Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Comments

225 Responses to “How To Make Your Own Ginger Beer”

1. 24 Apr 2008 at 12:12 PM 1. Marleigh

   Apparently you and I both had ginger beer on the brain today.

   Thanks for the recipe! I’ve bookmarked a bunch of complicated recipes, so this one gives me hope. I’ll have to give it a try over the weekend.

2. 24 Apr 2008 at 2:52 PM 2. Dood

   Wow! Awesome recipe. I was puttering around with my homebrewing equipment the other day while enjoying a rum & ginger and the thought occurred to me, “I wonder how hard it is to do my own ginger brew…”

   Now I know, NOT HARD AT ALL! Thanks for the great post!

3. 24 Apr 2008 at 4:44 PM 3. Dominik MJ

   Nice post…

   Not a complete match, but close enough – I just posted a tread about rum…

   I am quite interested in the recipe with yeast.
   Does it has to be wine yeast (as in Dubai in a Islamic country, you guess it, there is no chance for home brewing)?

   And how long will it last (if you don’t finish it before it spoils)?

   I have always quite a challenge with mixtures with fresh lemon or lime juice…

   And how does it taste, if you compare the yeasty version with the artificial carbonated one?

4. 24 Apr 2008 at 8:01 PM 4. Jessica Hutchinson

   Jeff, I am really glad you posted this because I am definitely going to make it one of these days!

5. 24 Apr 2008 at 10:29 PM 5. jimmy

   Where did I put that darn juiceman juicer?

6. 25 Apr 2008 at 10:08 AM 6. Doug Winship

   Awesome! Thank you, Jeff.

   I loves me my Moscow Mules, so this will be a definite experiment once Tennis season kicks into full gear.

   Hmmm. Memo to self. Juiceman Juicer is now an officially good thing to ask for for birthday…

7. 25 Apr 2008 at 12:41 PM 7. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

   Dominik

   I’ve made ginger beer with regular bread yeast before. It was a long time ago, but I remember it working.

   As far as how long the mixture will keep, I’ve had bottles that were two weeks old and they tasted great. So I guess I’m not sure. Keep everything refrigerated!

   And as for the taste when using the soda siphon versus carbonating in the bottle, I find the bottle-conditioned ginger beer to be a little drier with a better texture, but the siphon does very well in a pinch.

8. 25 Apr 2008 at 12:44 PM 8. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

   Another thought:

   If you’d like to play with the recipe, here are some ingredients to try adding to your ginger beer:

   Vanilla bean
   Key lime juice
   Citric acid
   Cloves
   Keffir lime leaf

9. 25 Apr 2008 at 5:00 PM 9. Sean

   There is the option of carbonating by the use of a CO2 tank and the patented Carbonator cap (no affiliation, your mileage may vary) for plastic soda bottles. It allows the non-alcoholic folks (also known as designated drivers) to drink a homemade beverage with the boozers too. There are many variations for smaller batches.

   Peace,

   Sean

10. 26 Apr 2008 at 10:47 AM 10. Maggie

    I can’t wait to try this!

11. 26 Apr 2008 at 11:49 AM 11. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Maggie, we’ll be expecting a full report from you soon!

12. 26 Apr 2008 at 7:03 PM 12. jimmy

    Jeff, you are a genius. I am having the best Dark & Stormy(tm) ever. I muddled a few sprigs of thyme into my simple syrup before adding it to the recipe. Fantastic. Thanks.

13. 27 Apr 2008 at 9:28 AM 13. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Jimmy

    I’m thrilled that you actually tried it! The addition of thyme is a brilliant move on your part. I’ll have to take a cue from you for my next batch…

    Jeff

14. 27 Apr 2008 at 7:58 PM 14. K

    This is perhaps a silly question, but where’s a good warm and dark place to store the bottles? With Northern California weather, anywhere dark I can think of around the apartment is also cool by default. How warm ought the bottles be kept?

15. 27 Apr 2008 at 8:18 PM 15. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    K

    The cupboard under the sink should be just fine.

    J

16. 28 Apr 2008 at 8:05 AM 16. garry

    I have always thought about making my own Ginger Beer and now I have came across a great and well-described recipe. I’m going to give this a go at the weekend.

17. 28 Apr 2008 at 3:19 PM 17. arawak

    Ginger beer is not ginger beer without tartar.
    You should check it out.

18. 29 Apr 2008 at 12:48 AM 18. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Huh! I will definitely try that in my next batch. Thanks for the heads-up!

19. 29 Apr 2008 at 4:20 AM 19. Craig

    If you are into the history of Ginger beer and lacto-fermentation version using ginger beer plant, check out this presentation by Raj B Apte from
    Matadero Creek Brewery.

20. 29 Apr 2008 at 9:03 AM 20. arawak

    In the west indies we also used kola essence and sometimes when this was unavailable hibiscus or vanilla also has great effect, kola though is almost impossible to find in the U.S.

21. 30 Apr 2008 at 1:54 PM 21. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Craig, thanks for that link, I’ve solidified my determination to add cream of tartar to my next batch after reading some of that history.

    Again, great information. Thank you!

22. 01 May 2008 at 10:13 AM 22. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Everyone

    I forgot to mention that ginger loses its flavor over time, so two weeks is probably the max you’re going to get out of a bottle before it starts to just taste like old carbonated lemonade.

    More of an excuse to keep the stock updated, right?

23. 01 May 2008 at 11:47 AM 23. Brooke

    Hi… Jeffrey. I love your website and was motivated this past weekend to make your ginger beer. I followed your directions, with the exception of doubling the batch and using 32 oz bottles and I forgot to strain my lemon juice. When I mixed a drink last night my beer wasn’t carbonated at all. Do you have any idea what I did wrong?

24. 01 May 2008 at 11:54 AM 24. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Brooke

    From my past failures, here’s everything that I can think of that you might have done wrong. Believe me, I’ve made every mistake on this list at some point:

    1. Your mixture was either too hot, or too cold and you killed your yeast. Actually, I don’t even know if too much cold would kill it, since I keep my yeast in a fridge. So maybe the mix was too hot.

    2. You didn’t use enough yeast. For a 32-ounce bottle, I’m going to say, right off the top of my head… 1/8 tsp should be about right?

    3. You didn’t get a good seal on the bottle. You’ve got to make sure whatever cap you’re using is on there good and tight, because you need that carbonation to stay in the bottle until it’s time to open.

    4. You didn’t store it in a warm enough, dark enough place. I heard light kills yeast, so I always cover my bottles with a black apron, I don’t know how important that is. But what I always make sure to do is keep the bottles on a warm shelf indoors for 48 hours during the fermentation process.

    That’s all I can think of right now, Brook. I hope it helps.

25. 01 May 2008 at 1:36 PM 25. Brooke

    Thanks so much for the reply. I am going to try again this weekend… utilizing your helpful tips, of course. And I will let you know how it is.

26. 01 May 2008 at 4:01 PM 26. Jac

    That’s “leaky” little boat… :P

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=ELTEnNOTub4

27. 05 May 2008 at 9:23 AM 27. Tiare

    This recipe looks good to me. I haven`t tried it with a soda siphon before..would like to try!

    Thanks for explaning why the shelf/fridge life of Ginger is only 2 weeks.

    Cheers!

28. 08 May 2008 at 4:19 AM 28. Julie

    when i was a little girl we always had ginger beer to drink. But my grand mother always used left over ginger beer to make the next brew. Does anybody know why she did this ? i am going to try this recipe at the weekend and seee if it taste’s as good.

29. 08 May 2008 at 5:44 AM 29. Craig

    Julie,

    Traditionally “Ginger beer” wasn’t just brewer’s yeast and sugar. It was from something called “Ginger beer plant” that was a bacteria/yeast mother. A big glob of goo that was fed and maintained like yogurt, sour dough starter or vinegar. If you are curious, check out this link: http://www2.parc.com/emdl/members/apte/GingerBeer.pdf Review page #11

    Ginger beer traditionally was a living thing, a transformation of a solution by organisms. It appears that it was not only tasty but good for the gut containing beneficial bacteria.

30. 14 May 2008 at 11:51 PM 30. jack

    after reading the posts made by people as i was too lazy to do so before iv decided to move my “homebrew” from the direct sunlight in front of the heater to a cooler and somewhat darker area of the house

    Jack

31. 15 May 2008 at 3:29 AM 31. Dominik MJ

    Hey Jack, I think it is a not so good idea to sell this home brewed ginger beer in school (or to drink it in your age).

    Due to the usage of yeast, the fermentation process sets a certain amount of alcohol free. That is natural if you are using yeast (and I am sure, that the ginger beer plant before, didn’t produced alcohol or much less than the actual yeast).

    And you don’t want to have any problems, because you are selling alcohol to your classmates?

    Cheers

    Dominik MJ

32. 23 May 2008 at 12:33 PM 32. ND

    He, I was going to ask whether the fermentation produces alcohol, so that answers my question… How alcoholic is it though, would you say? Like, maybe, a “lite” beer?

    I know a lot of people who keep a thing called “Kombucha”, which is supposedly some kind of ancient chinese medicine—it looks kind of like a revolting living pancake, floating in sour apple cider… very healthy I’m told, but if the thing goes off, it’s apparently also very poisonous.

33. 23 May 2008 at 12:48 PM 33. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    ND

    I think that after only 48 hours, the official amount of alcohol created would be “trace”, but don’t take my word for it. I think I can safely assert that it is considerably less than a light beer, though.

    Jeff

34. 29 May 2008 at 9:39 AM 34. Evelyn

    This recipe, and the one for tonic water, is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for to try with my new home carbonation system (tank, not ISI).

    Thanks!

35. 09 Jun 2008 at 1:37 PM 35. Keith

    Note for those people without a juicer: I just tried a makeshift solution using cheesecloth and my lime/lemon juicer (it’s one of the squeeze types where you put half a citrus in between the handles and press – like this one). Grate your ginger, wrap in cheesecloth, and press the whole thing in the juicer. Viola! Strained ginger juice! Works like a charm.

36. 23 Jun 2008 at 2:50 PM 36. Matthew

    I just finished my small batch (3 bottles) of ginger beer; they were put into the fridge four hours ago to halt fermentation. I am very excited for a Moscow Mule & a Dark’n Stormy. I can see sediment in the bottom on the bottles – presumably cast off yeast and finer ginger particles that passed through the filter. Is this common? And – more importantly – harmless to drink?

    Love the site! My roommates (both bartenders) laugh at my note cards of drink recipes taped along the built-in of our bar, thanks for the great information Jeff!

37. 24 Jun 2008 at 12:54 AM 37. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Matthew – Glad I could help! Yes, you’ll see some sediment at the bottom of the bottles, but – here’s the tricky part – you need to shake the bottle gently to reincorporate the sediment into the ginger beer.

    Careful, though, you don’t want a geyser erupting when you pop that cap. I’ve found that gently rocking the bottle back and forth to stir it up and then letting it rest for a few seconds before slowly releasing the cap is the best way to accomplish this.

    Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!

38. 24 Jun 2008 at 5:12 AM 38. Craig

    A few comments about yeast … If you added yeast to your ginger beer, it will settle as you chill the liquid. That might explain your sediment. Yeast don’t die when chilled but instead, fall out of suspension and rest. High temps WILL kill yeast. I wouldn’t heat yeast over 100 degrees F. (That is lukewarm.) Yeast will contribute a bready/bitter kind of taste.

    Is OK to consume yeast? you ask. This has been an ongoing topic for years. To all you that believe that brewers yeast is the Candida albicans you have heard about. It is NOT. This is Saccharomyces cerevisiae I am referring to. Consuming the dead cells has been said to have health benefits (improving vitamin B uptake). Live cells appear to work as a laxative in large doses but have not been proven have negative health effects in healthy individuals that I am aware of. After all, there is live yeast on your garden produce. We have been consuming this fungus for thousands of years.

    Ordinary light will not kill yeast. In fact, the ‘ginger beer plant’ used for making ginger beer traditionally was stored on a warm window sill. That said, too much UV / direct sunlight will inhibit most any organism, so minimizing exposure to direct sunlight (or even fluorescent lights) might be a good idea.

39. 24 Jun 2008 at 11:27 AM 39. Marcus

    Hey, so I gave this a go.

    I don’t have a juiceman or anything so i grated my ginger on my box grater with the side that has the fine grater and each hole has 4 little spikes sticking out. make any sense? heh anyway, I just did that onto a plate and squeezed out the juice through a seive and that seemed to work just fine for me.

    The rest was just as you said except I used regular, dried, baking yeast and plastic cola bottles. Couldn’t find any of the bottles you mentioned but you can feel the pressure with these and if they break, they won’t be so dangerous. The baking yeast worked just fine. The bottles felt as firm as they would if bought from a shop after 48 hours.

    When tasting I decided that it was too sour… Fixed easily with some extra simple syrup, for now, but next time I’ll use less lemon and i’ll probably grab some spring water because the tap water here is average (i couldn’t be bothered buying any last time). Overall, I’m pretty impressed with my first attempt at this though.

