Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Ginger Ale - 3rd place 2009 HBT BJCP Comp

[funkstrman]

I've been thinking about trying to make a ginger beer. I'm trying to find a recipe that is basically a refreshing clean beer with a nice blast of ginger.
For comparison purposes, I had Phillips ginger beer (http://phillipsbeer.com) once this summer and couldn't find it again but I loved it. There's another one that's in stock (called Crabbie's, I think) which i was not a fan of (tasted like it was sweetened a bit, kind of like a malty ginger ale pop/soda). I'm just not personally a fan of a sweet beer.
I guess I'm just wondering if this recipe is closer to the Crabbie's sweet(ish) ginger beer than to a regular beer with a nice hit of ginger flavour. My initial reaction is to think that with the extra honey in there that it would come out a bit on the noticeably sweet side, but I don't know enough about this whole process yet to know.
Thanks for any opinions/insight!

Edited to say, wait a minute, honey would just add more fermentable sugar, right?

Yeah, you are right about the honey making more fermentable sugars. The yeast will eat it all up so there won't be a noticeably sweet taste.

I brewed this a while back and posted my process in this thread. Mine turned out great, very clean and crisp and not sweet at all. The lemon adds a great initial bite, followed with a little heat from the ginger. I would recommend this recipe for anyone who is looking for a good ginger beer. I'm going to brew it again this April for summertime!

Cheers!
Funk

 

[bella_union]

ok, I think I'm going to try this.
A few questions, to show my utter ignorance:

1. Is it ok to ferment this at a slightly warmer temperature (maybe at 70-71 degrees max)? With the heat on now where I live, I don't yet have any kind of temperature control system other than the ambient air thermostat. Or if temperatures ever get that high is that just going to be too warm?

2. Can I BIAB this recipe and just skip the sparge or modify it to BIAB 'tea-bag' techniques?

3. What exactly is Cara-Pils/Dextrine (sounds like a processed chemical, but is listed as a grain)?

Thanks!

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Mines been in the keg now for just over 2 months, and it still tastes amazing, almost gone though.

Amazing recipe, will definitely be making again at some point. Its crystal clear now its been in the keg so long.

 

[timcadieux]

* subscribed *

 

[ChshreCat]

I'm drinking a Crabbie's right now. Not sure if I like it or not. It's not the sweetness that I'm at odds with. It's something in the ginger character that's kind of... cough drop like. I dunno. I keep alternating between liking it and being put off by it. Confusing.

 

[dylanphelan]

could i use some sugar instead of honey? so money honey is going to be rather pricey!

 

[bella_union]

I'm drinking a Crabbie's right now. Not sure if I like it or not. It's not the sweetness that I'm at odds with. It's something in the ginger character that's kind of... cough drop like. I dunno. I keep alternating between liking it and being put off by it. Confusing.

yeah, it's kind of syrupy or something...

 

[bds3]

I'm brewing this bad boy right now. Thanks for the recipe, nostalgia. Or maybe I should wait until I see/taste the results before thanking you.... but I'm pretty excited about it and the ginger smells great in the boil.

 

[bds3]

Testing the sample from my thief: taste is incredible. I've never tasted such complexity of flavor in wort, despite the absolutely simple grain bill. Can't wait till this one's ready.

 

[mlgtrumpet]

Hi Joe,

I am brewing this on Saturday and wondering about the honey. below you state that you add all the honey at flameout, which is different than the recipes. thinking the honey would be needed during the boil for alcohol content. so, can you please clarify where I should add the honey?

thanks,
matt

Sure do See below. I haven't looked at it in years, so I'm not sure why the honey is split like that. I usually add all the honey at 0 minutes (flameout). It's also a partial boil.

I've got 10 gallons of the AG version sitting in the fermenters now. It smells so good

Mash or Steep Grains
 
  Steep Grains at 165.0 F Amount Item Type % or IBU 
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 15.38 % 

 
  Steep grains as desired (30-60 minutes)
 
  Remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
 

 

Boil Wort
 
  Add water to achieve boil volume of 3.25 gal
 
  Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.069
 
  Boil Ingredients Boil Amount Item Type 
60 min 0.50 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 
60 min 1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 
60 min 1.00 lb Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 
60 min 2.00 lb Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 
30 min 1.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract [Boil for 30 min] Extract 
30 min 2.00 items Lemon Juice (per lemon) (Boil 30.0 min) Misc 
30 min 6.00 oz Ginger Root (Boil 30.0 min) Misc 
15 min 1.00 lb Cane (Beet) Sugar [Boil for 15 min] Extract 
15 min 1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 
10 min 2.00 oz Ginger Root (Boil 10.0 min) Misc 
10 min 2.00 items Lemon Zest (Boil 10.0 min) Misc 
2 min 1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (2 min) Hops 

 
   

 

Cool and Prepare Fermentation
 
  Cool wort to fermentation temperature
 
  Transfer wort to fermenter 
  Add water to achieve final volume of 5.00 gal

-Joe

 

[mlgtrumpet]

Just brewed this today -- extract version, full boil -- my OG was 1.035 which seems a little low. Should be fine, right??

