Thoughts/opinions/advice on a ginger beer?

[Vodka Drunkenski]

Hi all. First real thread here, and wanted to get some input on a ginger beer
I intend to make in the next week or two.

First off, I just wanted to say that I made one, mid-summer this year, with less
than stellar results. It was drinkable, to me (I have cast iron taste buds), but
nothing to write home about. I cite this due to a few problems...warm temps.
fluctuating between 75f - 85f, no ability to test pH, and no way to treat my
water. I used EC-1118 (champagne) yeast.

The recipe (23L) was -

1.5 kg fresh ginger root (peeled & minced)
1 kg light DME (for a little body)
4 Tbsp lemon juice
5 lemon zest
3 lime zest
1 cup raisins (chopped fine)
3 black tea bags, to make a strong tea (for tannins)
2 star anise and 1 cinnamon stick (in boil)
2 Tbsp molasses (mostly for colour)
Golden yellow sugar for a SG of 1.054

Since then I've picked up a pH meter, my city water report, "salts" for water
treatment, lactic acid for pH adjustment, a bag of 2 row (Canadian), a pound
of Hersbrucker hops, and most important of all a pack of Lutra (dry) Kveik yeast.

So....my intentions are to basically follow the same recipe, except substitute
2 row malt for the DME, ferment with the Lutra instead of the 1118, add
a VERY scarce (almost subliminal) amount of hops, and aim for a smaller
gravity (perhaps 1.040 - 1.044).

Regarding the yeast....right now (Canadian winter) my basement suite stays
at a near constant 68f which (from what I've read) should help the Lutra keep
most esters down to a minimum.

Regarding the water....I have no real idea what "profile" I should be aiming for.
The water report is as follows (mg/L)
Calcium 15.96
Magnesium 1.52
Sulfate 2.8
Sodium 6.5
Chloride 3.5
Bicarbonate 56.12
Alkalinity 48.9

Regarding the malt....it's basically just a weak "beer" to add a little
body to what's essentially a sugared up ginger water, so I was thinking of mashing 4 lbs in
about 5L (1.32 gal) water (according to the infusion calculator). All I have is
a pot on my stovetop, so I'll use a mesh bag, and sparge with an equal amount
of water. I figure if I can keep the liquid down to a minimum it will help a lot
with cooling it quicker after the boil (as I have no chiller). I'll rack off as clear
a wort as I can, and add it to the other "half" of the recipe which will be boiled
and strained as usual.

So....anyways, I thought I might post this in the hopes that others might offer
some advice, or words of warning, before I set out to do this. Thanks.

 

[Zambi]

@Trialben will definitely be able to help!

I got a similar set up to you, but in a high temp area, so I'm using kveik Voss.

I've just used ginger, sugar and limes for my first batch. Very drinkable when highly carbonated and ice cold, but not much body.
2nd batch is similar, but with a chili added for extra tang and put on beer trub. I haven't tasted it yet.
3rd batch is going to have just a little malt added for body (I can't get DME easily), similar to what you describe

 

[GFHomebrew]

Hi all. First real thread here, and wanted to get some input on a ginger beer
I intend to make in the next week or two.

First off, I just wanted to say that I made one, mid-summer this year, with less
than stellar results. It was drinkable, to me (I have cast iron taste buds), but
nothing to write home about. I cite this due to a few problems...warm temps.
fluctuating between 75f - 85f, no ability to test pH, and no way to treat my
water. I used EC-1118 (champagne) yeast.

The recipe (23L) was -

1.5 kg fresh ginger root (peeled & minced)
1 kg light DME (for a little body)
4 Tbsp lemon juice
5 lemon zest
3 lime zest
1 cup raisins (chopped fine)
3 black tea bags, to make a strong tea (for tannins)
2 star anise and 1 cinnamon stick (in boil)
2 Tbsp molasses (mostly for colour)
Golden yellow sugar for a SG of 1.054

Since then I've picked up a pH meter, my city water report, "salts" for water
treatment, lactic acid for pH adjustment, a bag of 2 row (Canadian), a pound
of Hersbrucker hops, and most important of all a pack of Lutra (dry) Kveik yeast.

So....my intentions are to basically follow the same recipe, except substitute
2 row malt for the DME, ferment with the Lutra instead of the 1118, add
a VERY scarce (almost subliminal) amount of hops, and aim for a smaller
gravity (perhaps 1.040 - 1.044).

Regarding the yeast....right now (Canadian winter) my basement suite stays
at a near constant 68f which (from what I've read) should help the Lutra keep
most esters down to a minimum.