    I found some ‘Belvoir Organic Ginger Beer’ in the supermarket. A thousand times better than the supermarket’s own. Perfect for the dark and stormys for anyone who doesn’t have the time to make their own ginger beer… But I think I’ll have something just as good, if not better, on my second attempt!

    Thanks a lot for the easy to follow recipe jeff!

40. 25 Jun 2008 at 2:27 AM 40. Jonathan

    I make beer pretty regularly at home, and 48 hours of fermentation is not going to produce much alcohol, probably less than 1%.

    Keeping active fermentations going in sealed glass bottles can be pretty dangerous though. I have a friend who was making Kvass (a Russian fermented drink) and forgot to refrigerate the bottles after two days; he was woken up by the sound of exploding bottles under his stairs one morning.

    Yeast will ferment faster (and produce more CO2) the warmer it is. I’m not sure how much this affects carbonation, but it’s something to keep in mind. Usually when I make ginger beer I only use 1 tsp. sugar per 12 ounce bottle so I don’t have to worry about refrigeration, but that produces a very dry ginger beer. Really looking forward to trying this out, though.

41. 23 Jul 2008 at 8:39 PM 41. Edgar

    Yeast will ferment faster at a warmer temperature up to a point. Then it will die and impart the most foul stench you have ever experienced. For ale yeasts ( a type of beer yeast) and wine yeasts (like we’re using here) the prime temperature range is 65-85 degrees, below 65 the yeast will hibernate and not ferment (this is why you refrigerate to stop things). Above 85 degrees and to some temperature where the yeast dies (this is the greatest variable) the yeast still ferments but the byproducts are no longer ethanol and can impart nasty flavour.

    Also, be sure you use boiled simple syrup, it has glucose and fructose instead of sucrose (table sugar), which the yeast find easier to digest and don’t leave behind a nasty byproduct when digesting.

    I made up a 196 oz batch, which was enough to fill a case of 12 oz bottles with room to carbonate, I put vanilla bean in 4, cloves in 4, and couldn’t find any lime leaves for another test 4. They’ll be ready friday and I’ll be back with results, though tasting the warm, uncarbonated pre-mixture I think it will be a good batch.

42. 23 Jul 2008 at 10:06 PM 42. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Edgar – I’m looking forward to hearing about your results!

43. 31 Jul 2008 at 10:48 AM 43. Mark

    Excellent drink.I increased all the ingredients by 50 % and left for 3 weeks with daily release of pressure. then store in fridge.
    Mark Jreland

44. 01 Aug 2008 at 1:15 PM 44. Jarrid

    Im excited to try this out, although I was wondering if I could complete the fermentation in my 6 gallon glass carboy to produce a higher ABV. Maybe 4 to 7 days.

45. 01 Aug 2008 at 1:44 PM 45. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Jarrid – I can’t say I recommend this as an alcoholic beverage, but you’re of course free to try.

46. 04 Aug 2008 at 9:11 AM 46. Jarrid

    I tried your recipe without the separate carboy fermenting. I also boiled the water down with 15 cloves and a star anise inside a stainless steel seeping ball. I also used “Safale” beer yeast. Turned out great. I need to save more Grolsch flip cap bottles!!!

47. 16 Aug 2008 at 7:15 PM 47. Sammy J

    So I’m thinking about doing this with splenda simple syrup or honey simple syrup. I tend to like my carbonated bevs a bit on the dry side, so I might even do a weaker simple syrup. I’ll post on my results, thanks for the recipe Jeff!

48. 18 Aug 2008 at 11:40 AM 48. Heather

    I’ve been on a big dark and stormy kick lately, I plan on trying the recipe this week! Sammy J, I can’t wait to see how your results turn out with a splenda version…I was thinking of trying the same thing!

49. 11 Sep 2008 at 4:43 AM 49. Bill

    Sammy J -

    I’m sure you already know this, but just in case – if you use only Splenda, you won’t be able to carbonate with yeast (the CO2 will still work). If you just sweeten with Splenda, though, add yeast and real sugar (1 tsp/12 oz. liquid) just before bottling and you should get perfect carbonation and no exploding bottles. Works good for beer, anyway. Except for the Splenda.

50. 23 Sep 2008 at 6:11 PM 50. Matt Lanning

    been using this recipe quite a bit this summer… first batch (in 32oz bottles) turned out great. second batch, I think I put a few (hundred) too many granules of yeast in, and three of five bottles chain-reaction exploded after about 24 hours of fermentation (resulting in ginger beer all over my kitchen and down into my basement). third batch, I went conservative on yeast, and ended up with little or no carbonation. kept the temps at/below 80 degrees, so perhaps just too little yeast…

    making batch #4 later this week, and this time in 16oz bottles, so perhaps I’ll get back to where I started and get it dialed this time.

    thanks again, Jeff!

51. 05 Oct 2008 at 6:54 AM 51. Matthew

    Do you have any tips on creating a beverage of such simplicity but with a significant amount of ABV?

52. 05 Oct 2008 at 3:07 PM 52. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Matt – Thanks, brother!

    Matthew – I don’t have any tips on making an alcoholic ginger brew, I’m sorry. However, if you head to your local homebrew shop, I’m sure they can help you out.

53. 07 Oct 2008 at 6:05 AM 53. DG

    Matthew – I’m about to try my first batch of alcoholic ginger beer. I am planning on making my ginger syrup and allowing it to ferment in a one gallon carboy with an airlock until it reaches the desired ABV, probably around 5-5.5% (about 1 week). After it reaches that point, refrigerate until the yeast has fallen out of suspension, siphon into another container, innoculate with more sugar, bottle, and let sit at room temp for another week to carbonize. If you’re interested for more info, let me know and I’ll try to pass on specifics. You just don’t want to try to get a higher ABV in sealed containers unless you want a gingery mess in your house and a trip to the emergency room.
    -David

54. 23 Nov 2008 at 11:26 AM 54. joanne

    Thanks for the great recipe.

    My boyfriend just got back from a boat delivery from Boston to Bermuda. It was rough going, but they all made it safe and sound. For treats on thier arrival, sitting back in the yacht club were numerous rounds of dark and stormies.

    The Gosling Black Seal rum made it back to Canada, but there is a definite scarcity of gingerbeer to be found around here. As a kid, it was popular and we had it all the time, but times and tastes change. I still love the stuff so I will be making many batches of your recipe.

    Thanks once again.

55. 08 Dec 2008 at 5:40 PM 55. Lindsey

    hola,
    we’re in the process of making our first batch ~

    1.) 25 granules? seriously? like, 25 of those tiny little yeast granules? Then in another reply you say to use 1/8 tsp. yeast for 32 ounces. 25 granules does not equal 1/16 tsp. by my measurements. help?

    2.) temp of the “warm” water seems to be important. 100 degrees for the Red Star Premier Cuvee? or 85? Which is it?

    Hopefully this first batch comes out right, but if anyone can help me here I would definitely appreciate it!

    Thanks.

56. 29 Dec 2008 at 7:15 AM 56. Roger

    I really liked the recipe (used the siphon for the first try but will try brewing in the future).

    One even easier option: omit the 10 ounces of plain water and then add carbonated water when you are ready to drink it. this carbonated water can come from a soda siphon or just from store bought soda water (if you don’t have a siphon). This provides instant gratification. It is better than putting the ingredients in the siphon since you don’t have to pore the ingredients into the soda siphon which was a hassle and you don’t have to clean the soda siphon after each use.

57. 22 Jan 2009 at 2:21 AM 57. Ryan Cheverie

    You inspired me to give this a shot with the ginger syrup I’ve been making for awhile. I just made ginger syrup, added some lime juice, a bit of water to make it less, well, syrupy and some other odds and ends (each batch has been a little different) and some plain old bread yeast. After two days in the cupboard (the bottle, not me) I was rewarded with a very satisfying POP and some hot n spicy ginger beer, followed closely by several Moscow Mules.

    Thanks man, Cheers

58. 29 Jan 2009 at 6:14 PM 58. Alan

    Jeff, do you know how much alcohol is in one of these? I am going to assume around 4%, as most ginger beers seem to have that much in them.

59. 29 Jan 2009 at 6:18 PM 59. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Alan – I can’t truly tell you the alcohol content but I’m going to assume it’s far, far less than 4% as I don’t think there’s time to build up to that percentage in 48 hours. Just a guess, though.

60. 29 Jan 2009 at 7:02 PM 60. Alan

    I did some research and it seems you are right. Do you think I could leave it in there for longer, so it builds up a higher percentage?

61. 30 Jan 2009 at 1:26 AM 61. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Alan – Please don’t. The pressure that builds up in a closed system can be very dangerous, especially with glass bottles. I suggest you follow the directions and proceed with a (mostly) non-alcoholic ginger brew.

62. 30 Jan 2009 at 9:14 AM 62. Alan

    Alas, that is what I figured. I made enough for 8 bottles last night, and it smells wonderful. Followed everything to the letter, cannot wait to try it! It was very cheap to, I bought enough to make 16 bottles, and it was only 10 dollars.

63. 31 Jan 2009 at 4:34 PM 63. Alan

    Hey Jeff-

    Glad to report a successful batch! Your recipe is perfect, and this beer is indeed delicious.

64. 03 Feb 2009 at 11:39 AM 64. Mark

    I found out about ginger beer from a promotional booklet I received by Dr. David Williams, a medical doctor and pioneer in the field of alternative medicine. The teaser article was about a ‘beer’ that would aid digestions and alleviate GI problems. My gut, pardon the obvious pun, believed he was referring to ginger beer and my research proved me correct. And as I have irritable bowel syndrome, I searched for an easy recipe, finding one posted by a guy in London.

    The recipe uses a two liter soda bottle, 2 cups of sugar, 1/4 tsp. of baking yeast, a couple of tablespoons of grated ginger, and juice of half a lemon(or of a whole lime). Leaving about an inch of space at the top of the
    bottle, shake it up until the sugar at the bottom is mixed into the water, then put in a dark, warm place until the bottle becomes hard like an unopened soda bottle, which could anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. Put it in the fridge to chill and drink! I like the ginger pieces but if you don’t or are using it as a mixer, strain it as you pour or strain from one glass to another.

    From a medical standpoint, my gut problems are for the most part, gone, and the allergy I had to wheat appears to have been eliminated by the beneficial bacteria in the ginger beer. Next, going to make wine from Welch’s frozen grape juice.

65. 04 Feb 2009 at 11:58 AM 65. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Wow, Mark, that is certainly a lot of information to, uh, digest there. Thanks for sharing.

66. 06 Feb 2009 at 3:54 PM 66. Ken

    Jeffrey,

    Thanks for the great recipe! I’m looking forward to having a Dark & Stormy at Clyde Common with you!

    I’ve been brewing homemade beverages with E-Z Caps, which are basically 2-liter bottle caps with a hole in them and some form of rubber stopper. It’s a poor-man’s airlock that you affix to a plastic bottle to keep the pressure from escaping too much, so that you get an effervescent beverage that won’t burst the bottle.

    Mark, when you attempt your wine, you’ll want to use something other than frozen Welch’s grape juice, because the preservatives in the juice will retard the action of the yeast. Try getting some pasteurized Newman’s Own at Costco, or something that says 100% juice and doesn’t list any Sulfites or Sulfates in the ingredient list. Those will kill (or, like I say, retard) the yeast.

    Just some friendly advice from an experienced 2-liter-bottle-brewer. I’ve currently got some cranberry cider brewing, and some ginger beer sitting in the fridge. Yummy!

67. 07 Feb 2009 at 9:05 AM 67. Mark

    Hey, Ken. Thanks for sharing your brewing tips. As for the Welch’s, I looked on the can before I made my purchase and it said 100% juice, no additives or preservatives and the the only two added ingredients are citric acid & ascorbic acid. There are also some wine making videos on YouTube where people are using Welch’s. At one time they might have added sulfites to their product but apparently not now. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Enjoy your Dark and Stormy.

68. 09 Feb 2009 at 12:34 PM 68. katie

    I brewed up a quadruple batch of the ginger+lemon+syrup on friday night. I took in jars over to a party saturday along with my sodastream soda maker. I’d make a bottle of sparkling water, add the appropriate amount of the ginger mixture and then mix with rum. I have never seen people as in awe of a alcoholic beverage. One person remarked that it tasted “like a gingersnap” while it inspired others to recant stories of their time in Belize. Thanks Jeff!!

69. 15 Feb 2009 at 10:05 AM 69. Ted

    Moscow mules were very popular in the 1940s. It wasn’t hard to find commercial ginger beer in stores. Makes a great summertime drink.

    But about thirty years ago, it started being harder to find ginger beer. Had a great recipe for it and brewed up large quantities so I could keep enjoying the ‘mules’.

    Have not made any in years and have missed the drink. Decided to try again so found your web site and just mixed up a batch in a 2 liter plastic bottle. Hope it turns out as great as what I’ve been reading here.