 

[cheez]

Hi Joe,

I am brewing this on Saturday and wondering about the honey. below you state that you add all the honey at flameout, which is different than the recipes. thinking the honey would be needed during the boil for alcohol content. so, can you please clarify where I should add the honey?

thanks,
matt

I am confused about this as well...

 

[nostalgia]

Hey all, sorry for the delay. Been away from HBT for a while.

Whether you add the honey during the boil or at flameout will not change the alcohol content. You're adding sugar either way. I don't like to boil honey that long because it breaks down all of the delicious flavor and aroma compounds. It can also burn to the bottom of the pot.

I just warm up the bottles in some hot water beforehand--so it flows more easily--then dump it in during the last minute or two.

 

[cheez]

Hey all, sorry for the delay. Been away from HBT for a while.

Whether you add the honey during the boil or at flameout will not change the alcohol content. You're adding sugar either way. I don't like to boil honey that long because it breaks down all of the delicious flavor and aroma compounds. It can also burn to the bottom of the pot.

I just warm up the bottles in some hot water beforehand--so it flows more easily--then dump it in during the last minute or two.

When it is added can make a difference on whether you get a slight honey flavor or not. I usually add it just before or right after flameout but wanted to clarify what you did for this recipe. Thanks!

 

[dgriffith]

Just had the first glass of this from the keg. Wow. Very nice. Brewed with original all grain recipe, maybe a tad more ginger when kegging. Nice ginger nose, and mild bite, but really refreshing with honey coming though. Won't last long with my friends around. Yay.

 

[johngaltsmotor]

I'm anxious - brewed this last weekend using all Mosaic for a bit of fruit flavor. I can't wait for it to finish.

I was surprised when you grate that much ginger how much volume it is (I used the food processor to maximize the surface area and get the most bang for the buck).

 

[johngaltsmotor]

Wow, I'm guessing that running the ginger through the food processor got more utilization than the original. It's not quite Jack Daniels, but the ginger definitely puts a burn in your throat from 6oz and 4oz in the boil with none in the primary.
I had to add a simple syrup and some yeast stabilizer to soften it up (with that much ginger and FG=1.000 let's say it's not a mass market beer).
Hopefully once it's fully carb'd it is a nice refreshing summer session.

 

[Damoxemus]

Just brewed this today -- extract version, full boil -- my OG was 1.035 which seems a little low. Should be fine, right??

I brewed an extract version this the other day as well and I think my OG was 1.039. That was at 20C so should be pretty accurate.

What temp was your wort when you checked it?



BTW, the taste from the sample is pretty good - perfect amount of ginger.

 

[Damoxemus]

This beer has been going forever!

Ive never had a beer move the airlock for so long...

I brewed it Sunday, and its Friday and its still bubbling once a minute or so...was fermented @ 63ish or so the entire time, atleast thats what my thermometer said taped to the outside of the bucket.

Never had a beer really bubble actively for more than maybe 3-4 days, this ones on 5 and still going...should be a good sign!

Mine has been going for 11 days now. Started at 63ish (Two Wednesdays ago) like you and slowly moved it up to about 70 over the last few days (today is Sunday).

I'm hoping it's done and I can rack it by next week!

 

[run42beer]

I brewed this middle of June and ended up with OG 1.044, FG 1.006. Used slightly higher amount of Ginger during boil. As the hydro sample after fermentation had a lot of ginger flavor too it I decided to leave out the ginger addition during secondary fermentation. The final sample before legging tasted great, can't wait to see how this will taste once fully force carbed.

Any idea what BJCP category this would fit in (23?)?

Thanks,

Heiko

 

[Damoxemus]

This is a quick pic of the extract version I brewed. Turned out really well - only thing I'd change next time is to add a bit more ginger. Other than that I'm really happy with it and so far so is everyone else who's tasted it,

Thanks for posting this recipe!

 

[sieglere]

Do you have an extract/partial mash version of this (I guess you'd just replace the 2 row with pale DME) recipe?

This looks awesome

 

[Damoxemus]

Check out Page 3, I think that's where the extract recipe was.