Regarding the water....I have no real idea what "profile" I should be aiming for.
The water report is as follows (mg/L)
Calcium 15.96
Magnesium 1.52
Sulfate 2.8
Sodium 6.5
Chloride 3.5
Bicarbonate 56.12
Alkalinity 48.9

Regarding the malt....it's basically just a weak "beer" to add a little
body to what's essentially a sugared up ginger water, so I was thinking of mashing 4 lbs in
about 5L (1.32 gal) water (according to the infusion calculator). All I have is
a pot on my stovetop, so I'll use a mesh bag, and sparge with an equal amount
of water. I figure if I can keep the liquid down to a minimum it will help a lot
with cooling it quicker after the boil (as I have no chiller). I'll rack off as clear
a wort as I can, and add it to the other "half" of the recipe which will be boiled
and strained as usual.

So....anyways, I thought I might post this in the hopes that others might offer
some advice, or words of warning, before I set out to do this. Thanks.

Look good to me man.
I used to do a similar thing but with Saison yeast.
Your not mucking around with the ginger addition.

I add some to the start of the boil then the rest a hot stand /steep in a paint strainer bag or hop sock at the end of the boil.

I have also juiced some up and added direct to the keg at packaging which gave a different spin.

I would do all three if brewing again.
Boil hot stand and juiced to fermenter I feel you get the best flavour and bite that way.

I used to do the spice and lemon thing but have moved away from that and started just hopping at the hot stand I use Cascade or something citrusy Riwaka would be great or maybe lemon drop not used that personally though.

I like where your going with the molasses.

Your yeast choice is great
The recipe looks great.
I think this time around you should have a winner.

Cheers

 

[Zambi]

I read over the amount of ginger.
That's huge!

 

[Vodka Drunkenski]

I've just used ginger, sugar and limes for my first batch.

That seems to be the most common way (judging by Youtube). I've checked out
the recipes here, and they seem to range from that all the way to full blown beers
with ginger as a flavouring addition. I know that "Crabbies" GB (which is blended
not brewed) blends what they call "beer" into a fortified ginger wine, and fortified
"glucose wine" (I assume is just a type of sugar wash)....so this is why I'm leaning
towards keeping the malt to a minimum, just for body. I'll also backsweeten and
pasteurize like my apple cider.

 

[Vodka Drunkenski]

Your not mucking around with the ginger addition.

I would do all three if brewing again.
Boil hot stand and juiced to fermenter I feel you get the best flavour and bite that way.

A couple videos I've seen used around 1Kg/23L...so I thought I might go "big"
and use the extra half kilo. I found it had plenty of flavour with just the right
amount of "heat" for my liking. I might try just 1 Kg for this next batch just to
see.

I'm glad you mentioned adding ginger post boil....I might try adding "juiced"
ginger to secondary, meaning perhaps I could ferment it out, and then cold
condition with an addition of (sterilized) ginger juice? I dunno...just a thought?

 

[GFHomebrew]

A couple videos I've seen used around 1Kg/23L...so I thought I might go "big"
and use the extra half kilo. I found it had plenty of flavour with just the right
amount of "heat" for my liking. I might try just 1 Kg for this next batch just to
see.

I'm glad you mentioned adding ginger post boil....I might try adding "juiced"
ginger to secondary, meaning perhaps I could ferment it out, and then cold
condition with an addition of (sterilized) ginger juice? I dunno...just a thought?

Yeah mate of mine just done 1kg ginger after looking around on the Web.
Go hard or go home hey.

I find I don't like the ginger dialed up too much but that's just me you gotta find the right level of ginger for you to make it a pleasurable drink.

Hey if you want that extra fire inside lol remember chillies maybe one or two along with the ginger might really kick in the afterburners woohoo light that up and she go Boom lol

 

[GFHomebrew]

Here's a little sumthin something I was working on for awhile that's got a barley base but restrained malt bill

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/828285/ginger-ninger

 

[Zambi]

I put a chili in my last batch. I'm not sure if I can taste it as my treshold for chili's is quite high.
Tasted it yesterday and it is nice. I think it helps that I had it on beer trub (ozark's amber).
It got nice foam as well. Also gotta come from the trub plus it was mostly "naturally" carbonated..
Next batch will have some malt, even if only for comparison. DME would be nice, but I haven't got.

Or maybe I leave trub and a couple litre beer behind in the fermenter and use that

 

[Vodka Drunkenski]

I find I don't like the ginger dialed up too much but that's just me you gotta find the right level of ginger for you to make it a pleasurable drink.Here's a little sumthin something I was working on for awhile that's got a barley base but restrained malt bill

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/828285/ginger-ninger

I was actually checking out your recipes for GB here. I'd like to know more about the water profiles you used (I see they differ between the two), why you went with them, and if you would make any changes? Thanks.

