Recipe: Fresh Ginger Beer

[lindseywinstead]

I just tasted a sample of Ginger Beer (only 1 week after bottling, and already well carbonated) and it has turned out so very well, I thought I had better share the recipe! After an exhaustive search for a tried-and-true ginger beer recipe (of which there are so very few), I decided to try the work of "rickthebrew" over at The HomeBrew Forum UK [ http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/ ]. He calls his version "Fiery Ginger Beer", and it certainly has a bite! This will be wonderful as a stand-alone if you love the taste of ginger, but outstanding as a mixer (can you say, "Dark & Stormy"?). My only alterations to the original recipe were in procedure. I followed my instincts and experience and allowed primary fermentation for four weeks, then racked to a secondary (only because the significant amount of fresh ginger rose above the spout of my primary). Initial results = Yum!

Original Recipe and Discussion Thread @ http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3826

My Version:

2thedogs Ginger Beer (2.5 gallons)

1.11 lbs Fresh Grated Ginger
01 Lemon (halved)
01 Lime (halved)
2.25 lbs White Granulated Sugar
2.5 teaspoons Dried Ground Ginger
0.5 teaspoon Cream of Tartar (stops crystallization and adds a bit of sharpness)
01 teaspoon Yeast Nutrient
5 grams Red Star Pasteur Champagne Yeast

Grate ginger directly into brew pot. Add halved and squeezed lemon and lime. Add Cream of Tartar and Dried Ginger. Top off with water (just enough to cover). Simmer for 30 minutes. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Add to primary and top off with appropriate volume of water. Pitch yeast at appropriate temperature and... wait.

O.G. was 1.045
F.G. was 0.994 (6.7% ABV)

[FrozenInTime]

No DME or grains?

[lindseywinstead]

No DME or grains?

Nope. Kind of like a "Ginger Cider".

[FrozenInTime]

Sounds like an interesting drink, I like Ginger.

[John Sand]

Looks like a great idea. I love Dark n Stormy, generally in summer.

[Calimus]

I may have to try this. I have some jamaican friends and they turned me onto ginger beer. This looks like it could be very good.

[lindseywinstead]

It has been four weeks since I bottled my first attempt at a ginger beer. Today, I sampled a well-chilled bottle both straight and as a mixer in a Dark & Stormy cocktail. I am very pleased with the results. The ginger flavour is up front without being overwhelming. The ginger "kick" is present without being aggressive. It was pleasantly fizzy, with small bubbles. There were background notes of herbs and savoury, with a good balance of subtle sweetness and warmth and a pleasant aftertaste. With such a modest cost in ingredients, ease of brew, and fantastic result, this will definitely be a regular in my pipeline schedule.

[Brewbirds]

LindseyW I hope you are still checking in here (while I went missing myself ); BB2 and I are enjoying a bit of Jim Beam Rye whiskey on ice with the TOTALLY AWESOME Blenheim Ginger Ale.

I Know it is an older thread but I am enjoying the variety of fruits an vegies at the local farmers markets here and have been thinking about ginger ale and cider of late.

BB2 is absolutely fanatic about the super hot Blenheim ginger ale and we just tasted a Newton's Folly (?) cider that we both liked a lot. Anyone want to comment on that one?


Soooo were you pleased to make it again pleased after time passed?

P.S. Your pesto rocks.