Jeffrey Morgenthaler

How To Make Your Own Ginger Beer

Thursday, April 24th, 2008
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As far as I’m concerned, springtime is Dark and Stormy season. As the rain pummels the ground here in the Pacific Northwest, a little window of blue sky nestled between two dark clouds in the neighboring distance makes me wish I were watching the rain fall from across a dark ocean, my little Caribbean fishing boat safe and sound under that warm patch of sunlight.

I’d fill a tall glass with ice and a generous dose of Gosling’s Black Seal rum from Bermuda, then reach into a wooden crate and withdraw a chilly little bottle of homemade ginger beer. I’d sip the cloudy mixture of liquid sunshine and sweet, dark nectar while I mindlessly squeezed a fresh lime into the glass. Feet: Up.

The problem with living in Oregon when this mood strikes is the absence of little wooden shacks that sell cases of fresh ginger beer stacked on back porches. But with some readily-available ingredients, a recipe I’ve been revising for several years – and a few free minutes – I can easily transport myself to that little fishing boat on the sea.

You’re going to need a little bit of equipment to make ginger beer. It’s nothing too tricky (save for one tool) and most of it will last you a lifetime. So follow along, and remember: I promise you that this will be easy.

You have two options for carbonating your ginger beer: you can ferment it in the bottle, or you can carbonate on-the-fly with an iSi soda siphon. While the soda siphon is easier to use, for the sake of authenticity you might want your ginger beer fermented in the bottle.

If you’re going to go the iSi route, pick up a soda siphon and meet me at the next step. The rest of you, follow me.

The first thing on your list if you’re going to be brewing in the bottle is any number of 16-ounce “EZ” flip-top bottles. You can find these on the internet, at a craft store, or at any homebrewing supply place. Pick up a few to start.

Next, find some wine yeast. I use Red Star Premier Cuvee champagne yeast. It’s sturdy, it hasn’t failed me yet, and it’s inexpensive. I pay about a buck for a packet that will make five gallons of this stuff.

Okay, on to making the actual ginger beer.

The only tricky piece of equipment I’m going to suggest is a Juiceman Juice Extractor. Sure, you can use a grater, but you’re going to need to fine-strain your grated ginger to avoid any chunks in the final product. For the occasional home user, a Microplaner and some cheesecloth will be fine. But when making this by the case at work, I always turn to my juice extractor. The money is worth it if you want to make a lot of this stuff.

Peel and juice your ginger. I find that 1½ ounces of fresh ginger tends to work out to roughly an ounce of ginger juice.

This base recipe will make one 16-ounce bottle of ginger beer, so multiply the proportions by the number of bottles you will be using. If you’re going the siphon route, note that the canister will hold 32 ounces of ginger beer. So double the batch, duh.

1 ounce ginger juice
2 ounces fresh lemon juice, finely strained
3 ounces simple syrup
10 ounces warm water (cold if using the soda siphon)

Mix ingredients together. If using a soda siphon, pour ingredients into canister, screw on lid, charge with CO2, shake once, and refrigerate. You’re done.

If you’re using bottles, fill each bottle with 16 ounces of your mixture and add roughly 25 granules of champagne yeast. Seal the cap securely, shake well, and store for 48 hours – no more, no less – in a warm, dark place. After 48 hours have passed, refrigerate immediately to halt the process.

After your bottled ginger beer is well chilled, mix up a Dark and Stormy, sit back, and imagine you’re drifting along with me on that creaky little boat.

Cheers, friends. Have a beautiful weekend.

Comments

171 Responses to “How To Make Your Own Ginger Beer”

24 Apr 2008 at 12:12 pm 1. Marleigh

Apparently you and I both had ginger beer on the brain today.

Thanks for the recipe! I’ve bookmarked a bunch of complicated recipes, so this one gives me hope. I’ll have to give it a try over the weekend.
24 Apr 2008 at 2:52 pm 2. Dood

Wow! Awesome recipe. I was puttering around with my homebrewing equipment the other day while enjoying a rum & ginger and the thought occurred to me, “I wonder how hard it is to do my own ginger brew…”

Now I know, NOT HARD AT ALL! Thanks for the great post!
24 Apr 2008 at 4:44 pm 3. Dominik MJ

Nice post…

Not a complete match, but close enough – I just posted a tread about rum…

I am quite interested in the recipe with yeast.
Does it has to be wine yeast (as in Dubai in a Islamic country, you guess it, there is no chance for home brewing)?

And how long will it last (if you don’t finish it before it spoils)?