Hey if you want that extra fire inside lol remember chillies maybe one or two along with the ginger might really kick in the afterburners

I might mess with that one a couple more batches down the road, once I get this recipe dialed in. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[GFHomebrew]

I was actually checking out your recipes for GB here. I'd like to know more about the water profiles you used (I see they differ between the two), why you went with them, and if you would make any changes? Thanks.


I might mess with that one a couple more batches down the road, once I get this recipe dialed in. Thanks for the suggestion.

Yeah for sure that ginger Ninger I was favouring Chlorides trying to bring out some more maltiness and smooth out the mouthfeel a little is all.

I just felt this was the right water profile I didn't want it too bitter or biting or you know that tounge prickly thing .

 

[Tipple]

I make traditional ginger beer every summer as a non-alcoholic thirst-quencher. It's very simple. Happy to post the recipe here if you're interested.

 

[Zambi]

I make traditional ginger beer every summer as a non-alcoholic thirst-quencher. It's very simple. Happy to post the recipe here if you're interested.

Please post

 

[GFHomebrew]

I make traditional ginger beer every summer as a non-alcoholic thirst-quencher. It's very simple. Happy to post the recipe here if you're interested.

Yes please

 

[Vodka Drunkenski]

I make traditional ginger beer every summer as a non-alcoholic thirst-quencher. It's very simple. Happy to post the recipe here if you're interested.

Please feel free to post anything GB related.

 

[Tipple]

Ok, but note the waiver about exploding bottles!

3/4 pint of water (this is in Imperial pints, so make it about 15 fl.oz).
2 tsp ground ginger (the dried stuff in the spice aisle. Buy a refill bag, not the silly little jars, because you're going to use a lot of it).
2 tsp table sugar
1 tsp dried yeast (nothing fancy - ordinary baking yeast will do).

Mix everything together in a 1 or 2 litre plastic soda bottle and cap loosely. Put it somewhere convenient like on the kitchen window sill.
Every morning for the following week, add another teaspoon of both ginger and sugar and give it a quick swirl. At the end of the week, allow the bottle to stand undisturbed for a day or two, then carefully pour off the liquor leaving the sediment behind (do not discard the sediment - this will be the starter for your next batch, so read right to the end of this post).

1 lb table sugar
2 pints of boiling water (Imperial again)
5 pints of cold water
1/2 cup of lemon juice

Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water, then add the cold water and lemon juice. Add the ginger liquor and stir thoroughly. Pour into flip-top bottles (such as Grolsch or Prosecco) or plastic pop bottles and fit the tops tightly. Leave plenty of air-space in each bottle. Leave for one week, then refrigerate before drinking. Open with care!

Do not use glass bottles with screw tops. Corks are OK and may even work as pressure-relief valves, but I'm not keen on using glass bottles that were not made for pressure. Be prepared for occasional eruptions if you use corks. Leaving your bottles in a plastic bin with a lid will help to protect against eruptions and explosions. I had one Grolsch bottle explode last summer - I'm still finding pieces of glass, so I'm glad I wasn't in the room at the time. I've never had a flip-top Prosecco bottle explode, but you may have to drink a lot of Prosecco if you don't already have the bottles. That's a price you'll just have to pay (but at least your wife will be happy)! Plastic PET bottles may be the sensible way to go - at least you can monitor the pressure as it builds up and can release it as necessary. I just don't drink soda.

Add 3/4 pint (15 fl. oz) of water to the sediment in your original bottle and then two tsp each of ginger and sugar. Repeat the daily routine and bottling process. Feel free to tweak the ingredients to suit your tastes, but I suggest that you wait until you've tasted your second batch to give the recipe time to settle down.

Discard half the accumulated sediment every second week (or double your production or give to a friend). You'll soon be awash with ginger beer (your kids will be delighted). When I was a kid, this was known as a "ginger beer plant"; I never did figure out whether this was a reference to a factory production line or was some kind of a metaphorical botanical reference.

Enjoy!

Quick edit: Last summer I tried using grated fresh ginger instead of ground ginger. It produced a clearer drink, but it takes a lot more fresh ginger than ground ginger and grating it is tedious. Stick with the ground stuff.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Ok, but note the waiver about exploding bottles!

3/4 pint of water (this is in Imperial pints, so make it about 15 fl.oz).
2 tsp ground ginger (the dried stuff in the spice aisle. Buy a refill bag, not the silly little jars, because you're going to use a lot of it).
2 tsp table sugar
1 tsp dried yeast (nothing fancy - ordinary baking yeast will do).

Mix everything together in a 1 or 2 litre plastic soda bottle and cap loosely. Put it somewhere convenient like on the kitchen window sill.
Every morning for the following week, add another teaspoon of both ginger and sugar and give it a quick swirl. At the end of the week, allow the bottle to stand undisturbed for a day or two, then carefully pour off the liquor leaving the sediment behind (do not discard the sediment - this will be the starter for your next batch, so read right to the end of this post).

