ginger beer: guaranteeing (too much?) fizz by bottling slightly early

[amorphia]

Hi all!

I am on my second batch of ginger beer (gallon water, 200g grated ginger, juice 2 lemons, nottingham yeast) EDIT FORGOT TO WRITE 500g SUGAR! I was very pleased with the first batch except for one thing. After I fermented to dry, and added 7 teaspoons sugar to each 1.5 litre bottle (I worked the amount out carefully, and you can trust me because I'm a scientist ) the beer was still close to flat after weeks. I read that this yeast is a high flocculator so I figure maybe all the yeast had sunk and none made it into the bottles?

To avoid this problem again, I propose to wait until I'm getting just an airlock bubble every five mins or so, then bottle into plastic screwtop bottles, and monitor them every day to make sure I am not developing bombs. Let off a little pressure if necessary. It will all get drunk over Christmas.

Am I crazy?

Cheers,

Ben

 

[bionara]

I think bottling before the fermentation stops does make you a bit crazy, yes! Even if you have a regiment for checking, it doesn't sound wise.

After bottling, where did you store the beers? They need to be left to condition at 20-24 degrees for the yeasties to keep working. And at least for 3 weeks to give them time to do the job well at that. This is the first thing I'd think of - probably one of the more experienced brewers on here has some better advice!

Also, maybe worth stirring the mix a little before bottling to ensure some yeast makes it in there. Then just chill it for a day or so before serving to get the yeast to kip at the bottom and stay out of your drinks!

 

[amorphia]

OK thanks for the honest reply! I guess I could try transferring some of the sediment this time then. Temperature shouldn't be a problem because I was storing bottles at the same temp as the fermentation jug.

I must admit I am also in a slight hurry because I want it ready for Christmas!

Cheers,

Ben

 

[boydster]

I second letting it finish before bottling. Don't worry about trying to stir up the yeast cake, though. You will still have plenty of yeast in suspension for carbonating, even if it looks pretty clear. I usually store my bottles warmer than the fermentation was, especially with Notty I ferment at around 60 and carbonate at 70F+

 

[amorphia]

Thanks boydster. But I can't help wondering if it will work. You see, that would be doing exactly what I did last time: racking into bottles, added plenty of priming sugar, and leaving at same temp or slightly above. And it didn't work. Any more ideas about what might have gone wrong?

 

[NTexBrewer]

Where are the fermentable sugars in your recipe? Are you really just using water, ginger, lemon juice and yeast.

Can you give more details about your process and beginning gravity and final gravity.

 

[amorphia]

Oops, that was stupid, sorry forgot to mention the 500g caster sugar!

I boil up the ginger for about an hour, add the lemon juice towards the end, dissolve in the sugar, stir it up, put it in a gallon jar with an air lock, wait for it to get to the right temp, and then add rehydrated nottingham yeast. Yeast gets going straight away.

I didn't bother taking the gravity measurement, because I figured I know how much sugar is there as the ginger sugar is probably negligable. So it's 500g sugar in a gallon water. I worked out last time that that comes out about 5% so I didn't bother measuring gravity at the end either because I figured it would surely ferment dry.

Cheers,

Ben

 

[NTexBrewer]

You would think that you would have enough yeast to carbonate. I sometimes wonder if lemon juice somehow inhibits the yeast. My kids and I have made a few soda's that we carbonate with champagne yeast. Some carbonate great others nothing. The ones with nothing are usually the ones with lemon or lime juice.

I have read somewhere that you can add a pinch of champagne yeast along with your sugar at bottling. It is cheap.

This is what I do with my ginger beer. I make it double strength. At bottling, I carefully mix it with Diet Sprite trying to not lose as much fizz as possible and then bottle. I chill the ginger beer and sprite before mixing. Ready to drink as soon as you chill it and you get twice as much.

I know this is not a pure way of making ginger beer but my wife loved it and that is who I was trying to please.

 

[adamdillabo]

One unrelated tale before ginger action. I made a PA left it in the closet for 4 months. Racked off the top very nicely. . Got worried half way though bottleing, I wouldn't have enough yeast. So I scooped some of the trub and marked those caps with a 2. 2weeks later both bottles are over carbed and have, by the naked eye, the same size layer. You really have to try to re add yeast. Once it's in there and you don't kill it it's to stay.

I made a ginger ale once. Boiled ginger and lemons just like you added sugar and just put a tiny pinch in champagne yeast each 1L bottle (plastic). After the bottles get rock hard toss them in the fridge. Maybe ferment in a bucket then move them to plastic to carb. I would take gravity readings to get a better idea where you are at each step.

I like the idea of mixing diet sprite and bottling think my gf would like that as well but at that point I feel I might as well make a ginger syrup and mix with gin and tonic.

 

[amorphia]

Sorry I disappeared all, got distracted by Christmas

Well it's still bubbling away so didn't make it in time for Christmas anyway. Thanks for the useful tips. I like the ideas with experimenting with adding yeast or not. Maybe if it doesn't work again I will try a batch without lemon and see if it makes a difference.

Cheers!

Ben