Fresh Ginger in beer. How much is too much???

JustBrewIt

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I think I am in relatively uncharted waters here so I thought I would ask if anyone has experience doing this. I plan to add a significant amount of of fresh ginger to a rye ale of some sort. I think the natural spice edge of the rye would be nice with fresh ginger. Have not settled on a hop bill yet. Will probably go with 20%-30% rye, some crystal 120L and 2 row base malt. My primary question is how much ginger (by weight) can I get away with before it's too much. Hoping to find someone with actual experience. Base your suggestions for ginger on 10 gal. batches brewed in a Brutus type system. Thanks & Cheers! :cool:
 
Just used the equivalent of 2 oz in 5 gal and it's barely noticeable. I'd go with 3, of course as with all spices, that depends on freshness and strength of the spice.
 
Nosybear, did you use fresh, dried or some sort of extract? Did you have other spices in the beer too? I will be using fresh and no other spices. I do want the ginger fairly forward but not so strong that you can't taste the beer. With that in mind, would you still recommend 3 oz or maybe 4?

Thanks, & Cheers

Nosybear said:
Just used the equivalent of 2 oz in 5 gal and it's barely noticeable. I'd go with 3, of course as with all spices, that depends on freshness and strength of the spice.
 
JustBrewIt said:
Nosybear, did you use fresh, dried or some sort of extract? Did you have other spices in the beer too? I will be using fresh and no other spices. I do want the ginger fairly forward but not so strong that you can't taste the beer. With that in mind, would you still recommend 3 oz or maybe 4?

Thanks, & Cheers

Nosybear said:
Just used the equivalent of 2 oz in 5 gal and it's barely noticeable. I'd go with 3, of course as with all spices, that depends on freshness and strength of the spice.

Fresh, grated. Next batch - I'm trying to dial in a lemongrass ginger American wheat ale recipe - I'll go with the higher equivalent amount of ginger. I find with spices, less is generally better so I'll step up to 3 oz (equivalent) per 5 gallons.
 
It's important when comparing weight, volume, etc. of adjuncts to mention when in the process they are added. I used 1 oz of fresh ginger in secondary (4 gal of witbier) and it overwhelmed the beer.
 
I used 1 teaspoon of dried powder in a 5 gallon batch in the keg and was almost too much, that spice is potent
 
I'll be doing a small extract batch soon to try to get my spices dialed in. I'll likely switch to powder for both the lemongrass and the ginger simply for consistency. I get my spices at a local spice shop for freshness. As far as the amount - the beer I brewed was very good, the lemongrass compliments the American wheat flavor far better than actual lemon zest would. I just didn't quite get enough ginger flavor. Extract allows me to "shortcut" and get the batch done in shorter time since I already know how to make the base beer I want.
 
I make a tea by steeping fresh ginger then add to secondary till I get the the flavor I want. Also do the same for pepper beers. That way there is no guessing to get the flavor I want.
 

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