1 lb table sugar
2 pints of boiling water (Imperial again)
5 pints of cold water
1/2 cup of lemon juice

Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water, then add the cold water and lemon juice. Add the ginger liquor and stir thoroughly. Pour into flip-top bottles (such as Grolsch or Prosecco) or plastic pop bottles and fit the tops tightly. Leave plenty of air-space in each bottle. Leave for one week, then refrigerate before drinking. Open with care!

Do not use glass bottles with screw tops. Corks are OK and may even work as pressure-relief valves, but I'm not keen on using glass bottles that were not made for pressure. Be prepared for occasional eruptions if you use corks. Leaving your bottles in a plastic bin with a lid will help to protect against eruptions and explosions. I had one Grolsch bottle explode last summer - I'm still finding pieces of glass, so I'm glad I wasn't in the room at the time. I've never had a flip-top Prosecco bottle explode, but you may have to drink a lot of Prosecco if you don't already have the bottles. That's a price you'll just have to pay (but at least your wife will be happy)! Plastic PET bottles may be the sensible way to go - at least you can monitor the pressure as it builds up and can release it as necessary. I just don't drink soda.

Add 3/4 pint (15 fl. oz) of water to the sediment in your original bottle and then two tsp each of ginger and sugar. Repeat the daily routine and bottling process. Feel free to tweak the ingredients to suit your tastes, but I suggest that you wait until you've tasted your second batch to give the recipe time to settle down.

Discard half the accumulated sediment every second week (or double your production or give to a friend). You'll soon be awash with ginger beer (your kids will be delighted). When I was a kid, this was known as a "ginger beer plant"; I never did figure out whether this was a reference to a factory production line or was some kind of a metaphorical botanical reference.

Enjoy!

Quick edit: Last summer I tried using grated fresh ginger instead of ground ginger. It produced a clearer drink, but it takes a lot more fresh ginger than ground ginger and grating it is tedious. Stick with the ground stuff.

Cheers mate yup I did this exact if not similar method which actually go me into brewing many moons ago.
I think it's called a Mother right?
Similar to a sourdough starter where you feed it daily to prep it up.
Yeah I made some delicious ginger beer this way and understand the need for the thick glass bottles I've never had as high carbonation as when I did this lol the bubbles used to leap from the glass ha ha!

I used Pet bottles so think I go lucky.

Thanks for the recipe man.

 

[Vodka Drunkenski]

OK....so I'm starting to zero in on a recipe now, and need a little info
on diastatic power (re: oats/barley), technique/problems with mashing
oats, and opinions on a step mash (pic related).....

I'll most likely be using 8 lbs 2 row + 1 lb quick oats, for 9 lb total.
(Oats were split in half with 1/2 roasted to golden amber colour).
1 Kg light DME (Munton's Spray Malt) will also be added to the boil.

I'm aiming for 23+ liters after primary is completed, to be racked into
a carboy, for as little headspace as possible.

I took about 3-4 grams of my Lutra kveik yeast, and did a build/starter
last week. I used an old can of Cooper's Pale Ale, I had kicking around,
and prepared 2 - 2 Liter starters (in 4 L milk jugs) at 100g per Liter.
After 2 rounds of this I ended up with a pint jar (16oz/500ml) with a
solid 1 inch of yeast on the bottom (I probably could've done better,
but it is what it is). I was thinking I could pitch 2 Tbsp into a 1L
starter 2 days before brew day? Too much...too little?

Once again I'll use 2 Tbsp molasses...haven't decided on how much
spices, or lemon/lime to use yet. Aiming for a SG of around 1.050 (as
I'm sure it won't ferment completely out this time). I'll make a sugar
syrup (out of dark demerara) to make up the gravity. I also won't be
using any black tea.

So anyways....there's a couple things I'm concerned with. Due to mash
tun constraints, I will have to do 2 mashes (at 4.5 lbs grain each), BUT,
seeing how these are step mashes, doing an acid rest, and protein rest
on both is gonna add considerable time onto my brew day.

Would mashing all of the oats in one batch be too much for the barley
to convert (1 lb oat/3.5 lb barley), and would it be too much to manage
in a single mash (I have NO rice hulls)?

It's recommended to have a thicker mash during the protein rest, then
thin it out for the saccharification rest.......opinions?

Considering I'll be mashing for well over 6 hours, would it be safe to
hold the wort outside in a carboy overnight (temps are mid-high 30's
and I will be boiling it the next day)?

Any other thought, or concerns with the above?

Thanks.