I have always quite a challenge with mixtures with fresh lemon or lime juice…

And how does it taste, if you compare the yeasty version with the artificial carbonated one?
24 Apr 2008 at 8:01 pm 4. Jessica Hutchinson

Jeff, I am really glad you posted this because I am definitely going to make it one of these days!
24 Apr 2008 at 10:29 pm 5. jimmy

Where did I put that darn juiceman juicer?
25 Apr 2008 at 10:08 am 6. Doug Winship

Awesome! Thank you, Jeff.

I loves me my Moscow Mules, so this will be a definite experiment once Tennis season kicks into full gear.

Hmmm. Memo to self. Juiceman Juicer is now an officially good thing to ask for for birthday…
25 Apr 2008 at 12:41 pm 7. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Dominik

I’ve made ginger beer with regular bread yeast before. It was a long time ago, but I remember it working.

As far as how long the mixture will keep, I’ve had bottles that were two weeks old and they tasted great. So I guess I’m not sure. Keep everything refrigerated!

And as for the taste when using the soda siphon versus carbonating in the bottle, I find the bottle-conditioned ginger beer to be a little drier with a better texture, but the siphon does very well in a pinch.
25 Apr 2008 at 12:44 pm 8. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Another thought:

If you’d like to play with the recipe, here are some ingredients to try adding to your ginger beer:

Vanilla bean
Key lime juice
Citric acid
Cloves
Keffir lime leaf
25 Apr 2008 at 5:00 pm 9. Sean

There is the option of carbonating by the use of a CO2 tank and the patented Carbonator cap (no affiliation, your mileage may vary) for plastic soda bottles. It allows the non-alcoholic folks (also known as designated drivers) to drink a homemade beverage with the boozers too. There are many variations for smaller batches.

Peace,

Sean
26 Apr 2008 at 10:47 am 10. Maggie

I can’t wait to try this!
26 Apr 2008 at 11:49 am 11. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Maggie, we’ll be expecting a full report from you soon!
26 Apr 2008 at 7:03 pm 12. jimmy

Jeff, you are a genius. I am having the best Dark & Stormy(tm) ever. I muddled a few sprigs of thyme into my simple syrup before adding it to the recipe. Fantastic. Thanks.
27 Apr 2008 at 9:28 am 13. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Jimmy

I’m thrilled that you actually tried it! The addition of thyme is a brilliant move on your part. I’ll have to take a cue from you for my next batch…

Jeff
27 Apr 2008 at 7:58 pm 14. K

This is perhaps a silly question, but where’s a good warm and dark place to store the bottles? With Northern California weather, anywhere dark I can think of around the apartment is also cool by default. How warm ought the bottles be kept?
27 Apr 2008 at 8:18 pm 15. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

K

The cupboard under the sink should be just fine.

J
28 Apr 2008 at 8:05 am 16. garry

I have always thought about making my own Ginger Beer and now I have came across a great and well-described recipe. I’m going to give this a go at the weekend.
28 Apr 2008 at 3:19 pm 17. arawak

Ginger beer is not ginger beer without tartar.
You should check it out.
29 Apr 2008 at 12:48 am 18. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Huh! I will definitely try that in my next batch. Thanks for the heads-up!
29 Apr 2008 at 4:20 am 19. Craig

If you are into the history of Ginger beer and lacto-fermentation version using ginger beer plant, check out this presentation by Raj B Apte from
Matadero Creek Brewery.
29 Apr 2008 at 9:03 am 20. arawak

In the west indies we also used kola essence and sometimes when this was unavailable hibiscus or vanilla also has great effect, kola though is almost impossible to find in the U.S.
30 Apr 2008 at 1:54 pm 21. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Craig, thanks for that link, I’ve solidified my determination to add cream of tartar to my next batch after reading some of that history.

Again, great information. Thank you!
01 May 2008 at 10:13 am 22. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Everyone

I forgot to mention that ginger loses its flavor over time, so two weeks is probably the max you’re going to get out of a bottle before it starts to just taste like old carbonated lemonade.

More of an excuse to keep the stock updated, right?
01 May 2008 at 11:47 am 23. Brooke

Hi… Jeffrey. I love your website and was motivated this past weekend to make your ginger beer. I followed your directions, with the exception of doubling the batch and using 32 oz bottles and I forgot to strain my lemon juice. When I mixed a drink last night my beer wasn’t carbonated at all. Do you have any idea what I did wrong?
01 May 2008 at 11:54 am 24. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Brooke

From my past failures, here’s everything that I can think of that you might have done wrong. Believe me, I’ve made every mistake on this list at some point:

1. Your mixture was either too hot, or too cold and you killed your yeast. Actually, I don’t even know if too much cold would kill it, since I keep my yeast in a fridge. So maybe the mix was too hot.