70. 01 Mar 2009 at 3:45 AM 70. simonLloyd

    hi, im about to try your ginger beer recipe out, i was wondering if i should boil the liqid then cool before bottling, please reply, also dose this drink become alcaholic.

    thanks

71. 01 Mar 2009 at 5:57 AM 71. Mark

    Simon,

    No need to do any boiling before bottling. The recipe I posted was the same as that used by the gentleman in London. Regarding alcohol content, he said that it’s equivalent to non-alcoholic beer, which is about 0.5%, extremely low. Now if you wanted to make it ‘hard’, I guess more yeast or brewer’s yeast or champagne yeast, but then there’s the issue of safety, since after the bottle becomes rigid, it’s ready for the fridge. Maybe someone else on here can address the question of raising the alcohol level.

72. 01 Mar 2009 at 11:29 AM 72. Ted

    Mark,
    I’ve raised the percent by taking the “hard” bottle out of the frig, loosen the cap to bleed off some pressure, retighten the cap, then leave it out for a few hours and as it starts getting hard again, put it back in the frig. Repeat the process several times. The cold doesn’t kill the yeast, and it will keep on working as it cools.

73. 01 Mar 2009 at 11:45 AM 73. Mark

    Cool! I know that a longer fermentation will increase the alcohol but didn’t know how to do it. Still learning. Thanks Ted.

74. 01 Mar 2009 at 6:13 PM 74. DG

    For those of you trying to
    alcohol-ize your ginger beer, you seem to be making it a lot harder then it needs to be. All you need to do is put your liquids into a carboy/plastic jug with an air lock on it. The air lock will allow the pressure of the CO2 to be released from the ginger syrup and will stop anything bad from entering the bottle. Any time you have a tight seal on it, you can run into a bit of trouble.

    If you want it to have more alcohol, you need to add more sugar, not yeast. The yeast will multiply very quickly. To best be able to measure your alcohol possibility, I suggest getting a hydrometer. That will be able to help you out.

75. 04 Mar 2009 at 11:24 AM 75. Ted

    Has anyone tried using turbo yeast? A high alcohol & temperature tolerant dual function yeast complete with needed nutrients. Yields 23 liters, produces 14% Alcohol in 24 hours, or 20% in 5 days.

76. 04 Mar 2009 at 2:24 PM 76. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Here’s a thought, take or leave it as you all will: This ginger beer recipe might taste really gross if you try to turn it into an alcoholic beverage.

    While I haven’t personally discovered what a bottle of fermented lemon juice and five day-old ginger tastes like, I’m going to assume it’s not the most awesome tongue-pleaser in the world.

    So do yourselves a favor: make a bottle of nice, fresh, non-alcoholic ginger beer and spike it with a healthy dose of rich, dark rum. Your tastebuds, head, and stomach will thank you.

    Jeffrey

77. 04 Mar 2009 at 4:28 PM 77. Ross

    Jeffrey,

    Thanks for the recipe! You inspired me to give it a go, though I departed from your instructions relatively significantly. I omitted the lemon entirely; I also add vanilla. Most importantly, I avoid white sugar — instead, I use a combination of honey, brown sugar, and molasses. The product is almost the color of amber ale, with a richer flavor.

    At the recommendation of my (Seattle) local home-brew shop, I use Nottingham Ale Yeast. The argument for it is: champagne yeast survives at a higher pressure and stays active at a cooler temperature than ale yeast, making bottle explosions more likely. Perhaps not a huge issue — but ale yeast is also very cheap.

    Thanks for blogging — I look forward to reading more!

78. 04 Mar 2009 at 8:09 PM 78. DG

    Jeffery,
    While, yes, non alcoholic ginger beer is fantastic, and as a home brewer of alcoholic ginger beer, I have to say it is quite tastey, up to about 15ish%, depending on the recipe. Anything after that, is ridiculously harsh and definately not worth drinking. Nothing beats a cold ginger brew on a hot summer day, either plain and mixed with rum, or hard and lonesome.

79. 19 Mar 2009 at 3:09 PM 79. Gina Valentino

    Sometimes I forget how cool you are, and then I forget about your website. Thanks for the occasional reminder. I love fun projects like this. Can’t wait to try it!

80. 19 Mar 2009 at 5:38 PM 80. Ted

    Thanks to your inspiration, been making a 2-liter bottle twice a week. Used just plain Fleishamann’s yeast and four key limes for each batch plus adding in a teaspoon of Tarter. The bottle gets very hard long before 24 hours so bleed off some pressure and place it in fridg. Excellent flavor. Gotta get my copper mugs from home to make it taste just right. Believe me, a Muscow Mule made with vodka, ginger beer and lime tastes much better in a copper cup. Go to your local thrift store and find a copper cup!

81. 24 Mar 2009 at 1:07 AM 81. Daniil

    Is it OK if this ‘beer’ is much more transparent than on your shots and there is smth like 0.5cm of ginger ‘mixture’ at the bottom?

82. 24 Mar 2009 at 1:17 AM 82. Daniil

    What would be perfect if someone could make a visual representation of how much yeast is required to produce a decent beer, my bottles are around a second day and no carbonation is present :(

83. 24 Mar 2009 at 5:42 PM 83. Eric

    What should we do if we know we added too much yeast?

84. 24 Mar 2009 at 5:48 PM 84. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Danill and Eric – If you didn’t add enough yeast, add more and wait another 48 hours. If you added too much, keep a close eye on it and release the pressure from time to time if you can. You’ll be fine either way.

85. 26 Mar 2009 at 11:39 AM 85. William

    Wow, I’m excited. I just went out and got some flip top glass bottles today. Do you think that using a plastic bottle as a test would be a good idea? I guess it would give me a good idea of how much pressure is building up in the glass bottle. I got the cuvee yeast, as well as a white wine yeast that the guy in the brew store said a lot of people use. I’m gonna make two with each kind of yeast. I can’t wait!

86. 26 Mar 2009 at 11:39 AM 86. William

    I forgot to put this in my previous question, but how much sediment occurs with the 25 granule method?

87. 28 Mar 2009 at 5:48 PM 87. Benjamin

    Jeff, just started a 32oz batch today, I can’t wait till it’s done. I had a few questions though… First was on the yeast content, it seems to be the most mysterious question, main reason why I am concerned is because I don’t want my flip-top exploding on me. I counted out 50 granules the best I could and that is very little… I put the granules in 1/8 tsp. and it doesn’t even cover the bottom of the spoon. I would say that if I were to use a full 1/8 tsp. it would probably be more in the range of 1000 or more granules.

    Also you had mentioned that you would probably try to use cream of tartar in your next batch, have you tied it yet, and how much would you use? Thanks

88. 28 Mar 2009 at 5:52 PM 88. Benjamin

    Oh yeah, and is there some kind of visual I will see to confirm it’s ready or that it’s carbonating? I’m fairly new at this but have heard of this happening with similar things like Kombucha tea…

89. 06 Apr 2009 at 12:18 PM 89. seriousdarious

    My first attempt at this recipe is (hopefully) bubbling away beneath the sink. Having made it, I just have one question – to wit: how the f#^k do you get “approximately 25 granules” of the yeast. My standard kitchen equipment does not include tweezers and a giant light/magnifying glass combo, nor am I dextrous enough to use them if I had them. Do you eyeball it? Use some minuscule fraction of a teaspoon? Do you have a sensitive scale? What’s the deal? Thanks for the recipe, I’m looking forward to homemade gingery goodness.

90. 09 Apr 2009 at 7:31 PM 90. Christine

    SUCH a good idea – my husband brought Goslings home from last years Newport-to-Bermuda race.

    … whipped up a batch on Tuesday (and was easy enough that my handy 6-year-old helped). Was shocked it actually fermented, as those bottles look REALLY inactive for 48 hours, but cracked on open and FIZZZZ.

    A bit lemony for my taste? Used lemon and lime juice (per recipe) so I’ll probably cut that down a bit for the next batch.

    Definitely going to try some thyme and vanilla (hoping the ginger doesn’t overpower?). Thanks for the recipe!

91. 15 Apr 2009 at 9:39 AM 91. John Merrill

    How much tartar would you add per batch?

92. 20 Apr 2009 at 9:20 PM 92. Brian

    Thanks for the great recipe. I’m on my 5th case now. I had to go back and buy more bottles, as I couldn’t keep up.

    I’ve experimented with the recipe, and my current favorite is a reduction of lemon juice by .5 oz and addition of an extra .5 oz syrup. Still tastes a little lemony, and decreasing lemon/increasing water made it too watery. Any ideas on tempering the lemonyness would be great.

    I think honey might be a good addition, maybe substituting .5 oz of syrup?

    I’m also interested in whether anybody’s tested the tartar. I can’t even say I know what flavor tartar has, or how much to add.

    Finally, to everybody struggling with the yeast… I’ve just used a 1/8 tsp measuring spoon and eyeballed a half of that per 16 oz bottle. It’s been perfect since the start, and it’s nowhere near precise (it’s also a lot more than 25 granules I think).

93. 21 Apr 2009 at 10:32 AM 93. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    Everyone – You know, I posted this when I was still in early ginger beer production mode. Basically once we got rolling we would do what Brian does here and eyeball a half of a one-eighth teaspoon measure. The “25 granules” thing came from the folks at the homebrew shop where I was buying my yeast – sorry for the confusion.

94. 21 Apr 2009 at 9:14 PM 94. Benjamin

    Thanks again for the recipe Jeff. I’ve made several dozen batches now and have had good success from them all. I have used 1 liter flip top bottles for all of it and it’s worked great! I started right away with using creme of tartar, about 1/4 tsp. per 16oz and the 25 grains of yeast per 16oz has worked out fine. Basically 50 grains just covers the bottom of my 1/8 tsp. I’ve found I get almost the same ginger affect from only 1/2 ounce per 16oz, and I’ve really reduced the lemon juice. I’ve been brewing them in my utility closet (about a constant 80 degrees) and it’s worked great. I suggest tho anyone who is going to do this consistently to get flip tops as they tend to release the pressure when it gets too great. Hope this helps.

95. 23 Apr 2009 at 10:44 AM 95. Ryan

    I’ve been eager to try making my own ever since I went to Grenada two and a half years ago and came back only to realize you can’t get this stuff in the local markets.

    Last night reading this inspired me to go find a local brew store, bought a case of 750ml champagne bottles, bag of caps, the red star premier cuvee yeast, and do a test run with a gallon (5 bottles) of some root beer mix I picked up there for my fiance.

    So excited to start making ginger brew though, will stop at target on my way home, get a cheese cloth, and try making a couple bottles of this stuff.

    Thanks for posting this, will let you know how it turns out.

96. 24 Apr 2009 at 6:22 AM 96. Ryan

    Couldn’t find cheesecloth at target so I buckled and got the Juiceman Juicer instead, after making some wacky juice of 8 things for my fiance I ran a bit of ginger through the thing, the resulting juice being full of colors and tiny bits of juice from the other fruits, upon tasting it I was ensured it was definitely pretty pure ginger juice though.

    I bottled up two 750ml champagne bottles with this stuff per your instructions (just doing 1.5 times your ratios for 16 oz). Hopefully the little bits of other fruit juices will add a touch more flavor.

    I had one question for you though, how much honey would I use in place of simple syrup as I love honey, but if I used too much or too little it could affect the carbonation right?

97. 24 Apr 2009 at 12:50 PM 97. Jonathan

    Hey Jeffrey!

    First of all let me say congrats on the Playboy nod!

    Secondly…. I am a HUGE fan of ginger anything… I am also a big DIY-er, so this recipe was a must for me to try.

    Bought the Juiceman Jr… love it. Using the french press… (bought a Nespresso system a while back… and stopped drinking coffee, the quality and ease of use of this little Swiss gizmo is phenomenal) And started my first batch using 32 ounce bottles, Agave nectar and Red Star yeast (Thanks FH Steinbarts!)…

    Hopeless night sleep last night as around 1 a.m. I was thrown out of bed top the sound of breaking glass as one of my 32 ounce bottles exploded violently in the kitchen covering everything withing 15 feet in a fine layer of gingerale. instead of measuring the yeast…. I guestimated and used a pinch. BAD IDEA… I used either too much sugar/agave or too much yeast or it was too warm… I then proceeded to try to open the other bottles from that batch (there were three) to release some pressure and they did a wonderful job mimicking those toy plastic rockets that used water and air to achieve altitude.
    I have never been so sticky in my life.

    i spent about an hour mopping up the 96 ounces of deliciousness. Now I get to swiffer it.
    It was really very tasty though!
    I am pouring out my other two batches as I used the pinch method with them too….

    I am so used to cooking by intuition and not using measurements… I think I am also gonna go back to the FH Steinbarts here in Portland and buy smaller bottles so I can experiment with smaller and less dangerous batches….

    Anyhow… just wanted to add my two cents….

    Do you serve your ginger brew at the Common…? I’d love to try some while waiting for my next batch to mature.

    Cheers!

    I’ll let y’all know what comes of the next batch… I LOVE the idea of adding thyme to the mix. Genius! I was thinking about Thai Basil… but think I will simply muddle some in a glass before adding the ginger beer.

