Hard Ginger Beer addition ideas

[Kalaloch]

After a bunch of attempts I’ve finally come up with a great Hard Ginger Beer recipe and have made 20 gallons over the last year.

But now I’m looking to make some variations of it with additional ingredients, but not sure what to use. Do anyone have any ideas that might pair well with Ginger? Or other sugar sources I could try for a different taste (other than granulated sugar)?

 

[AnnaB]

After a bunch of attempts I’ve finally come up with a great Hard Ginger Beer recipe and have made 20 gallons over the last year.

But now I’m looking to make some variations of it with additional ingredients, but not sure what to use. Do anyone have any ideas that might pair well with Ginger? Or other sugar sources I could try for a different taste (other than granulated sugar)?

I wonder if cranberry would be good?

 

[Corey Fish]

What about lemon or other citrus? Hibiscus petals? Apples and ginger seem to go together (have seen hard cider recipes that call for addition of ginger). Or what about soaking some oak chips in bourbon and adding some of that. We call that a Montana Mule (bourbon and ginger) where I'm from. Just freestylin' here...

 

[Kalaloch]

What about lemon or other citrus? Hibiscus petals? Apples and ginger seem to go together (have seen hard cider recipes that call for addition of ginger). Or what about soaking some oak chips in bourbon and adding some of that. We call that a Montana Mule (bourbon and ginger) where I'm from. Just freestylin' here...

Thanks that sounds good! Right now I add 10 limes (juice and zest). I also might try cherries

 

[OpenSights]

Mind sharing your recipe? I’ve been looking for a good one. Current plan is just adding ginger to a beer kit, but I’d rather make a real ginger beer.

I see you posted in the cider forum, I’ve made a ginger cider, yeast nutrient, pectic enzyme, ginger extract and champagne yeast. Nothing fancy or special.

 

[Kalaloch]

Happy to share!


KALALOCH’S HARD GINGER BEER

5 gallon batch

OG: 1.7-1.8

FG: 1.0
ABV: Approx 8%-9%


Ingredients:


1 packet Yeast: S-04 yeast or SafCider

540 grams ginger

9-12+ limes (juice and zest)

5 lbs table sugar

2.5 tsp Yeast nutrition

2.5 tsp Yeast Energizer

1 Camden Tablet

5 gallons distilled water


5 oz table sugar for bottling


Instructions:


1.) Peel ginger. (Using the back of a spoon is the best way), then put in blender with some distilled water and blend until mush.


2.) Zest limes then juice them (after zesting I microwave them for 40 seconds to get more juice)


3.) If you are concerned about sanitation you can dump ginger, lime zest and lime juice into a gallon zip lock and add a Camden tablet. Then wait 24 hours before continuing. (Some people boil the ginger instead but I think you lose some flavor)


4.) Add ginger, lime zest and lime juice to carboy then top off with distilled water and add yeast.


5.) After 30 days move off yeast into other glass (not plastic) carboy. I usually bulk age it for 6 months and then bottle with 5 oz of table sugar.


Notes:


Using 540 grams of ginger is a nice kick without being over powering for me. If your not sure you can lessen it by 100 grams or so. It will really mellow out nicely after 6 months and even better once carbonated.


This is a dry ginger, and I do not back sweeten. If you want to back sweeten there are lots of articles on that.


I have had the best luck with the S0-4 yeast but SafCider will work as well.


Zesting the limes is a pain and takes time but is well worth it. You could also use/combine limes with lemons.

 

[OpenSights]

Thank you very much! I’m a Michigan transplant and love verniers. Makes Canada Dry seem like bud lite.

I like dry, so I’ll follow your recipe to a tee!

Again, thank you!

 

[JordanfromOK]

Happy to share!


KALALOCH’S HARD GINGER BEER

5 gallon batch

OG: 1.7-1.8

FG: 1.0
ABV: Approx 8%-9%


Ingredients:


1 packet Yeast: S-04 yeast or SafCider

540 grams ginger

9-12+ limes (juice and zest)

5 lbs table sugar

2.5 tsp Yeast nutrition

2.5 tsp Yeast Energizer

1 Camden Tablet

5 gallons distilled water


5 oz table sugar for bottling


Instructions:


1.) Peel ginger. (Using the back of a spoon is the best way), then put in blender with some distilled water and blend until mush.


2.) Zest limes then juice them (after zesting I microwave them for 40 seconds to get more juice)


3.) If you are concerned about sanitation you can dump ginger, lime zest and lime juice into a gallon zip lock and add a Camden tablet. Then wait 24 hours before continuing. (Some people boil the ginger instead but I think you lose some flavor)


4.) Add ginger, lime zest and lime juice to carboy then top off with distilled water and add yeast.


5.) After 30 days move off yeast into other glass (not plastic) carboy. I usually bulk age it for 6 months and then bottle with 5 oz of table sugar.


Notes:


Using 540 grams of ginger is a nice kick without being over powering for me. If your not sure you can lessen it by 100 grams or so. It will really mellow out nicely after 6 months and even better once carbonated.


This is a dry ginger, and I do not back sweeten. If you want to back sweeten there are lots of articles on that.


I have had the best luck with the S0-4 yeast but SafCider will work as well.


Zesting the limes is a pain and takes time but is well worth it. You could also use/combine limes with lemons.

Is that OG correct?

 

[Kalaloch]

Hi, yes that OG is correct, but honestly I think my above recipe need a few tweaks, it ends up being way too high of an ABV for me. I’d cut back on the sugar some. Also there are way better yeasts than what I recommended above. I started using English Ale Yeast for Hard Ciders, and I think it would work in Hard Ginger Beer unless someone mentions other wise?

On a separate note, for flavor add ins I’ve found that cherry is phenomenal, I added 8 lbs of sweet cherries from Costco (480 grams of sugar) and reduced the granulated sugar to I think 2 lbs, but not exactly sure. I didn’t take an OG on this because I added the cherries in the secondary. If you do this mash the de thawed cherries in sanitized bucked, add 1 crushed Camden tablet, stir Camden into dethawed cherries and cover for 24 hours, then add to fermenting cider (this can be difficult to add if your using carboy w/ small neck, and may splash adding oxygen. I don’t remember how I did it, sorry.

I’ve also tried blueberry, it was just ok. And Strawberry which tasted bad to me but I may have done something wrong.

Hope that helps!

 

[jseyfert3]

OG: 1.7-1.8

Hi, yes that OG is correct

Perhaps you mean 1.07-1.08?

Still does seem high based on those ingredients, since sugar adds 0.046 points per pound per gallon. Does the limes and ginger really add enough to get it to 1.07?

Recipe does sound good though, I think I will try this scaled to a one gallon batch to start.