How to Make Ginger Beer
In this quick tutorial, you will learn How to Make Ginger Beer. It is simple to make and of course a delicious drink. But not only do we drink it for its great flavor but it also contains probiotics making it a very healthy drink to have in your kitchen.
I love traditions especially if they are seasonal and not just something done for a holiday. But everyday things. Ways to mark seasonal changes. Applesauce on the stove in the fall, making jam with the strawberry harvest, or making ginger beer during the warmer months. Although really you can make it year round, but I just so happen to find it ultra refreshing on a hot summers day.
For a while, I made water kefir, and although that is similar in health benefits and even preparation. I find this ginger beer to be the most delicious way to take all the goodness of ferments in. I love how easy it is to feed as it sits out on my countertop.
I love how on Fridays you can find me bottling up new batches for the following week. And for dinner, grabbing out a fresh one made the week prior, all cold and ready to be enjoyed.
Make Ginger Beer With Me
Ginger Beer Is…
- A delicious homemade ginger beer recipe made with a simple fermentation process.
- A non-alcoholic beverage that you can share with the whole family.
- Similar to a homemade ginger ale or a sweet soda water with ginger flavor.
- Made the old fashioned way by collecting wild yeasts.
- One of my favorite fermented beverages and the perfect drink to share with friends.
Ingredients
Ginger- I like to use ground organic ginger over fresh. It mixes in well and works nicely for daily feeding.
Sugar- you will need white sugar to feed the bug and for bottling. I use pure cane unrefined sugar but standard white refined sugar works perfectly fine too.
Lemon- you will need fresh lemon juice for bottling the ginger beer. You can either use bottled lemon juice or two lemons when bottling the ginger beer.
Raisins- these are optional and added only for extra flavor. I sometimes make my ginger beer without them and find it just as delicious.
Water- use a good drinking water or filtered water when bottling.
Tools You May Need
a mason jar with a piece of cloth or ferment lid
a funnel
bottles with spring tops
mesh strainer
muslin or cheese cloth
Directions
Learned from Homewood Stoves and Country Trading Co.
Day 0 is establishing the bug, Days 1 – 6 is feeding it, and Day 7 is bottling and restarting the bug.
Day 0: add 2 cups of water, a few raisins, and 2 teaspoons of sugar to a clean glass jar, and stir. Cover, and sit somewhere at room temperature, out of direct sunlight.
Day 1: feed it 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
Day 2: feed it 2 teaspoons of sugar
Day 3: feed it 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
Day 4: feed it 2 teaspoons of sugar
Day 5: feed it 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
Day 6: feed it 2 teaspoons of sugar
Day 7 [one time only, the first time you reach Day 7]: drain off and discard the liquid, discard half the sediment, and add another 2 cups of water, another 2 teaspoons of sugar, stir in the retained sediment and then tomorrow you go back to Day 1.
Day 7 [normal, from every Day 7 except the very first]: dissolve 2 cups of sugar with 2 cups of boiling water in a large clean pot. Once dissolved, add 12 cups of cool water and then stir in the strained juice of 2 lemons. Strain your fermented ginger bug liquid into the mix, capturing and setting aside the sediment. Give the liquid all another good stir.
Bottling
Wash your bottles well in hot soapy water, and rinse thoroughly. Bottle, Add a couple of raisins to each bottle if you wish. Fill the bottles a bit short of full, seal them, and place them somewhere safe at room temperature out of direct sunlight.
Note: If using glass flip-top bottles it is important to “burp” them by releasing air out once or even twice as a day as they sit. Too much pressure can result in a busted bottle.
These will be ready to be refrigerated and enjoyed in another week’s time. You do not continue to feed the bottled beer over this final week, but you will want to monitor the pressure building up and relieve some of it throughout the week. Particularly when using glass bottles and as you become accustomed to the strength of your bug.
Note: If placing the bottles in a warm place, keep in mind they will ferment quicker. Check the bottles daily and if using glass, make sure to burp them. See FAQ.
Still, on Day 7, restart your bug: combine half the sediment with another two cups of water and another 2 teaspoons of sugar, cover, and tomorrow the cycle begins again at Day 1.
Cheers!
FAQ’s
What does it mean to “burp” the bottles?
Burping the bottles, when using flip-top glass bottles is important to release air from the bottle. The pressure of fermentation can cause the bottles to explode if too much pressure develops. Burping simply means, to open the lid and release this air. So you are burping it quickly to release the air and closing the lid immediately after. I do this once or even twice a day if I find a batch particularly strong. To avoid having to do this or if you are worried about a bottle exploding, you can use plastic bottles for this.
Why do you use so much sugar?
The sugar is added to the bug mixture to feed the live cultures as they ferment. If you don’t feed them, the bug will die. This is the same reason for adding the sugar to liquid on bottling day. The wild yeast will eat the sugar as the bottles further ferment and by the time the beverage is consumed most if not all of the sugar will have been eaten. The longer you allow the ginger beer to sit in the fridge the dryer it will taste since the ginger beer continues to slowly fermented even when cold.
Why is this called “beer” if there is no alcohol content?
This is an old fashioned probiotic ginger beer not to be confused with beer that is flavored with ginger and made with a brewers yeast. I think of this more as a “root” beer (though not the same flavor) than a traditional “beer” you might have as an adult.
Can I use less ginger to make it not so spicy?
Yes, if you like you can reduce the amount of ground ginger say do 1 teaspoon instead of two on the feedings, this will great reduce the ginger taste.
*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through the links I provide (at no cost to you).
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