98. 24 Apr 2009 at 1:09 PM 98. Brian

    Here’s a couple more comments as I pass my 100th bottle brewed:

    1. On the juicer… at first I didn’t strain the ginger juice (I’m using a Champion juicer), and the result was “firewater.” I love ginger, but the burning went from throat to belly and stayed for a day. Since then, I strain the juice. Still lots of bite, but without the lingering burn. Also, my juicer produces juice from the bottom and the pulp from the end. I run the pulp through a second time, and get a lot more juice out.

    2. On the Cream of Tartar… I took a bunch of old time ginger beer recipes and did the math to convert the COT to this recipe. I came up with 1/8 TSP per bottle. I found that it made ZERO difference in taste or head (which is the purpose of the COT). The bottle-conditioning creates plenty of head on its own, and I won’t bother again with it if it doesn’t help.

    3. The honey, on the other hand, was a nice addition. I substituted .5 OZ of syrup with honey. It was nice, though next time I’ll cut back a little (maybe half of that) to cut the honey sweetness.

    Here are the variations I like best. This is for 16 OZ portions:

    1 OZ ginger juice (strained)
    1.5 OZ lemon juice
    3.5 OZ simple syrup
    10 OZ warm water

    I multiply by number of bottles (usually 16/batch), mix and bottle, then add (ROUGHLY) a half of a 1/8 TSP measuring spoon of the Premier Cuvee yeast (I ordered the bottles for about $2 each and the yeast for 60 cents a pack from Jeffrey’s link above). Cap and shake. Put in a kitchen cabinet for 48 hours and refrigerate.

    Here’s the honey version:

    1 OZ ginger juice (strained)
    1.5 OZ lemon juice
    3 OZ simple syrup
    .5 OZ honey
    10 OZ warm water

    One last thing… Costco sells 1 liter bottles of 100% organic lemon juice (not from concentrate) for about $3. That’s the juice of 40 organic lemons! It’s really good, ready to use, and WAY cheaper than alternatives. Now, if they sold ginger root…

99. 24 Apr 2009 at 1:28 PM 99. Ted

    Personally, I prefer using fresh lime juice instead of the lemon juice. However, I spent the winter in south Texas where key limes were about two cents each.

100. 06 May 2009 at 5:54 PM 100. Ellen

     I’m planning to make some easy ginger beer without the fermentation, because I have a sodastream carbonator. But before I got to this site, my plan was to make a ginger simple syrup by cutting up fresh ginger and boiling it with the water and sugar. I make a jalapeno-mint syrup this way for some kick-ass spicy margaritas. So now I wonder if boiling might make the ginger flavor too strong, or change it entirely? Any idea?

101. 07 May 2009 at 6:20 AM 101. Ryan

     After having been through a hand full of bottles of this stuff, here are the modifications I’ve come to like:
     1 part ginger juice
     1 part lemon juice
     .5 parts lime juice
     3.5 parts simple syrup
     3 whole cloves (for 16oz)

     The cloves give it a nice touch, though can be easily overdone so careful with them. Also, if I had some rum on hand I would be able to test my theory on this, but I think the flavor the cloves add would make it meld with the rum even more better (or, mo’betta if you will) as it kind of rounds out the spice a bit.

102. 11 May 2009 at 1:39 PM 102. seriousdarious

     Thanks to all who posted re: the yeast amount. I guess my measurements were pretty inaccurate as two of the four bottles I made geysered upon opening. Oh well, the ones that didn’t were pretty damn good. Re: the shelf life of the product, I got sick between mixing my batch and drinking some of it. The last bottle I drank had been sitting in the fridge for 2-3 weeks and still tasted dandy. Finally, a question to those in this thread with homebrewing experience. I sanitized my bottles (and only my bottles, none of the other implements) for this batch (washing with be-brite(sp?) and sanitizing with star-san). I realized after I was done that if I didn’t sanitize everything then sanitizing anything was probably pointless. What do you think? Is sanitizing even necessary for something with such a short fermentation period and that is drank so quickly? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

     sd

103. 11 May 2009 at 5:46 PM 103. Bill

     sd -

     I think you’re right about sanitizing and about the short fermentation time. Just make sure everything is clean. I personally just scrape off the big chunks and have at it. If you ever go to home brewing, though, sanitizing is back big-time.

     Ryan -

     I, too have changed the proportions, but the other way around, using 2 pts. ginger and 2 pts. lemon to 3 pts. syrup for 16 oz. I like my ginger, and it’s not for everybody.

     On the yeast amount question, those little beasties multiply like rabbits once they get a little sugar and warmth, so even if you start with 25 grains, you’ll have a lot more than that before you’re through. The amount and time and temperature restrictions are there so you’ll know when to refrigerate. (I use plastic 2-liter soda bottles, so just judge by feel.) If you change any of the numbers, you’re just guessing.

     Bill

104. 12 May 2009 at 2:27 PM 104. seriousdarious

     Bill -

     Thanks for the advice. I’ve done a little bit of homebrewing (kits only, so far), hence my possession of the be-brite and star-san. As soon as I finish reading Papazian I’ll brave a more “free-style” approach.

     sd

105. 20 May 2009 at 6:28 AM 105. John Merrill

     Interesting article in the NYTimes:
     http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20ginger.html

     The article didn’t take comments so I couldn’t point readers here.

106. 20 May 2009 at 6:39 AM 106. Bill

     Jeffrey -

     Ahead of your time once again.

     Bil

107. 26 May 2009 at 1:05 PM 107. Chris

     Made this on Thursday for girlfriend’s birthday (who loves ginger beer). I followed Jeffrey’s recipe pretty closely, using the champagne yeast, and made 2 bottles of it. I allowed to ferment for about 48 hours, but I think I didn’t add enough yeast, as there was very little carbonation. But it turned out great! Both of us were very impressed with the result. FWIW, the NY Times recipe was pretty good too, but there’s something special about Jeff’s bottle conditioned version. I plan on repeating, but not until I get my hands on a juicer. Microplane grating 12 oz of ginger was not fun.

108. 26 May 2009 at 3:40 PM 108. Matt

     Hey Jeffrey,

     I’ve done a bunch of beer brewing and I was wondering about increasing this recipe in a 5 or 6 gallon carboy. Would I use an airlock? Let it sit for 48 hrs, then bottle with priming sugar for fermentation? Any ideas for a larger batch? I figure I’ll try a few bottles to start.

     Matt

109. 27 May 2009 at 2:38 AM 109. Oliver

     So. Just a small hint for anybody who couldn’t find the champagne yeast or is as dumb as myself:

     In austria (where i live) I couldn’t find the requested champagne yeast and looked for the regular baking one. As i wasn’t quite sure about the exact amount yeast ( gramm would be nice) needed I just took 1,5 packages for a 1 litre bottle.

     To keep it short. My Ginger Beer is perfecty carbonated. After 30 minutes.

     One exploded, but i could save the other three :D … now I have to paint the kitchen. Again.

110. 28 May 2009 at 10:00 AM 110. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

     Matt – You’re on your own, unfortunately. I’m not a homebrewer, just a guy who makes ginger beer for cocktails. Good luck, though, and let the rest of us know what you find out.

111. 29 May 2009 at 10:26 PM 111. Professr

     I’m trying this for the first time today – I’m using metal Klean bottles (they have decent threaded tops and a silicone o-ring). I tried to put around half of a 1/4th tsp of yeast in each, but it may be too much, as they are each only 530mL. I have a *giant* glass jug for wine fermenting, and I was wondering if there were any tips for making larger batches (maybe with some alcohol) in it with standard fast-rise bread yeast…

112. 30 May 2009 at 4:10 PM 112. Professr

     My first batch came out pretty good, aside from the expected foam explosion! It smells nasty, but tastes amazing – is that because I used regular sugar instead of simple syrup? Also, I tried thyme, cinnamon, and cloves, which all had interesting effects, but then I tried Garam Masala (it has cloves and a bunch of other things in it). It was *perfect*, and removed all the bad smell and added so many flavor hints to the taste.

113. 08 Jun 2009 at 7:05 AM 113. John McGovern

     Jeffrey, et al:

     Many many thanks for this easy, fun, and delicious recipe for ginger beer! Per the genesis of this concoction, I had my first taste of my brew on an island, minus the rain, just as the sun was setting (and the midges were descending…) mixed into a delightful Moscow Mule.
     The cocktail was pure [bracing] summer refreshment and so enjoyed by all that I relished it on three more occasions within the span of one weekend. The island tasting was the best, perhaps b/c of the crushed ice or perhaps because I was on an island! The imbibing post cob-oven construction was missing the ice, though notably, the ginger lime mixture cut right through the taste of clay that had made its way onto my face. Around the fire? awesome cocktail! Around the pool? awesome cocktail! I’d highly recommend crushed ice in the makings of an excellent Moscow Mule.
     Jeffrey’s recipe for ginger beer seems destined for mixing with spirits, rather than drinking straight, which is fine with me for the three months of remaining summer here, on Ohio’s north shore!

     I’ll definitely be making several more batches, perhaps infused with mint, thyme, or any number of summertime smells…. Also, I wonder about switching out the simple syrup w? Mapel syrup or honey?!? The professr may be onto something with the garam masala – will def give that a try.

     Thanks again for the recipe and for helping to make all the good folks out here just a little bit happier!

     Cheers,

     John
     Cleveland, O

114. 10 Jun 2009 at 1:00 AM 114. Professr

     After finding that baker’s yeast leaves sediment and a taste I couldn’t really enjoy, I have spent the past week or so building a homemade carbonator (http://wiki.professr.net/wiki/Beverage_Carbonator). I am carbonating my first batch now!

115. 26 Jun 2009 at 7:06 AM 115. Adam

     Hi Jeffrey,
     I love ginger beer (just on its own) especially on a hot summer’s day. I have tried a few recipes of the net but none as well documented as yours. I shall definitely be giving your a try as the weather is starting to warm up here in the UK. I will keep the site bookmarked and give you an update once the first batch is finished!

116. 04 Jul 2009 at 9:08 AM 116. Ginger Beer

     Hi Jeffrey,
     Adam here, all worked out fine and tastes great … just in time for this great weather we are having here in the UK. Fast running out though so i think its a bigger batch next time. Good luck and thanks for the info.

117. 06 Jul 2009 at 10:59 AM 117. Matt B

     Hi Jeffrey…just wondering if you re-use the bottles – and if so, how do you wash them? I may be cheap, but $1.95 per bottle seems pretty steep to use just once (and I really want to try the recipe!)…thanks

118. 07 Jul 2009 at 6:24 AM 118. John Merrill

     Slightly off topic, but of interest to us Dark and Stormy fans:

     http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/fashion/05shaken.html?hpw

119. 07 Jul 2009 at 9:26 AM 119. Stuart Reeves

     I have given homemade ginger beer a go now a couple of times, I think I have finally mastered something I am happy with. what alcohol content, if at all, do you find your finished product comes in at? also once opened how long do you find your mix holds its fizz and life?

120. 18 Jul 2009 at 10:52 AM 120. Tom B

     Thanks for the recipie. I just mixed up three bottles which are fermenting under my sink as we speak. 48 hours later I hope to have a carbonated drink.

     I had some extra ginger and lemon juice left over so I made a non carbonated dark n stormy.

     Will let you know how it turned out.

     /Tom

121. 21 Jul 2009 at 1:45 PM 121. Jesh M

     So I don’t have to make let the yeast begin workin for a week, like some recipes say?

     I can just add directly into the bottle of ginger beer, no culture needed?

122. 22 Jul 2009 at 10:12 PM 122. metametagirl

     Thanks for the recipe! Made 32oz this week — my first time brewing something other than coffee and tea! It was a great success — not too sweet, and actually a bit bitter. I wouldn’t change anything about this recipe. Much better than the high fructose corn syrupy sweet stuff from the store! I used plastic soda & mineral water bottles placed under the kitchen sink inside a plastic tub, since I’m scared of the glass explosion that other people have had. I’m glad I used the plastic tub since there was a bit of leakage. I bought a Microplane grater for the occasion — well worth it because my wasabi grater is tiny. Still, juicing ginger by grating is a pretty time consuming task.

     Got a question: does the ginger beer contain any “beneficial bacteria” when brewing with the Red Star Premier Cuvee champagne yeast?

     I look forward to making another batch! Cheers!

123. 23 Jul 2009 at 7:32 AM 123. Tom B

     So results: turned out great. everyone at work enjoyed the flavor.

     I let off pressure after 24 hours and it made a nice pop – the yeast didn’t die! for once. haha.

     The carbonation is good in the bottles. The taste is a little too lemony, probably my fault. the taste is also kind of flat, not too complex. I wonder if boiling the ginger in the simple syrup would help.

     I also want to try limes as my favorite bar – Apothecary, Phila – uses limes.

     /Tom

124. 04 Aug 2009 at 9:19 AM 124. Lisa

     Wow, as a sailor who’s been around lots of people enjoying Dark ‘n Stormy’s after both hard and easy sails, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that your ginger beer recipe generated 123 responses! And how nice that you answered every person’s questions and concerns so thoughtfully. For someone who might not be up to the challenge of homemade ginger beer (please forgive me), is there a brand of ginger beer that you recommend?
     Thanks so much!