 

[Keithww]

So I made this a couple of months ago I replaced one pound of honey with grain and used 8 oz of ginger at the 30 minute mark and 8 oz at the 10 minute mark, put all the trub in to the primary and racked to secondary at 8 days. Got busy and left it in the secondary for three weeks and bottled just over a month ago. It will be on the schedule for late this winter, I want this for drinking next summer. The honey gives it the lightness of body, the ginger gives it a real bite, the lemon off sets the ginger nicely. Everyone that has tried my American Wit likes it but after tasting the Ginger Ale the want seconds of the GA. Thanks for the inspiration.

 

[Nock]

So, I love the idea of trying this out, but this will be my third batch, and my first partial mash. Also, I'm in Sweden and my local store has slightly different ingredients available. I'll be doing this tomorrow unless I'm told I'm an idiot beforehand!

I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to post this.

Here are my plans, if anyone would be so kind as to provide feedback (positive or negative) I'd REALLY appreciate it. I've had to convert things, and swap things, I have no idea if this will remotely resemble the original. I had to switch the yeast to S-04 vs the recommended S-05. It's all they had in stock.

Recipe: Ginger Ale PM modded
Brewer: Kit
Asst Brewer: 
Style: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
TYPE: Partial Mash
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 5.72 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.22 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.02 gal   
Bottling Volume: 5.02 gal
Estimated OG: 1.048 SG
Estimated Color: 3.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 40.2 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 72.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
1 lbs 1.6 oz       Pilsner [URL="http://i.imgur.com/RyE71jT.jpg"]Picture link! its local.[/URL]         Grain         1        15.2 %        
3 lbs 15.5 oz      Muntons Liquid Malt Extract - Light      Extract       2        54.5 %        
1.52 oz            Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min         Hop           3        38.0 IBUs     
6 oz               Ginger Root (Boil 30.0 mins)             Herb          4        -             
2.00 Items         Lemon Juice (per lemon) (Boil 30.0 mins) Spice         5        -             
1 tsp              Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 mins)              Fining        6        -             
2.00 Items         Lemon Zest (Boil 10.0 mins)              Flavor        7        -             
2 oz               Ginger Root (Boil 10.0 mins)             Herb          8        -             
1.02 oz            Williamette [5.50 %] - Boil 2.0 min      Hop           9        2.2 IBUs      
1.0 pkg            SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast         10       -             
2 lbs 3.3 oz       Honey (1.0 SRM)                          Sugar         11       30.3 %        
-------------
2.5 oz                Ginger Root (Secondary 7.0 days)         Herb          12       -

This look like it might make a passable beer?

The pilsner grain is a total guess. They also had a pale ale, but since I was replacing the Pale 2row malt with LME already, so I replaced the Cara-Pils with Pilsner. 'Cause it had "pils" in the name. I also lowered the honey a bit, due to the quantity of LME in 1 container (1.8kg)

Thanks to anyone who takes a look...

 

[Keithww]

The pilsner grain is a total guess. They also had a pale ale, but since I was replacing the Pale 2row malt with LME already, so I replaced the Cara-Pils with Pilsner. 'Cause it had "pils" in the name. I also lowered the honey a bit, due to the quantity of LME in 1 container (1.8kg)

Thanks to anyone who takes a look...

Cara-Pils will give body and head, Pilsner will give flavor and alcohol. You might throw in a 1/2 pound of Malto-Dextrine if you can't get Cara-Pils

 

[Nock]

Cara-Pils will give body and head, Pilsner will give flavor and alcohol. You might throw in a 1/2 pound of Malto-Dextrine if you can't get Cara-Pils

I should really take this outside of this thread as I'm going to turn it into a newbie-brewer thread, but I appreciate the info. I hadn't really heard of using malto-dextrine before. I'm gonna have to find something to do with my kilo of pilsner grain.

Thanks for helping this new bit of info sink in. Looks like this may not turn out to be a partial mash after all but just a straight up extract.

 

[icanbenchurcat]

I should really take this outside of this thread as I'm going to turn it into a newbie-brewer thread, but I appreciate the info. I hadn't really heard of using malto-dextrine before. I'm gonna have to find something to do with my kilo of pilsner grain.

With 1kg pilsner you could make a 1 gallon all grain lager in these next cooler months. Add a little extra for body, like a cara or flaked corn, and a .5 oz hops split between early and late. Could be a fun experiment.

 

[remman4]

I brewed this and scaled up to 11 gallons

I used a bit more ginger than called for and grated it with a cheese grater, next time I'll look int food processors instead lol

Only other change I made was an aroma/flavor addition of some Sorachi Ace hops to add a bit more herbal notes.

Overall I really like the final product, thanks for the recipe!

 

[bolus14]

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