Refreshing and naturally carbonated, fermented ginger beer is a delicious addition to mixed drinks like the Moscow Mule or Dark n' Stormy. It is also flavorful enough to enjoy on its own.
½teaspoon active dry yeastor ⅓ cup of active ginger bug or ginger beer
4liters water
2largelemons(4 small)
Instructions
Make the ginger syrup
Clean and mince the ginger root. Remove any mold or dark, dry areas. You can optionally peel the ginger, but it isn't necessary. The ginger can be minced quickly and easily by processing in a food processor.
Meanwhile, combine 2 cups of sugar with 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the water begins to simmer. Stir until the sugar has fully dissolved.
Add the minced ginger and simmer for around 5 minutes. Then, remove the saucepan from the heat source. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
Once cool, strain out the ginger from the sugar syrup. This can be done with a strainer. You can also use a cloth or a nut milk bag to fully extract the liquid from the minced ginger.
Ferment the ginger beer
Add around a half cup of ginger syrup to each 1 liter bottle. (You can use a little more for a sweeter, more carbonated ginger beer or a little less for one that is less sweet. Between ⅓-½ cup is a good range.)
Add the juice of a small lemon or half of a large lemon to each bottle.
To jump-start the ginger beer, add around an eighth of a teaspoon of active dry yeast to each bottle. You can also use a third of a cup of active ginger bug or of ginger beer from a previously made batch (preferably with the yeast sediment from the bottom of the bottle).
Fill the rest of the bottle with water and cap each bottle. (The cap should be airtight to allow carbonation to build up.)
Leave to ferment at room temperature. Check the ginger beer each day by opening the bottle and checking for gas.
Storage
Once the ginger beer has achieved the desired level of carbonation, store the bottles in the refrigerator. The cool temperatures of the fridge slow the fermentation process.
You can serve the ginger beer immediately, or keep stored in the refrigerator. If using glass bottles, "burp" the bottles occasionally by opening them and allowing excess gas to escape. This prevents the bottles from exploding. With time, the ginger beer will mellow in flavor. It may also lose some of its sweetness as the ginger beer continues to ferment.
Video
Notes
Yield: 4 liters when using half a cup of syrup to each bottle. If using a third of a cup of ginger syrup for each liter, you will be able to make more ginger beer with these ingredients. Nutritional information is based on the ingredients listed and doesn't take into account the fermentation process.
Alternative brew method
It is possible to ferment the minced ginger with the other ingredients. To do so, add some sugar syrup to each bottle followed by 30-40 grams of minced ginger. Then add the lemon juice, yeast, and water. Ferment until you see gas forming, then strain into clean bottles. Continue to ferment the mixture until it has developed the desired amount of gas.
Fermentation time
The needed fermentation time varies greatly depending on several factors. Most importantly, it depends on which starter you use to jump-start the fermentation process. If using an active ginger bug or yeast sediment from a previous batch of ginger beer, the process will take less time (normally around 1-3 days). When using active dry yeast, it could take up to 7-10 days.The amount of sugar syrup added will also affect the fermentation time. When using a higher concentration of sugar syrup, gas will develop more quickly. Temperature also greatly affects the fermentation time. Gas will develop more quickly in warmer environments than cooler ones.
Storage
Ginger beer can be stored in the fridge for several weeks. It will likely keep well for much longer than that, but ours always gets used up sooner than that to know. While the fermentation stops almost completely in the fridge, the ginger beer will continue to ferment slowly with time. You may notice that the flavor changes slightly. It may mellow and get slightly less sweet. If using glass bottles, t's a good idea to occasionally "burp" the bottles, allowing air to escape, to prevent the bottles from exploding.