125. 04 Aug 2009 at 1:54 PM 125. Daniel

     Jeffrey – quick question about the ginger juice…

     Can the pressed ginger juice be frozen for any length of time or do the oils go off?

     I have a twin-roller juicer that is excellent for getting the juice out of the ginger but is a pain to wash up for small batches. I was hoping to do, say three or four batches of juice and store them in portion-sized bags. Have any of you had experience of freezing the ginger juice?

     First batch of ginger beer comes out of the fridge this Thursday. The only variations were light muscovado in the simple syrup and the juice of a lime in with the lemons cos one lemon was all dry and icky inside.

126. 04 Aug 2009 at 2:43 PM 126. Ted

     Good question, Lisa. In June, I was in a liquor store in Folsom, CA that had about ten different brands. It would have been great getting one bottle of each, but I don’t think Continental would have allowed me to carry them back to Colorado.

     When I used to buy it 30 years ago, I had a favorite brand, but since it hasn’t been available for a long time, I forgot what brand it was. In fact, I find it very seldom in any store. That’s why I’m making my own now, at least a liter each week.

127. 04 Aug 2009 at 5:12 PM 127. Lisa

     Ted,
     Thanks so much for the reply. I’ve actually bought ginger beer (Reed’s?) at Trader Joe’s, but just didn’t know if it was one of the favorite brands of Dark ‘n Stormy lovers: http://www.traderjoesfan.com/Trader_Joes/reeds_extra_ginger_beer/details/
     Lisa

128. 05 Aug 2009 at 7:19 AM 128. Daniel

     My first batch is complete today and it was quite a taste experience!

     Although I thought I had seated all the stoppers carefully, I noticed the rubber seal on one of the four bottles was bulging off-centre so I thought I would let off the top, re-seat it and let it finish its last three-and-a-half hours before putting it in the fridge.

     I *very* carefully let it off, expecting it to be pretty flat since there were very few visible bubbles but I was amazed by the incredible pressure that had built up. Through judicious pressure on the stopper I was able to get it calmed down without a geyser of foam. I guess that despite being in the shade, the sunny weather outside had done the business and so decided to cool the three remaining bottles in the fridge immediately.

     I am used to the pressure you get in commercial cans and bottles and I can say the wine yeast had certainly done the business. I was especially careful not to over-sugar the recipe, so I assume it was the little guys making all the fizz!

     Excellent taste, very gingery and a good lasting fizz in the glass. Now to wait for my Gosling’s to arrive in the post from the importer!

129. 05 Aug 2009 at 10:36 AM 129. Matthew

     @Lisa 04 Aug 2009 at 5:12 pm

     I have most often used Barritt’s Ginger Beer – it has been prevalent in my preferred liquor stores. I have also used the Cock’n Bull brand as well. A lot depends on personal taste and what you enjoy. Officially, there is/was an “unofficial partnership” between Gosling’s and Barritt’s; however according to this article [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/fashion/05shaken.html] Gosling’s is producing their own brand of ginger beer.

130. 08 Aug 2009 at 1:49 AM 130. The Meat

     my ginger beer has been sitting in its warm dark place for 36 hours, should it be carbonating yet?

131. 08 Aug 2009 at 2:26 AM 131. Professr

     Yep, it should be carbonating by now. Some advice: skip using a metal bottle. Use a washed-out 2-liter soda bottle, so you can tell when it starts carbonating more easily.

132. 08 Aug 2009 at 3:46 AM 132. Daniel

     The Meat – yes, it should be, but you will barely see any bubbles because the pressure will be forcing them to dissolve into the ginger beer.

     Get a bottle out and stand it between you and a window or a light and let the light bounce off the surface of the top of the liquid – if you are patient you should see tiny movements as the odd bubble rises and pops.

     When you hit your 48h mark and put them in the fridge, be *very* careful when opening the first bottle as there can be quite a lot of pressure inside if it has all gone right. Just flipping off the top will result in a lot of wasted ginger beer over the worktop. Be prepared to hold the top down as you flip the spring off and gently let off the excess pressure.

     Good luck!

133. 08 Aug 2009 at 10:34 AM 133. Ted

     If you have it in a plastic bottle, the bottle certainly should be feeling harder. I doubt you will see the actual carbonating because the bubbles are being absorbed into ther liquid.

     I leave mine out for 24-30 hours, then put it in the fridge and it actually keeps working. If the bottle feels too hard, like a solid pipe, I will bleed off a little gas then see the bubbles rise to the top.

     Also, I have be reusing the sediment in the bottom of the bottles to make another batch. No need to add any more yeast. It’s right there!

134. 11 Aug 2009 at 4:13 AM 134. Didi

     Hi everybody!

     First of all, Jeffrey, I’d like to thank you for posting this recipe! Anyway, since the ginger beer was a total triumph, I’ve been thinking about making my own ginger ale by a similar process. If anybody had some ideas about how to change the recipe to make a traditional ginger ale, I’d be much obliged.
     I have been thinking along the lines of cutting the amount of ginger juice down, but I don’t know by how much exactly. Furthermore, I’m thinking about taking half of the sugar and make dark caramel of it, before adding the water and the rest of my sugar for the simple syrup. I am thinking, that thus I would get the traditional ginger ale colour.
     Any suggestions are more than welcome!

135. 17 Aug 2009 at 2:33 PM 135. Daniel

     Didi – you can make your simple syrup using light (or dark) muscovado sugar to easily get the nice colour. Billingtons do an excellent light muscovado here in the UK.

136. 18 Aug 2009 at 1:32 PM 136. Didi

     Daniel,

     Good idea. I’ll definitely try this.

137. 18 Aug 2009 at 7:53 PM 137. Burma

     Jeffrey, thank you for sharing your ginger beer recipe on this fantastic site! I love ginger, especially ginger beer, and am excited about the prospect of trying your recipe. I’ll definitely report back once I give it a try. (I’ll also want to try, for the very first time, a Dark & Stormy!) Thanks again so much.

138. 21 Aug 2009 at 1:49 PM 138. Mike Aubrey

     Learned this purely on accident. I had picked up some ginger at the store for a reduced price because it was old, so I froze it when I got home.

     But it turns out that for making ginger beer, if you freeze and then thaw your ginger, you can literally squeeze the juice out of it without having to spend the money on a juicer or make a massive mess with a grater.

     And it tasted great too.

139. 22 Aug 2009 at 12:35 AM 139. The Meat

     thanks for your help and replies

140. 30 Aug 2009 at 10:35 AM 140. James B. U.

     Thanks for the recipe. I just made mine last night, with a few small changes.
     I used a blender to grind up the ginger, and actually had to add liquid to get it done, but I think it worked very well – I used cheesecloth, and got a good 8 oz. of juice out, which was just what I needed for 8 bottles. I only used about 12 oz. of lemon juice, since that’s all I could make, and I dumped everything into a pot with some vanilla bean and a couple of star anise, and heated it up for a while. I let it cool down a bit, to what I figured was below 120 degrees so as not to kill the yeast. Now it’s all bottled up in old Grolsch bottles, in a plastic-lined box in a warm place. Tomorrow night I’ll put it in the fridge, let it cool, and see how it did; then we’ll make some Dark and Stormies if all goes well. I’ll keep you posted.

141. 01 Sep 2009 at 11:23 AM 141. James B. U.

     Tried the Ginger Beer last night, and it was terrific. Fizzy, bursting with Ginger after-burn, and tart but not too lemony. Perfect! It reminded me of Vernor’s before they were bought out by Pepsi. It used to come in a brown bottle with sediment on the bottom, and it left a good burn behind when you drank it. Then they got bought out, and they turned it into really lame Ginger Ale. Sad, but now I can make my own! Next, I need to try the tonic water. Thanks!

142. 02 Sep 2009 at 1:21 AM 142. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

     James – Glad it worked out for you!

     Jeff

143. 04 Sep 2009 at 3:57 AM 143. danny

     I find myself wishing Napoleon had conquered the US and introduced the metric system .

     with all your “ounces”, “teaspoons”
     and whatnot it gets tough for a European to comprehend …;)

144. 07 Sep 2009 at 9:30 AM 144. Nathan

     Did it according to recipe. Works, tasty, cheers!

     Thanks Jeffery.

145. 11 Sep 2009 at 5:32 PM 145. Tom

     I used to make beer in college. I was hitch-hiking back to school one cold winter day with a couple of quarts in my suitcase. Got a ride with a nice older couple who had the heat turned on extra high. You can guess what happened. The whole side of my suitcase blew open and made a hell of a mess. The gentleman driving almost had a heart attack. He swerved, ran off the road and got stuck. No body hurt buy the police stopped and …….what a day. I was arrested for being underage. I have never made any since but that was 40 years ago and I am ready to try some ginger beer.

146. 14 Sep 2009 at 12:59 AM 146. Lee

     I have been looking at your recipes and although I think they are all great, I have one which is really simple and uses no fancy equipment nor fresh ginger.

     Recipe is for 1.5 L plastic bottle
     2 T warm water
     1/2 t sugar
     1/4 t dried yeast granules
     -
     1 cup sugar
     juice of 2 lemons
     rind of 2 lemons
     1 t to 1 T dried ginger

     Put first measure of sugar in warm water to dissolve, add yeast and stir. Place in warm place to start working.

     Finely grate or slice rind from 2 lemons and place in a heatproof container with the 1 cup of sugar and the dried ginger. Pour over 1 cup of boiling water and leave to steep for 10 minutes. Strain into 1.5 L plastic bottle in which the ginger beer will be made (I used a flannel or wash cloth as you Americans call it – in a funnel to strain). Top up bottle with cool water to near top so that final temp is approx. body temp. Add yeast to bottle as soon as it shows signs of working, ie. it foams. Cap bottle tightly.

     It is usually ready to drink 24 -48 hours after bottling.

     I have also been experimenting with less sugar and using mixed spice or cinammon to boost the sweetness instead and using oranges instead of lemons. The uncarbonated mixture smells fantastic so it will be interesting to see what it tastes like.

147. 15 Sep 2009 at 9:39 PM 147. Michelle

     Lisa,

     If you’re still on the hunt for the best Ginger beer, you have to try “Bundaberg Ginger Beer”. It’s available at Cost Plus World Market. It’s Australian and, since I am Australian, I may be a little biased but it’s THE best Ginger Beer in the world, especially for Dark & Stormy’s.

     Jeffrey,
     Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I’m really hopeful that the taste will come close to my beloved Bundaberg variety, for a lot less money.

     Cheers,
     Michelle

148. 16 Sep 2009 at 4:31 PM 148. nathan

     Bundaberg is good for a shelf variety, but this homemade recipe puts the wood to it. We did a taste off the other night over cards, Bundaberg had not a chance. Make your own folks, it is worth it.

149. 21 Sep 2009 at 8:18 AM 149. Sue

     I’m getting ready to try this recipe tomorrow (Tues) so it will be ready for a Dark and Stormy party on Friday. I’m a bit concerned about this exploding bottle issue. If I follow the recipe to the letter, do you think there’ll be any chance of explosion? The thought of glass flying everywhere kind of scares me.

150. 21 Sep 2009 at 10:59 AM 150. Ted

     I just came across the old English ginger beer recipe we used in Woodside, CA in 1974.

     1 oz Ginger
     1 oz Cream of Tarter
     1 or 2 lemons sliced
     3/4 lb sugar
     1 gal water
     1/2 package yeast

     Stir together and let stand overnight. Strain through cheesecloth and bottle in champagne bottles. Drinkable
     in two days.

151. 21 Sep 2009 at 12:21 PM 151. Daniil

     To 149. Sue:
     I think that You should try plastic cola bottles at first as they allow to test the pressure. And after getting them closed just check them every two hours or so – You should be able to understand how fast it is going.

152. 22 Sep 2009 at 5:52 AM 152. Sue

     Daniil: I summoned up my courage and decided to whip up a batch last night instead of waiting until today, so I already used the glass bottles. Thus far, no bombs bursting in air. But, thanks for the suggestion. I’ll post my results when they’re known.

153. 28 Sep 2009 at 6:10 AM 153. Sue

     I cracked open my brews on Friday night and they were fantastic! Strong, zesty flavor. Great recipe; I’ll definitely make it again.

154. 29 Sep 2009 at 2:46 PM 154. Daniil

     Sue, good! That’s a pity that comments does not allow photos – i think it would be great if someone posted the amounts that were used per bottle, especially yeast amounts

155. 05 Oct 2009 at 11:50 AM 155. Julie

     we’ve made this recipe twice now, and it’s turned out great — I don’t think we’ll be buying Bundaberg anymore. Now I think I’m going to get some 32 oz. ez top bottles to brew it in because we drink it too fast!

156. 16 Oct 2009 at 12:29 AM 156. Andrew

     Mark, Ted, and everyone else who have used baker’s yeast. I have been using Alton Brown’s 2 liter soda bottle recipe for a month now http://bit.ly/qyPAx and it tastes great. I have tried lemons and limes and kaffir lime leaves from the farm I used to work at. The lemon and limes work great, but the kaffir leaves get lost in the drink.