2. You didn’t use enough yeast. For a 32-ounce bottle, I’m going to say, right off the top of my head… 1/8 tsp should be about right?

3. You didn’t get a good seal on the bottle. You’ve got to make sure whatever cap you’re using is on there good and tight, because you need that carbonation to stay in the bottle until it’s time to open.

4. You didn’t store it in a warm enough, dark enough place. I heard light kills yeast, so I always cover my bottles with a black apron, I don’t know how important that is. But what I always make sure to do is keep the bottles on a warm shelf indoors for 48 hours during the fermentation process.

That’s all I can think of right now, Brook. I hope it helps.
01 May 2008 at 1:36 pm 25. Brooke

Thanks so much for the reply. I am going to try again this weekend… utilizing your helpful tips, of course. And I will let you know how it is.
01 May 2008 at 4:01 pm 26. Jac

That’s “leaky” little boat… :P

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ELTEnNOTub4
05 May 2008 at 9:23 am 27. Tiare

This recipe looks good to me. I haven`t tried it with a soda siphon before..would like to try!

Thanks for explaning why the shelf/fridge life of Ginger is only 2 weeks.

Cheers!
08 May 2008 at 4:19 am 28. Julie

when i was a little girl we always had ginger beer to drink. But my grand mother always used left over ginger beer to make the next brew. Does anybody know why she did this ? i am going to try this recipe at the weekend and seee if it taste’s as good.
08 May 2008 at 5:44 am 29. Craig

Julie,

Traditionally “Ginger beer” wasn’t just brewer’s yeast and sugar. It was from something called “Ginger beer plant” that was a bacteria/yeast mother. A big glob of goo that was fed and maintained like yogurt, sour dough starter or vinegar. If you are curious, check out this link: http://www2.parc.com/emdl/members/apte/GingerBeer.pdf Review page #11

Ginger beer traditionally was a living thing, a transformation of a solution by organisms. It appears that it was not only tasty but good for the gut containing beneficial bacteria.
14 May 2008 at 11:51 pm 30. jack

after reading the posts made by people as i was too lazy to do so before iv decided to move my “homebrew” from the direct sunlight in front of the heater to a cooler and somewhat darker area of the house

Jack
15 May 2008 at 3:29 am 31. Dominik MJ

Hey Jack, I think it is a not so good idea to sell this home brewed ginger beer in school (or to drink it in your age).

Due to the usage of yeast, the fermentation process sets a certain amount of alcohol free. That is natural if you are using yeast (and I am sure, that the ginger beer plant before, didn’t produced alcohol or much less than the actual yeast).

And you don’t want to have any problems, because you are selling alcohol to your classmates?

Cheers

Dominik MJ
23 May 2008 at 12:33 pm 32. ND

He, I was going to ask whether the fermentation produces alcohol, so that answers my question… How alcoholic is it though, would you say? Like, maybe, a “lite” beer?

I know a lot of people who keep a thing called “Kombucha”, which is supposedly some kind of ancient chinese medicine—it looks kind of like a revolting living pancake, floating in sour apple cider… very healthy I’m told, but if the thing goes off, it’s apparently also very poisonous.
23 May 2008 at 12:48 pm 33. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

ND

I think that after only 48 hours, the official amount of alcohol created would be “trace”, but don’t take my word for it. I think I can safely assert that it is considerably less than a light beer, though.

Jeff
29 May 2008 at 9:39 am 34. Evelyn

This recipe, and the one for tonic water, is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for to try with my new home carbonation system (tank, not ISI).

Thanks!
09 Jun 2008 at 1:37 pm 35. Keith

Note for those people without a juicer: I just tried a makeshift solution using cheesecloth and my lime/lemon juicer (it’s one of the squeeze types where you put half a citrus in between the handles and press – like this one). Grate your ginger, wrap in cheesecloth, and press the whole thing in the juicer. Viola! Strained ginger juice! Works like a charm.
23 Jun 2008 at 2:50 pm 36. Matthew

I just finished my small batch (3 bottles) of ginger beer; they were put into the fridge four hours ago to halt fermentation. I am very excited for a Moscow Mule & a Dark’n Stormy. I can see sediment in the bottom on the bottles – presumably cast off yeast and finer ginger particles that passed through the filter. Is this common? And – more importantly – harmless to drink?

