ginger beer/ale

[weeds]

great forum idea

how easy is alcoholic ginger beer to make?

every other sunday i get to have a bottle or two of the home made stuff.....very refreshing to say the least

[Brian]

Pretty much the same as beer,
You can buy the necessary ingredients at your local brew shop.

Agree its a great drop, goes well with Bundy.

[Redback]

Very easy, my daughter has one brewing now, she uses recipies from online, but you can get Ginger beer kits from your local brew shop.

Daves ginger beer recipe
5 gallons water
1-1 1/2 lbs. ginger root, coarsley chopped
17 cups sugar
4 lemons, sliced
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 packet champagne yeast


Boil as much of the water as will fit in your largest pot.

Squeeze in lemons and add squeezed bits.

Add ginger root and cream of tartar.

Add as much sugar as you can if there's room.

Simmer gently for 20-30 minutes.

Put remaining sugar, if any, in 5 gallon plastic pail or similar.

Pour water mixture over.

Add remaining water to 5 gallons and cool to lukewarm.

Taste - this will approximate the taste of the finished product. If necessary add more ginger or ginger powder.

Dissolve yeast in a cup of the mixture, then stir it back in.
Cover and ferment for 7 days at 65-70�F.

Siphon into sterilised bottles (I use 2-litre pop bottles). Cap. Age upright for one week at 60-65�F then store in cool place at 60�F or less.

If necessary release pressure in bottles occasionally to prevent explosions! Take care when opening bottles - can be very lively!!

Drink as is (will be 5-7% alc. by volume). Is also very good, but deadly, mixer for gin on a hot summer's day.

I added 1 tsp. finely chopped Habenero Peppers to one batch - was excellent taste and good for clearing sinuses!!!

I have been making this for years, many of my friends are now making it too.

WARNING;

DO NOT USE GLASS BOTTLES WHEN BREWING GINGER BEER

[LandyAndy]

Thanks for that,will try.
Love GingerBeer but dont like any of the shop kits,I dislike the artificial sweetner taste they all have.
Andrew

[St Veronus]

how easy is alcoholic ginger beer to make?

It's super easy, you can get it from Brews Brothers (http://brewsbrothers.com.au/index.htm) near the Gabba. You can either brew it yourself, or just buy a 6-pack or case. Mike usually has it stocked.

There is also a location closer to you, but I've not been to this one:
Bru4U
Ron & Julie Address: 48 Zillmere Road,
Boondall QLD 4034 Phone: (07) 3865 5177 Email: bru4u@iprimus.com.au (bru4u@iprimus.com.au'subject=Inquiry%20from%20web site)

Hope this helps. Need help or info, I have been brewing for a few years now.

:twobeers:

Cheers,
Ryan

[LandyAndy]

Hi Baz
Im assuming you leave the ginger and lemon in for the full fermentation period???
Bought a heap of ginger yesterday:cool::cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

[Bigbjorn]

Hi Baz
Im assuming you leave the ginger and lemon in for the full fermentation period???
Bought a heap of ginger yesterday:cool::cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

Andrew, keep some of the root and plant it in spring. I assume Williams is the usual WA sandy soil. Ginger likes to be well drained. Easy to grow and home grown is best.

[LandyAndy]

You obviously dont know too much about WA Brian.
The only sand in my garden is imported in to lighten the havy loam.
No good growing ginger here,it cant handle frosts,its a tropical plant.
Andrew

[Bigbjorn]

You obviously dont know too much about WA Brian.
The only sand in my garden is imported in to lighten the havy loam.
No good growing ginger here,it cant handle frosts,its a tropical plant.
Andrew

It is grown commercially on the Sunshine Coast and I grow it as a spring plant annual in Brisbane. Technically these are warm temperate not tropical areas. However Williams is a long way south of SEQ. I don't have frost ever. You should be able to grow it by planting after the last frost. Rule of thumb, if you can get maize (sweet corn) to germinate then you can do your spring planting of most else. I usually plant first corn about 14-20 September, a week or two later than many but makes sure.Okra likes summer though.

[LandyAndy]

Brian
Will be trying to grow some,have a hot house.
We actually bought extra to try and grow,plus Tumaric and Galangal which are related root crops.
Andrew

[incisor]

It is grown commercially on the Sunshine Coast and I grow it as a spring plant annual in Brisbane. Technically these are warm temperate not tropical areas. However Williams is a long way south of SEQ. I don't have frost ever. You should be able to grow it by planting after the last frost. Rule of thumb, if you can get maize (sweet corn) to germinate then you can do your spring planting of most else. I usually plant first corn about 14-20 September, a week or two later than many but makes sure.Okra likes summer though.

the southern most commercial crop of ginger is just west of caboolture.