     I have been using bread yeast because that’s the way I first learned it and I don’t live near a homebrew shop. I have been adding about a 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast to it and it is usually plenty carbonated by morning. Since I open it a lot I have been leaving it on the counter in the kitchen where there is always a light on.

     My problem is that recently I have been getting pounding headaches that correspond with having finished a glass of the ginger beer. This has been happening for a week now and I cannot remember if it started after I started leaving it out instead of putting it in the fridge.

     Does anyone know why I would be getting headaches? I know that brewer’s yeast and baker’s yeast are both saccharomyces cerevisiae, but are bred for different characteristics. Are there any harmful by-products as a result of using baker’s yeast for brewing? The ginger beer only lasts for a few days before I drink it and am ready for a new batch, so it isn’t around for that long.

     My guesses right now are:
     1. baker’s yeasts produces the wrong kinds of alcohols
     2. leaving it in the light causes the yeast to produce some by-product that the body interprets as a toxin.
     3. The yeast life cycle is short and they are producing new yeasts and the death of the 1st generation produces a toxin.
     4. This is an unfortunate coincidence.

     There is plenty of sugar in there and I know the yeasts are still alive because the bottle becomes hard again within a few hours and over time the drink becomes more dry.

     I would love to hear what people have to say, I would hate to have to give up my new favorite drink.

157. 03 Nov 2009 at 6:23 PM 157. Sea Dog

     This is a great site and very interesting dialog. I have not tried making my own ginger beer but will be shortly. Before I do, I thought I would give back to the site and answer some questions. Particularly Andrew’s, regarding headaches. I have some experience brewing beer from kits and all grain.

     Yeast: Yeast eats stuff, creates alcohol, CO2 and more yeast. If the yeast is eating sugar it produces a “good” ethanol. If it eats something else it can produce a “bad” alcohol and can be dangerous (I don’t know if yeast eating ginger pulp is good or bad). The amount of yeast you start with only affects the time it takes for it to become carbonated. As long as you have live yeast, sugar and a temperature suitable for the yeast, it will multiply creating alcohol and CO2.

     Andrew’s headaches are more likely the result of something else growing in the ginger beer but it could be that the yeast had something besides sugar to eat. Both are bad, pour it out.

     When brewing beer the most important thing is working in a clean environment and sterilize everything that comes in contact with the sugary solution you are creating. This is because bacteria and other bad stuff would love to eat the sugar and reproduce and make bad stuff. That is one of the reasons the sugary solution in beer is boiled. Brewers also make a yeast starter solution a day or two before they brew. This is so they can add active yeast to their brew, minimizing the time it takes for the yeast to eat the sugar. If the yeast eats the sugar first it is less likely for bacteria to.

     After the boil, they rapidly cool the sugary solution, poor it in a fermenting vessel, add the yeast and put an airlock on it. The air lock allows the CO2 escape and prevents air from getting in and contaminating the batch. A few days later, the yeast has eaten all the sugar and created alcohol. At this time the beer is bottled, additional sugar is added and it is capped. The amount of sugar is controlled so that there is enough for the beer to be carbonated but not explode. There are many factors that determine the amount that is “just right”.

     Since this site is devoted to low alcohol ginger beer it is difficult to incorporate beer brewing techniques. Other then keeping EVERYTHING clean. Wipe your work area down with soap and water or maybe water and a bit of bleach. Run your funnel, bowls, bottles, spoons… through the dish washer with a small amount of detergent or vinegar.

     Go to a home brew shop, get a yeast starter kit (a glass flask, air lock, corn sugar, yeast and instructions). Do not use low temperature yeast. Start your yeast 2 days before you are ready to make your ginger beer.

     Follow Jeffery’s instruction but mix it up in one vessel (bowl, pot, mixing cup…) and then add your yeast solution. Yeast solution of about 5% to 10% your total volume of the ginger beer should be sufficient. Mix it up and poor it into your bottles leaving the recommended air gap and cap it. It should only take a few hours for the bottle to carbonate. Use at least one plastic bottle and do the “hard test” once it gets hard put them all in the refrigerator to cool them and make the yeast go dormant. Remember, temperature, the type of yeast and the amount of sugar, effect how long it will take to carbonate more then the amount of yeast used. So keep checking. You can refrigerate your unused yeast solution, add more sugar solution to it and use it for your next batch. If they are not carbonated enough after refrigerating you can take them of and let them warm up to activate the yeast. Then put them back in the fridge so they don’t explode.

     You should also be able to boil your solution, cool it, add the yeast and bottle it as I described. I do not know how this will effect the flavor but there will be less chance of contamination. Stainless steel is the best to use as a vessel (less off flavors will be absorbed by the solution).

     The reason to add active yeast (from a starter) is to minimize the time needed out of the refrigerator, decreasing the chase of bad stuff growing and ruining your batch.

     I hope this helps and keep others from getting sick or headaches.

     Sea Dog

158. 03 Nov 2009 at 9:53 PM 158. Andrew

     It may be the sanitization that I was skimping on, I think I only rinsed out my bottle between the times I emptied the bottle and made a new batch. I left it sitting out for days releasing the pressure as needed. So maybe the yeast was eating things other than sugar. Thank you for the tips. I’ll try it again with better sterlization and refrigerating the drink in between pours.

159. 04 Nov 2009 at 6:46 AM 159. Bill

     Sea Dog -

     Nice post!

     Bill

160. 07 Nov 2009 at 11:16 AM 160. Brian

     I noticed that your final product, isn’t clear. Does this matter? Can I make this with Stevia as I don’t really like the sugar hit of most soft drinks?

     thanks for any info.

161. 08 Nov 2009 at 3:27 PM 161. Andrew

     Brian-
     Stevia wouldn’t work as the yeast need sugar to consume to produce the CO2. You could make a stevia syrup with ginger and use that with some club soda to have an Italian soda.

162. 13 Nov 2009 at 7:13 PM 162. Saylor Kid

     The first time I learned of ginger beer was in Australia when I asked for a Jameson/Ginger. Instead of ginger ale, i got ginger beer. Anyhow, just got finished making my first batch, and am sitting here enjoying my very first Dark & Stormy with home made ginger beer!! Absolutly delicious. Thanks Jeff!

163. 05 Dec 2009 at 12:48 PM 163. Billy B

     I live in Port Angeles, Wa. and have a monster apple tree here. This fall I decided to try making some apple brandy in as simple a manner as I could.

     Fermented the mash in a stainless steel pressure cooker with an air lock on it. Strained it after it stopped working and added more water and used the pressure cooker as part of the still set up, just added a copper tubing coil to it.

     It turned out pretty good for my first try and is an easy and cheap way to make some booze.

164. 14 Dec 2009 at 12:15 PM 164. Dave

     Jeff – wow! Great recipe. I used champagne yeast — took 1/4 tsp and used a knife and plate to cut into fourths — and it was incredible. For the record, I was so excited with my results that I tried Alton Brown’s recipe — absolutely horrible compared to this recipe.

     Thanks.

165. 16 Dec 2009 at 8:03 AM 165. Dave

     Flip-top Grolsch bottles are perfect for bottling this.

     I substituted 1 oz key lime juice for one of the ozs of lemon juice, and added one clove per bottle. The key lime mellowed the citrus, while the clove accentuated the ginger spice.

     Fantastic recipe. Even better than Gosslings’ own ginger beer for a D’nS.

     - Dave

166. 17 Dec 2009 at 2:44 PM 166. Rebecca

     Hi, I was just wondering if this recipe is non-alcohlic? My 8 year old keeps on nagging me to make some ginger beer for him, but of course i don’t want to give him alcohol. I remember my mum making me ginger beer when i was a kid and i’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have been alcoholic, but i thought yeast produced alcohol…
     regards
     bec

167. 17 Dec 2009 at 3:03 PM 167. Professr

     It’s essentially non-alcoholic. The amount of alcohol created by fermenting for 24 hours is negligible.

168. 18 Dec 2009 at 12:38 PM 168. Jordan

     Made a couple of batches a few days ago. The batch with ginger juice turned out rather well, though my roommate demands more ginger flavor. Interestingly it also tastes very lime-y, even with the lemon juice going in. On the flip side, trying to make it with ginger syrup was a flop. Didn’t taste much like ginger and there was a distinct yeast flavor. No good at all.

     I just finished putting together another bottle with half again as much ginger juice in it. We’ll see how that one works out.

     Thanks for publishing this great recipe, Jeffrey. I can’t wait to try making cocktails with it. Aviation gin and cachaça are first on the list of liquors I want to pair with it.

169. 09 Jan 2010 at 11:54 AM 169. Deborah

     Hi, I posted on my blog the other day about thinking of trying my hand at ginger beer. I’ve made more than 40 kinds of liqueurs, but never anything carbonated.
     A friend saw my post; told me she had been following your blog; and sent me the link to this entry.
     Love it! Thanks!

170. 12 Jan 2010 at 2:07 PM 170. Brian

     So I made the batch on Saturday and tasted it last night with my bartending co-horts. Tasting the original recipe, there definitely needs to be a reduction in the amount of lemon used. Talking with my sous chef about the process, he had this to say:

     The use of Champagne yeast will definitely result in a more acidic and more citrus forward end result. It’s born that way.

     So, for my next go around, I’ll be cutting back the lemon juice, splitting the sugar between both honey and the simple, and, adding my own couple of touches.

     Thanks for the recipe Jeff!

171. 27 Jan 2010 at 8:07 AM 171. Brian

     Thanks for the recipe!

     I fell in love with ginger beer while in London–specifically the ‘Old Jamaica’ brand–and haven’t found a satisfactory replacement in the United States.

     I just made my second batch of this on Sunday. Like my previous attempt, I ended up with it being way too carbonated. So much, in fact, that when I popped the bottle a lot of the beverage fizzed out. I know it wasn’t from me shaking the bottle or anything like that.

     Is this a case of using too much yeast? I’m bottling them in old, clean, beer bottles and capping them myself. I followed your directions to the letter, though I used less lemon and more sugar the second time.

     Thanks again!

     Brian

172. 27 Feb 2010 at 1:02 PM 172. Shelagh

     When I was a kid growing up in Mexico of British parents, my grandmother came to live with us for a little while. She made Ginger beer for us. So now many years after I have been wanting to make some. Thanks for your recipe. I have a question what is “simple syrup” can I buy this made or do I have to make it ?

173. 27 Feb 2010 at 1:24 PM 173. Shelagh

     I have been looking for a recipe for Ginger Beer. When I was a kid in Mexico my Grandmother came to live with us and she made ginger beer when she and my Mom made bread, I remember it was always wonderful. So now many years later plan to try to make my own. Thanks for the recipe.

174. 07 Mar 2010 at 8:40 AM 174. leebudz

     3rd batch just drunk and very pleased, went with some added extras, vanilla-lovely smooth evened out that burn and added amazing scent, gran marsala-spot on real interestin depth and flavors comi at u,allspice-not to much but didnit grind cinnamon-plesant but still lack alttile, i also use agave syrup instead of sugar and also cut down on lemon,top tips and lotsa fun here

     any ways… wats is the clear differences between ginger ale and ginger beer, also any good rootbeer tips, im 0-3 at mo and cryin for root beer here in denmark cheers

175. 21 Mar 2010 at 11:54 AM 175. Doug

     i got a couple of pound of ginger at the supermarket for $0.99 because it was getting old. I took about a pound trimmed & scalded it then sliced it across grain, then added water and threw it into the blender. This went into the brewing bucket, followed by 15L of hot water, a dash of vanilla, half a cup of lime juice and 3lb sugar. Once it cooled to blood temperature, I pitched the yeast (half a pack of red-star bread yeast as I didn’t have any brewing yeast), and 12 hours later it had started bubbling happily. The smell is wonderful. I’ll leave it for 3 days in the bucket, then put into primed bottles, and already I’m impatient to taste it!
     Will update you on how it tastes next week.

176. 25 Mar 2010 at 7:50 PM 176. Doug

     Okay, I was disappointed with the first sip, in fact it didn’t have a great taste in the front of the mouth, being like dish-water!
     After several “tastes” with different additives, I had a brainstorm. To each bottle I poured from the barrel (a bucket with a spigot is so much better than siphon tubes!) I added half a “straw” of Crystal-lite Green Tea. This added a slight tea flavor and a sweetness that wouldn’t ferment out! Other things I tried include Angostura bitters, orange peel, allspice, thyme and cloves.
     Next time I’ll boil half of the ginger to extract flavor as well as heat, and throw in a couple of green tea bags, and a couple of extra-strong mints.
     This spicy ginger drink, by the way, masks the taste of vodka completely!

177. 26 Mar 2010 at 12:49 AM 177. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

     I wish I knew of a way to respond to that last comment without sounding like a horrible douchebag, but it might not be possible – so just a warning there. If you need to add Crystal Lite or breath mints to make your ginger beer more palatable and cover up all that vodka flavor, then by all means, go right ahead. I’m just honored to be able to provide a base recipe that you can use, Doug.

     But do be warned that boiling your ginger won’t extract more flavor and heat, there is no substitute for fresh-pressed raw ginger juice.