Love the site! My roommates (both bartenders) laugh at my note cards of drink recipes taped along the built-in of our bar, thanks for the great information Jeff!
24 Jun 2008 at 12:54 am 37. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Matthew – Glad I could help! Yes, you’ll see some sediment at the bottom of the bottles, but – here’s the tricky part – you need to shake the bottle gently to reincorporate the sediment into the ginger beer.

Careful, though, you don’t want a geyser erupting when you pop that cap. I’ve found that gently rocking the bottle back and forth to stir it up and then letting it rest for a few seconds before slowly releasing the cap is the best way to accomplish this.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!
24 Jun 2008 at 5:12 am 38. Craig

A few comments about yeast … If you added yeast to your ginger beer, it will settle as you chill the liquid. That might explain your sediment. Yeast don’t die when chilled but instead, fall out of suspension and rest. High temps WILL kill yeast. I wouldn’t heat yeast over 100 degrees F. (That is lukewarm.) Yeast will contribute a bready/bitter kind of taste.

Is OK to consume yeast? you ask. This has been an ongoing topic for years. To all you that believe that brewers yeast is the Candida albicans you have heard about. It is NOT. This is Saccharomyces cerevisiae I am referring to. Consuming the dead cells has been said to have health benefits (improving vitamin B uptake). Live cells appear to work as a laxative in large doses but have not been proven have negative health effects in healthy individuals that I am aware of. After all, there is live yeast on your garden produce. We have been consuming this fungus for thousands of years.

Ordinary light will not kill yeast. In fact, the ‘ginger beer plant’ used for making ginger beer traditionally was stored on a warm window sill. That said, too much UV / direct sunlight will inhibit most any organism, so minimizing exposure to direct sunlight (or even fluorescent lights) might be a good idea.
24 Jun 2008 at 11:27 am 39. Marcus

Hey, so I gave this a go.

I don’t have a juiceman or anything so i grated my ginger on my box grater with the side that has the fine grater and each hole has 4 little spikes sticking out. make any sense? heh anyway, I just did that onto a plate and squeezed out the juice through a seive and that seemed to work just fine for me.

The rest was just as you said except I used regular, dried, baking yeast and plastic cola bottles. Couldn’t find any of the bottles you mentioned but you can feel the pressure with these and if they break, they won’t be so dangerous. The baking yeast worked just fine. The bottles felt as firm as they would if bought from a shop after 48 hours.

When tasting I decided that it was too sour… Fixed easily with some extra simple syrup, for now, but next time I’ll use less lemon and i’ll probably grab some spring water because the tap water here is average (i couldn’t be bothered buying any last time). Overall, I’m pretty impressed with my first attempt at this though.

I found some ‘Belvoir Organic Ginger Beer’ in the supermarket. A thousand times better than the supermarket’s own. Perfect for the dark and stormys for anyone who doesn’t have the time to make their own ginger beer… But I think I’ll have something just as good, if not better, on my second attempt!

Thanks a lot for the easy to follow recipe jeff!
25 Jun 2008 at 2:27 am 40. Jonathan

I make beer pretty regularly at home, and 48 hours of fermentation is not going to produce much alcohol, probably less than 1%.

Keeping active fermentations going in sealed glass bottles can be pretty dangerous though. I have a friend who was making Kvass (a Russian fermented drink) and forgot to refrigerate the bottles after two days; he was woken up by the sound of exploding bottles under his stairs one morning.

Yeast will ferment faster (and produce more CO2) the warmer it is. I’m not sure how much this affects carbonation, but it’s something to keep in mind. Usually when I make ginger beer I only use 1 tsp. sugar per 12 ounce bottle so I don’t have to worry about refrigeration, but that produces a very dry ginger beer. Really looking forward to trying this out, though.
23 Jul 2008 at 8:39 pm 41. Edgar

Yeast will ferment faster at a warmer temperature up to a point. Then it will die and impart the most foul stench you have ever experienced. For ale yeasts ( a type of beer yeast) and wine yeasts (like we’re using here) the prime temperature range is 65-85 degrees, below 65 the yeast will hibernate and not ferment (this is why you refrigerate to stop things). Above 85 degrees and to some temperature where the yeast dies (this is the greatest variable) the yeast still ferments but the byproducts are no longer ethanol and can impart nasty flavour.

Also, be sure you use boiled simple syrup, it has glucose and fructose instead of sucrose (table sugar), which the yeast find easier to digest and don’t leave behind a nasty byproduct when digesting.