[Redback]

Hi Baz
Im assuming you leave the ginger and lemon in for the full fermentation period???
Bought a heap of ginger yesterday:cool::cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

Yes she does, for the above recipe, bottled it yesterday, she is trying something different this time, adding sugar to the bottle for extra fizz, last one didn't carbonate well, first one carbonated too well AND she used glass bottles:mad: end result was broken glass all over the bottom room, just lucky knowone was in the room at the time.

Baz.

[LandyAndy]

Thanks Baz
I would only be kegging it so not an issue!!!!
Andrew

[Spenboyd]

I don't mind the TWOC kit Andy, have probably knocked out close to a thousand pints of that one over the past few years and never had one go bang. We use the Little Creatures pint bottles and do about 150 pints per brew, Doesn't last very long, whole lot went in three weeks once over christmas as people seem to develop a real taste for it.

[LandyAndy]

I put a BAZ Ginger Beer brew on last nite.Seema a bit slow to bubble thru the airlock,will give it a brewbelt for the nite;););)
Andrew

[Redback]

I put a BAZ Ginger Beer brew on last nite.Seema a bit slow to bubble thru the airlock,will give it a brewbelt for the nite;););)
Andrew

The brew Ness put down is ready to drink, we will give it a try tonight and let you know how it went, hopefully it will turn out well, interestingly we had the same thing with it not bubbling through the airlock, it seemed to be working though.

The recipe says to store the bottles in a warm place, which we have, so here's hoping.

Baz.

[isuzurover]

Thanks for that,will try.
Love GingerBeer but dont like any of the shop kits,I dislike the artificial sweetner taste they all have.
Andrew

Exactly. I brewed the coopers GB kit once, and got headaches every time I drank it - I blame the artificial sweetener.

Powdered ginger works quite well if you are brewing your own.

[LandyAndy]

Hi Ben
Fresh ginger was $10Kg. 1.1kg went into this brew.
Still not bubbling Baz,looks like its working when the lid is removed.
Andrew

[Redback]

Hi Ben
Fresh ginger was $10Kg. 1.1kg went into this brew.
Still not bubbling Baz,looks like its working when the lid is removed.
Andrew

Ness said hers did the same, going to check a bottle in about 10mins.

Baz.

[Redback]

I just shared a bottle with Ness, bloody beautiful, best tasting Ginger Beer I've had in a long time, very gassy though, needed to ex spell gas from the bottle slowly first, but it taste great.

Baz.

[Redback]

An update on this brew, if you leave the Ginger bits from the fermenter in the bottles for it's aging process in the bottle, it will taste a lot better, same I'm assuming for kegging.

Just something we have noticed from tasting a few bottles.

Baz.

[LandyAndy]

Good idea Baz
This brew is so slow.Made another batch of yeast and prooved it yesterday,have it in front of the fire at the moment,FINALLY bubbling.
I may put half of the ginger in each keg and spread the gingerbeer between 2 kegs.
Andrew

[Redback]

Yes very slow, I'm thinking Ness hasn't let it ferment out and this may be why the bottles are very gassy, it's probably fementing in the bottle and over carbonating.

I think for the next lot I might suggest she warm the fermenter with a heat strap.

Baz.

[LandyAndy]

Hi Baz
Seing Im now going to split the brew between 2 kegs and retain the ginger(will discard the lemons at kegging),Ive added a further 2kg of sugar and 4lts of boiling water,its a 30lt fermenter.Will top the kegs up with water if they arent full.
It liked the sugar pouring in,foamed up wicked,nearly climbed out the top before adding the extra water.Had to wait for it to settle!!!! Hapily bubbling away at the moment.
Andrew

[LandyAndy]

Yes very slow, I'm thinking Ness hasn't let it ferment out and this may be why the bottles are very gassy, it's probably fementing in the bottle and over carbonating.

I think for the next lot I might suggest she warm the fermenter with a heat strap.

Baz.

Lots of farts and emergency dashes to the dunny would back up your assumptions:wasntme::wasntme::wasntme::wasntme::wa sntme:
Andrew

[LandyAndy]

Just cracked a keg of this Ginger Beer.Its VERY GOOD!!!.
Nice and spicy,sweet,but not too much so.None of that horrible nutrasweet after taste the commercial kits have.I thing it many be a tad on the strong side too;);););)
Andrew

[LandyAndy]

Hey Baz.
Keg1 of the ginger beer gone.Quite a few mates tested it,all rated it as the best ginger beer they had tried.
Thanks for posting the recipe!!!!
Andrew