     Cheers,
     Jeff

178. 26 Mar 2010 at 12:52 AM 178. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

     Ah. I’m sorry for that last comment Doug. I hadn’t seen your earlier post and didn’t realize that you weren’t using this recipe at all, but one that you’d come up with yourself consisting of old ginger, fifteen liters of water, vanilla, lime juice and bread yeast. So, yeah, that will probably end up tasting like hell. Have you tried using the recipe at the very, very top of this page? I think it might work.

     Cheers,
     Jeff

179. 28 Mar 2010 at 8:10 AM 179. Josh

     Thanks very much for this recipe Jeff, It was my dads birthday yesterday and I just managed to get a good few bottles of this brewed in time, It was delicious.

     Thanks very much for sharing this fantastic recipe with us!

180. 31 Mar 2010 at 1:55 AM 180. Daniil

     Well, tried Jeff’s recipe using ISI siphon – very nice, but this method requires overnight infusion of ginger, lime juice and other stuff – lacks depth if prepared just after mixing.

181. 03 Apr 2010 at 10:24 AM 181. Bob I

     Can you please tell me why is my ginger beer so explosive to get out the bottle but flat when I taste it?

     Thank Bob

182. 03 Apr 2010 at 2:09 PM 182. Professr

     Is the ginger beer chilled well before you open it? CO2 does not stay soluble at room temperature, so if your beer is warm, all the carbonation will come out when you open/pour it. Keep it nice and cold after the yeast’s stopped working, and you’ll be pleased with the result!

     I recently bought some champagne yeast from a brewing store, so I’m going to try making a new batch of the ginger with it.

183. 07 Apr 2010 at 6:46 PM 183. Sam

     I’m not sure what I did wrong, but maybe someone can help me out. I used Fermentis US-05 dry ale yeast, in lieu of the recommended wine yeast, but apart from that I followed the directions to a t. The resulting stuff is great tasting, but has zero carbonation. Such a bummer. Thoughts?

184. 09 Apr 2010 at 2:12 AM 184. lee budz

     take it to the next level!!!

     after a fun and successful time adapting and playing with these tips i must say that scince i started a GINGER BEER PLANT ill never look back, yes its alittle pain to maintain but being able to make ginger beer, scrumpy cider, fizzzy ice ts, sourdoughs well anything that needs a bit of good old CO2 at the drop of a hat, outweighs that 30s that it takes to feed everyday.plenty of tips on web or if anyi needes a push in the right direction would be glad to help

     still any ideas on wat the real difference beween ginger ale and ginger beers is???

     sweet

185. 09 Apr 2010 at 12:52 PM 185. gwynclan

     Jeff,
     great recipe and posts. i have my own recipe i would like to share with you, a little more involved, but with anything you enjoy doing. Spending time doing it is half the fun!

     recipe
     1 cup luke warmwater 1/2 packet of bakers yeast in a glass jar and cover with cheese cloth or muslin secure with a rubber band,let sit till bubbles start to form. Then feed the solution 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp ground ginger every day for 5 days stirring every time.

     For the syrup
     I use 24 cups of water,3 1/2 cups turbinado sugar, zest of 2 limes and juice of one.2 tsp ground ginger and 3 inches of fresh ginger root cut on a micro plan. 1 jalapeno with seeds cut up.

     simmer 12 cups water and all other ingredients for 15 min. then add the other 12 cups of water and cool.

     Stir up yeast solution and pour through 2 layers of the cheese cloth into syrup mixture stir well then bottle.

     I find that after 12 hrs or so I can fridge rate and have greatly carbonated GB. you can omit the jalapeno if you like but I like the spice it adds.

     After you pour the yeast solution through the cheese cloth split it up and restart your “GB plant”. With warm water and sugar. And start the same way as before with the ground ginger and the sugar.

     Give the other half to someone else that you got hooked on yours. or have 2 for double the amount next time.

     I used to have stomach problems but drinking this 3 or 4 times a week has stopped my indigestion and some other bowl symptoms not to be gross but natural product are the way to go.
     Sorry for the long post guy’s

186. 16 Apr 2010 at 5:15 PM 186. Richard

     Great post, I have never made beer before but this post is enough for me to give it a try!!

187. 18 May 2010 at 6:56 AM 187. Arthur

     Great read!!!

     I know this is going to be blasphemous for all the purists, but I gave it a whirl with (GASP!) powdered ginger and a SodaStream drink carbonator and the result was delicious. I used your recipe as a guide but tweaked a little for convenience.

     For a 32 oz. bottle of “instant” ginger beer in under 5 mins:

     - *6 oz. simple syrup (plus more sugar, to taste)
     - 4 oz. lemon juice (I used half fresh squeezed and half bottled)
     - ~1.5 tablespoons (or more) powdered ginger
     - 20 oz COLD water (in a SodaStream compatible bottle or in Soda Siphon).

     Mix all ingredients but the water until ginger is dissolved. Add to SodaStream bottle / soda siphon of water, shake vigorously for a minute or two. Taste for sweetness and ginger potency and adjust as desired.

     Carbonate and enjoy!

     *My wife is a type I diabetic so we often substitute Splenda for the sugar. The dark and stormies remain delicious and refreshing!

188. 26 May 2010 at 2:40 PM 188. diggy

     Thanks for the excellent article. I want to have a Moscow Mule party, but ginger beer is expensive and hard to come by. I’m going to try to make my own.

     I was just wondering how many days it lasts. If anyone knows, please post! Thank you!

189. 30 May 2010 at 4:58 PM 189. ellen

     Hi there,

     Getting ready to make my first batch but I have a question. What will the differences be if I use champagne, lager or ale yeast instead of baker’s yeast? Also is there a way to stop carbonation?

190. 01 Jun 2010 at 5:45 PM 190. James Pratt

     I just bought the iSi Soda Siphon on here to compare the results with the in-bottle carbonation I’ve been doing. I notice the manual is pretty emphatic about ONLY putting pure water in the siphon. I assume putting ginger beer in the siphon will reduce it’s effective life span and possibly make it more difficult to clean.

     Can anyone who has this iSi Soda Siphon have any comments on how it held up putting ginger beer in it rather than just water?

191. 03 Jun 2010 at 3:28 AM 191. John Merrill

     I used an iSi extensively last summer. I was careful to strain everything. My iSi worked for a few weeks this Spring but clogged last week.

     I ordered another via Amazon. (I use Splenda instead of sugar so the siphon is my option.) Worth the replacement cost, I think.

192. 04 Jun 2010 at 5:58 PM 192. Ted

     Well, Jeff, I’ve gone against all the proper procedures. For the last four months, have been using ground ginger. I don’t rinse or wash my one liter bottles. Been using bottled lemon juice. When the bottle gets down to just the sediment, I did dump it out leaving the bottle pretty ugly looking and added 1 cup simple syrup, heaping tablespoon ground ginger, teaspoon cream of tarter, two tablespoons of lemon juice and top it off with water. I say did, because I decided to recycle the sediment by adding a little more ginger and the syrup, lemon juice and water. Believe it or not, it tastes very good. Great with vodka as Moscow Mules! We go through two bottles a week!

     Still have to stop in a see you sometime.

193. 21 Jun 2010 at 2:28 PM 193. Lauren Mote

     jeff – would you say that this process can be duplicated theoretically to make ciders, rootbeers, etc… is this a pretty healthy starter recipe for bottle fermenting some interesting products?

194. 21 Jun 2010 at 2:32 PM 194. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

     Lauren

     There’s only one way to find out for sure. Be sure to report your findings back here!

     Jeff

195. 21 Jun 2010 at 2:35 PM 195. Lauren Mote

     wicked. i’m totally going to have an explosive family of fermenting PLASTIC bottles in my fridge. radical.

196. 05 Jul 2010 at 9:57 PM 196. Lauren Mote

     http://poivremedia.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/a-ginger-beer-bonanza/

     here are my findings. 3 ways and 3 tastes. 3 cocktails, and 3 of everything. i believe this suggests OCD but i can handle that. great read, and great recipe – i’ll keep you posted on the development of the other ‘pops’ with the recipe base with slight adjustments.

197. 05 Aug 2010 at 10:45 PM 197. Jim Butchart

     I had the best Dark & Stormy yesterday in Palo Alto at a Caribbean restaurant called Coconuts. So good in fact I went to the bar to ask what ginger beer they used. The bar man told me that the chef makes it and wouldn’t give me the details of how it is made. So I used Google to find your recipe. Thanks! Now we will make our own and save a pile by not buying anymore Reed’s, Fever Tree, or Cock & Bull and get a much better ginger bite in the process.

198. 25 Aug 2010 at 8:54 PM 198. Devo_N

     http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/case-study-cloudy-with-a-chance-of-ginger/#preview

     You got ripped off. This guy clearly stole your work without any citation at all (and a much lamer recipe, to boot, yanking out half the ginger).

199. 31 Aug 2010 at 8:02 PM 199. Devo_N

     Incidentally, I love this recipe. I don’t have the juicer, and using the microplaner is too much of a PITA. So finely chop the ginger in my Cuisinart, using your idea of 1.5 oz ginger = 1 oz juice. So, 1.5 oz chopped ginger and 2 Oz lemon juice. Then I let it steep for 24 hours, and put it through a french press (Got that idea from another of your recipes). Add the simple syrup or agave nectar to the ginger/lemon juice and I have the syrup.
     Great stuff. All my friends are hooked. Works great without the rum, too.

200. 01 Sep 2010 at 5:03 PM 200. Ben

     Jeff,

     I just discovered your blog. First, it’s great, thank you. Second, totally want to make barrel-aged Negroni’s and my own ginger beer now.

     I also have a question about the iSi Soda Siphon, are you satisfied with it? I’ve thought about getting a soda siphon for a while now but some reviews I read described the iSi as producing weak and unsatisfying carbonation. I’ve been considering the SodaStream, but it is much more expensive and has propriety carbonators, which is a bit of a turn off.

     And I have a suggestion, as a long time homebrewer. For the adding of the yeast to the ginger beer you may want to consider rehdyrating the yeast or using a yeast starter, instead of adding the dry yeast directly to the bottles. That way you have a better chance of even carbonation across all the bottles and avoiding some individual bottles not being carbonated. My apologies if someone already mentioned this, as I didn’t read through all 199 comments.

     Anyways, thanks for the great writing.

201. 18 Oct 2010 at 10:18 PM 201. Kristy

     Made aquadruole sized batch of this and used 3 bottles, with about 22oz in each.

     Oneof my bottles is pink now. Any ideas why? It hasonly been 4-ish hours since they were set aside…

202. 25 Oct 2010 at 11:07 AM 202. Aamanda Cote

     As a woman that has been making ginger everything i can get my hands on i will surely be testing this out. In fact as i type i have 12 bottles of ginger ale sitting on my counter fermenting. I would like to add something for you. When i prepare my ginger for ale i chop a cup of it very fine in the afternoon and put in the crock pot. in the evening before bed i add peppermint leaves. I like peppermint so i put about 1/3 of a cup. i bottle the next afternoon to give the ginger and leaves plenty of time. my recipie calls for 9 quarts of water and i have about four of it in the crock pot.
     my ginger ale goes good with my ginger chocolate chip cookies!!

203. 02 Dec 2010 at 3:25 PM 203. Noelle

     “The problem with living in Oregon when this mood strikes is the absence of little wooden shacks that sell cases of fresh ginger beer stacked on back porches.”

     I’m confused, when did you visit Bermuda? In the 1920s? Because unlike some islands in the Carribean (which we are not, we are all alone in the Atlantic) we don’t live in or sell products from “little wooden shacks”, not even on our beaches, we live in structurally-sound concrete block and limestone houses and we shop at proper liquor and grocery stores.

     If I seem a little testy it’s only because I’m so tired of the fact that many people (if they’ve even heard of Bermuda) think that we live in huts over here.

     Love your blog though. Only happened upon it recently, that’s why the very delayed response.

     P.S. Two men are sitting at a bar drinking ‘Dark ‘n Stormys’. One with a lime, one without. Guess which one is not Bermudian? (Hint: Where are you from Jeff?)

204. 04 Dec 2010 at 7:33 AM 204. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

     Noelle, I’d apologize for being a salesman, but I can’t. I’m trying to sell the idea of fresh, homemade ginger beer to my readers, much in the same way that I sell it to my guests at work: as a traditional, pastoral, homemade product.

     In my defense, I never named the bustling metropolitan island of Bermuda in my post, only as the home of Gosling’s Rum. But nevertheless, up here in the cold, dreary Pacific Northwest, we like to daydream a little of the Caribbean and imagine those white sandy beaches and little wooden shacks. Sue us.

205. 22 Dec 2010 at 9:08 PM 205. Thomas

     Thanks for the recipe!

     I added a little honey and some pineapple juice and those things really added to it.

