batch of old-fashioned style Ginger Beer

[PDXNewBrewer]

Hello everyone, this is my first post here. I am new to the forums and excited to be able to learn how to brew my own beer.

I decided for my first attempt at fermentation to try simple ginger beer recipe. The plan is to make a "ginger bug" or "ginger plant". I found this recipe for a fairly basic fermentation recipe requiring no special equipment needed.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Ginger-Beer-Alcoholic-Version/?ALLSTEPS

I do have a few questions before i get started, hope I can get some advice to get me going in the right direction.

Firstly, I am wondering what percentage of alcohol this recipe will make? Based from my simple inexperienced understanding of fermentation I gather it is also a variable depending on the amount of sugar used.

Also, instead of using ginger powder, we are using fresh ginger root. It seems like the author of the article doesn't even really know exactly how this process works, suggesting using raisins, claiming they don't exactly know why, other than perhaps wild yeasts?

We don't have any raisins but we do have a bottle of Hansenns Belgian Experimental Raspberry Lambic with about an inch of alcohol, yeasts, and sediment at the bottom. I particularly enjoyed this bottle, and put a cork in it about six months ago in hopes of preserving the bacterial and yeast strains, I checked it today and if anything the amount of yeast and bacteria in the bottle has increased, and it still smells pleasant. Is this something we could possibly introduce to the mixture to create an interesting result or is this asking for disaster?

Also, I would like to hear opinions from you folks about the instructional, if you personally would do it differently, perhaps if you know of a simple recipe like this that we can try without investing in brewing equipment that may work better for us we are open to suggestion. The goal, or should I say hope, is to achieve something with lots of carbonation, and a high alcohol percentage 6% or more.

After this experiment, we are planning to invest in a carboy and basic brewing system if all goes well. Any tips or suggestions, alterations to the recipe all welcome and encouraged. Thanks in advance.

 

[akillys]

I have made a ginger beer before and it was 6% but it was not like ginger ale it was mute of a beer with a ginger flavor. If I were you I would use an ale yeast like us-05 it's cheap and ferments clan and won't produce much off flavors. Also there are a few ginger beer recipes floating around on here on the recipe database. Your recipe looks like it would be ok but I would also add some Lemmon juice or lemon zest. The more sugar you add the higher the abv you will be so that's something to think about. Keep in mind though some people think that regular table sugar produces a cider off flavor. All that being said go for it and try it however you want that's part of the fun.

Here is a link that had a good recipe on it on the 1st page. The Champaign yeast will allow a higher abv https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=91970

Alcoholic ginger beer