206. 23 Jan 2011 at 7:24 AM 206. morgan

     I havnt had english style since my grandfather made it when I was a kid, I begged for the recipe but was made to copy it out of a book by hand and never finished the monumental task. he used to put it in sherry bottles and it sat in a cabinet for months never knowing the inside of a fridge, by the time i got a bottle it had a not insignificant kick which i at ten or so didnt understand but one day as i was sacheting down the street with my sherry bottle my dad grabbed it and took a sniff then asked me if i would please not get pie eyed in public until i was 16 or so. very much looking forward to trying your recipe. i will try quince it is superior to lemon in every way- the dark and stormys that attacked me in Bermuda were Jamaican style, you must have been futher south

207. 30 Jan 2011 at 2:16 PM 207. Kristine

     I made it with extra ginger (about half more), and am thoroughly enjoying it. I’ve never made homemade soda before, so this was quite a new experience for me; I’d love to try some new combinations (maybe blueberry soda?).

     Thanks for the great recipe!

     By the way, have you found any great spice/fruit combinations to add during the recipe? (Would cloves be a good idea?)

208. 31 Jan 2011 at 7:23 AM 208. kd

     Thank you for this recipe! I’m in the midst of brewing some ginger beer. I didn’t deviate too far from the original recipe. I did pop the lemon into my Juicelady and used the regular yeast I had on hand. I’m looking forward to the results, although my husband says I should try it first and wait a day so that the children at least have one parent. Maybe I won’t share. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

209. 31 Jan 2011 at 9:52 AM 209. Michael

     Just gave this a try and the results were mixed. I used some recommended tweaks — 1/2 oz less lemon, 1/2 oz more syrup and less than 1/8 tsp yeast. The results were explosive, even though temperatures were in the 60’s for the fermentation. I was cleaning ginger beer off my ceiling, walls and nearly every surface of the kitchen.

     What I’m wondering about is the ginger beer didn’t have the creaminess of Bunderburg. Instead, it had a bit of an almost chlorine-like aftertaste. (I used unchlorinated, bottled water so that wasn’t the cause.) A couple cloves in one bottle really helped balance that flavor, but are there any suggestions for getting that creaminess? I had vanilla extract in some bottles but that didn’t seem to help.

     Thanks for the recipe and write-up. I’m excited to keep experimenting with it!

210. 31 Jan 2011 at 10:53 AM 210. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

     kd – Just a warning that juicing a whole lemon, peel and all, will result in a very bitter drink.

     Michael – Try following the recipe sometime and let us know how those results work out for you!

211. 01 Feb 2011 at 10:48 PM 211. Steven

     Hi Jeff.

     Congrats on Bartender of the Year in Portland Monthly! I read the article the same week I saw this post. I’m brewing my ginger beer tonight and will let you know how it comes out. I’m a typical Portlander so I’m also into homebrew. Maybe later I’ll try a larger batch and attempt a longer ferment with an airlock, like some of the peeps on here wanted to try.

     When I have time I’ll come by Clyde and say hello! Thanks and keep up the great work mate.

     -Steven (in Tigard)

212. 02 Feb 2011 at 2:00 PM 212. Sea Dog

     Steven,

     I did a 1 gallon batch, about a year ago, that I fermented for a week with an air lock. I did not like the results, it was very dry and tasted more like bad wine. Since then I have made multiple 5 gallon batches and force carbonated them skipping the yeast altogether. If you do try and ferment it out I would recommend trying a small batch first.

     Sea Dog

213. 02 Feb 2011 at 2:04 PM 213. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

     Hey guys. Yeah, fermenting it longer with an airlock is going to give you alcohol – and likely a funky taste. Fermenting for 48 hours in glass bottles as per the recipe will produce gas, but no alcohol or juice spoilage.

214. 02 Feb 2011 at 3:19 PM 214. Sea Dog

     To All,

     I have made about 20 gallons over the past two years. Some things I have learned: Buy your ginger root at a farmers market. $20 gets me a grocery bag full of ginger. Use a spoon to peel your ginger. Force carbonation is the only reliable way. Yeast is living and unpredictable. Clean everything your ginger beer will come in contact with.

     I use a Juice Man Jr. to juice on low. This invokes a lot for cleaning of the filter basket every 2-3 roots. I also save my pulp and what I scrape off the filter basket, put it in a stainless steel pot and simmer it in water. I then strain it and run the pulp through the juicer again. Be careful, there are reasons Juice Man does not recommend this. The second run juice in not as clear or strong but still has good flavor. The second run pulp I use to make pancakes.

     Since I brew beer, I already owned a stainless steel stock pot, wort chiller. Cornelius Kegs and CO2 system. Craigs list is a good place to get used equipment. Other wise do some hunting and you should be able to find a keg for less then $10. I have also used “The Carbonater” (http://www.midwestsupplies.com/the-carbonater.html) with a 2 liter soda bottle. I use this when bringing ginger beer to parties. This you can do without a keg, but you will still need a CO2 tank, regulator and Ball Lock Gas Disconnect.

     If you a going to store your ginger beer, clean everything with BLC Beer Line Cleaner. Warm your ingredients to at least 140 F or boil it. When you add your ingredients, the temperature and how long you hold that temp all affect clarity smell and flavor. Add Potassium Sorbate (this will kill yeast) to our finished product. Once you bottle or keg your ginger beer keep it refrigerated. I have the tail end of a 5 gallon batch in my fridge that I brewed in November, still tastes great.

     Hope this is helpful,

     Sea Dog

215. 20 Feb 2011 at 1:10 AM 215. oversea

     Thanks for this simple and tasty recipe here Jeffrey! Made it about ten times now and i absolutely fell in love with it. Ginger Beer is hard to get here in germany so i am very thankful !
     Many of Your ideas are a true inspiration to me.

     Greetings from germany

216. 23 Feb 2011 at 12:17 AM 216. Claire

     I make ginger beer or lacto fermented ginger soda and ginger kombucha. One has a starter of filtered water and chopped ginger and sugar that stays in the fridge and gets fed every so often like a sourdough starter. 1 Cup starter per gallon of soda whatever flavor you want to make. Ginger has wild yeast all over it. Never made this soda with store bought yeast. Too easy to make my own. Kombucha same thing 1 gallon white tea, 1 cup sugar 1 kombucha scoby. 5 days. strain into bottles. 1 oz simple syrup per 16oz kombucha. 2 days fizzy goodness. I’ve heard of but not tried simply adding candied ginger slices to the bottle.

217. 06 Mar 2011 at 7:50 PM 217. Lizzie

     Thanks so much! We made a party of it and had 8 people grating, peeling and cheese-clothing the ginger. Had a taste 20 minutes after refrigeration and mmmmmmm…..

218. 19 Mar 2011 at 11:43 AM 218. Lauren Mote

     Ok, so i totally made some crazy random soda with your recipe as the guideline, and it’s fermenting right now… i’m so excited to try it. here’s the combo:
     ginger juice
     lemon juice
     lavender & clover honey
     lavender & orange roiboos tea
     wickedness. come to vancouver soon for a visit Jeff! i want you to drink some soda! :-)
     no tales of the cocktail this past weekend for you? boo!

219. 21 Mar 2011 at 3:58 PM 219. Chazz & Bam

     Stewarts stopped making Ginger Beer. Most other brands are wimpy. We were desperate. Found 2 things that let us know we were destined to make our own- Your recipe and our discovery yesterday that the local hardware store carries an impressive supply of home brew equipment. Bought 2 cases of flip top bottles yesterday. We’ll get started tonight. Bam (wife) used to work in a lab. Knows all about yeast, etc. Results will be published here in next 2 weeks.

220. 27 Mar 2011 at 1:57 PM 220. Ken

     I’ve been making ginger beer with this article as a starting point for about 8 months now and have processed about 30 lbs of ginger root so far. My experience has lead to a few observations.

     I have two juicers, a 40 or so year old Braun MP50 and a Juiceman II. I usually process about 5 lbs at a time. The Juiceman has continuous pulp ejection, while the Braun does not.

     The Juiceman is a recent acquisition and I tried it with my last batch. The yield was about a half liter of juice and the pulp was very wet. I fed the pulp into the Braun and yielded an additional 1+ liters!

     With the Juiceman II, I get wet pulp which obviously has a lot of liquid left. With the old Braun, the “pulp” is like damp sawdust that I can’t squeeze anything out of. The problem with the Juiceman, I think, is that dense pulp accumulates on the slanted basket and clogs the mesh after a few pieces, so that most of the juice can’t get through and is thrown out with the pulp. This leads me to conclude that non-ejecting centrifugal juicers are the way to go if you can get one. The MP50 is long off the market, but Omega and Acme have machines that work on the same principle. It may be that there are ejecting juicers around that are more efficient than the Juiceman II that I have, so if anyone can get 1.5 liters juice, or close to it from 5 lbs of ginger, I’d like to know.

     I’ve also noted differences in ginger root. I find two “types” locally. One is big, thick, and broad while the other is thinner and more densely branched. I prefer the latter. It has so far been more potent and the juice has a lovely golden color, origin unknown.

     Freezing the root is another useful thing. Not only can you stock up on a good deal or particularly nice root, but the cell structure is broken down by a freeze/thaw and makes juicing somewhat easier.

     I don’t peal the ginger. It sounds like an incredible PIA with five pounds of densely branched roots and I’m perfectly satisfied with the results I’m getting.

     Thanks, Jeff! This page has been just as useful to me as your tonic water article, which is saying something!

221. 30 Mar 2011 at 2:24 PM 221. Paul

     Hey ya’ll,

     I’ve made this recipe a few times using yeast but the carbonation always seems to be finicky thing…sometimes turning out just right and sometimes far from ideal. Adding 25 granules of yeast is rather difficult so the results are bound to be different. Has anyone tried mixing the yeast in water first and then adding it to the entire batch before bottling? I’m going to try that this weekend and thought you folks might have some pointers. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks!

222. 09 Apr 2011 at 6:32 PM 222. Alex

     Paul, I’ve had the same problems. Some bottles have been over carbonated and others have been completely flat. I’ve thought of trying the way you suggested, too. I did it today and (hopefully) will report back in a few days.

223. 11 Apr 2011 at 12:00 PM 223. Professr

     I had trouble with inconsistent carbonation when using yeast, which is why i switched to forced carbonation :D It comes out perfect every time, and you can get the equipment from your local brewing shop

224. 26 Apr 2011 at 12:26 AM 224. brandon

     For all of you with inconsistent carbonation, it is not due to the amount of yeast you are adding to the bottles. The important variable for carbonation is sugar, not really the amount of yeast (at least for this small volume of fermentable sugars). Yeast eats the sugar and poops alcohol and farts co2. The amount of carbonation you have is based on the amount of sugar available for the yeast to eat. You can add as much yeast as you want, but it only has 3 oz of sugar to eat. After it runs out of food the yeast goes to sleep. If you add too much yeast, the result will just be yeasty tasting ginger beer with the same amount of carbonation and tons of sediment. The reason you are most likely having inconsistent carbonation is because a sealed bottle can only handle so much carbonation before it gushes when you open it or it explodes. Sugar is highly fermentable and if you let the yeast eat it, it will eat all the sugar leaving you with zero sweetness and too much carbonation. That’s why the recipe tells you to refrigerate the ginger beer after 48 hours. In 48 hours time, the yeast can eat enough of the sugar to carbonate the bottles to the correct level. Adding it to the fridge makes the yeast go to sleep and fall to the bottom of the bottles leaving residual sweetness and also not overcarbonating your ginger beer. So if you don’t follow all parts of this recipe, make sure you at least observe the 48 hour rule to avoid gushers. Also, for those of you wanting to up the alcohol level by adding too much sugar, make sure that you don’t do that with a sealed bottle because it will explode. Also also, a bunch of fermented cane sugar will just taste like hot booze. Go to your local homebrew store and learn how to make beer and then add ginger to it. The starter homebrew kit also has a bottling bucket which will help you make regular ginger beer in one big batch that you can then split into bottles. Just make the full volume for every bottle, add a packet of dry yeast, one dose of sugar and then bottle it all off. All bottles will have equal amounts of sugar and yeast. Hope this helps.

225. 26 Apr 2011 at 12:23 PM 225. Alex

     Reporting back…

     I mixed the batch (ginger juice, lime juice, agave nectar, warm (104F) water, and yeast) in a large pot before bottling. I stirred it all and let it sit in the pot for 15 or 20 minutes so that the yeast was distributed throughout and could start doing its thing before bottling. This has provided much more consistent results (though one out of five bottles did spew when it opened). I’ve also switched from 25.5 to 8.5 ounce bottles. Each bottle will contribute to two Moscow Mules, and if one spews, I don’t lose too much.

     Brandon, thanks for the post. Even following the recipe to a ‘T’, including refrigeration after 48 hours, resulted a crap shoot for each bottle in terms of carbonation. Perhaps, as you suggest, my sugar levels were inconsistent in each bottle.

     Making it all in a single batch and then bottling seems to be helping the issue.

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail

---

Read full review here »

The Sections

• Announcements
• Ask Your Bartender
• Experiments
• General
• Helpful Advice
• Mixology Monday
• My Cocktail Recipes
• Oregon Bartenders Guild
• Product Reviews
• Repeal Day
• Required Reading
• Stories
• Tales of the Cocktail
• Travel
• Videos

Syndication

By using this link, you may subscribe to this site in your favorite newsreader software.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to my email edition below and have new articles sent to you as they're published.

Offsite

---