I made up a 196 oz batch, which was enough to fill a case of 12 oz bottles with room to carbonate, I put vanilla bean in 4, cloves in 4, and couldn’t find any lime leaves for another test 4. They’ll be ready friday and I’ll be back with results, though tasting the warm, uncarbonated pre-mixture I think it will be a good batch.
23 Jul 2008 at 10:06 pm 42. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Edgar – I’m looking forward to hearing about your results!
31 Jul 2008 at 10:48 am 43. Mark

Excellent drink.I increased all the ingredients by 50 % and left for 3 weeks with daily release of pressure. then store in fridge.
Mark Jreland
01 Aug 2008 at 1:15 pm 44. Jarrid

Im excited to try this out, although I was wondering if I could complete the fermentation in my 6 gallon glass carboy to produce a higher ABV. Maybe 4 to 7 days.
01 Aug 2008 at 1:44 pm 45. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Jarrid – I can’t say I recommend this as an alcoholic beverage, but you’re of course free to try.
04 Aug 2008 at 9:11 am 46. Jarrid

I tried your recipe without the separate carboy fermenting. I also boiled the water down with 15 cloves and a star anise inside a stainless steel seeping ball. I also used “Safale” beer yeast. Turned out great. I need to save more Grolsch flip cap bottles!!!
16 Aug 2008 at 7:15 pm 47. Sammy J

So I’m thinking about doing this with splenda simple syrup or honey simple syrup. I tend to like my carbonated bevs a bit on the dry side, so I might even do a weaker simple syrup. I’ll post on my results, thanks for the recipe Jeff!
18 Aug 2008 at 11:40 am 48. Heather

I’ve been on a big dark and stormy kick lately, I plan on trying the recipe this week! Sammy J, I can’t wait to see how your results turn out with a splenda version…I was thinking of trying the same thing!
11 Sep 2008 at 4:43 am 49. Bill

Sammy J -

I’m sure you already know this, but just in case – if you use only Splenda, you won’t be able to carbonate with yeast (the CO2 will still work). If you just sweeten with Splenda, though, add yeast and real sugar (1 tsp/12 oz. liquid) just before bottling and you should get perfect carbonation and no exploding bottles. Works good for beer, anyway. Except for the Splenda.
23 Sep 2008 at 6:11 pm 50. Matt Lanning

been using this recipe quite a bit this summer… first batch (in 32oz bottles) turned out great. second batch, I think I put a few (hundred) too many granules of yeast in, and three of five bottles chain-reaction exploded after about 24 hours of fermentation (resulting in ginger beer all over my kitchen and down into my basement). third batch, I went conservative on yeast, and ended up with little or no carbonation. kept the temps at/below 80 degrees, so perhaps just too little yeast…

making batch #4 later this week, and this time in 16oz bottles, so perhaps I’ll get back to where I started and get it dialed this time.

thanks again, Jeff!
05 Oct 2008 at 6:54 am 51. Matthew

Do you have any tips on creating a beverage of such simplicity but with a significant amount of ABV?
05 Oct 2008 at 3:07 pm 52. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Matt – Thanks, brother!

Matthew – I don’t have any tips on making an alcoholic ginger brew, I’m sorry. However, if you head to your local homebrew shop, I’m sure they can help you out.
07 Oct 2008 at 6:05 am 53. DG

Matthew – I’m about to try my first batch of alcoholic ginger beer. I am planning on making my ginger syrup and allowing it to ferment in a one gallon carboy with an airlock until it reaches the desired ABV, probably around 5-5.5% (about 1 week). After it reaches that point, refrigerate until the yeast has fallen out of suspension, siphon into another container, innoculate with more sugar, bottle, and let sit at room temp for another week to carbonize. If you’re interested for more info, let me know and I’ll try to pass on specifics. You just don’t want to try to get a higher ABV in sealed containers unless you want a gingery mess in your house and a trip to the emergency room.
-David
23 Nov 2008 at 11:26 am 54. joanne

Thanks for the great recipe.

My boyfriend just got back from a boat delivery from Boston to Bermuda. It was rough going, but they all made it safe and sound. For treats on thier arrival, sitting back in the yacht club were numerous rounds of dark and stormies.

The Gosling Black Seal rum made it back to Canada, but there is a definite scarcity of gingerbeer to be found around here. As a kid, it was popular and we had it all the time, but times and tastes change. I still love the stuff so I will be making many batches of your recipe.

Thanks once again.
08 Dec 2008 at 5:40 pm 55. Lindsey

hola,
we’re in the process of making our first batch ~

1.) 25 granules? seriously? like, 25 of those tiny little yeast granules? Then in another reply you say to use 1/8 tsp. yeast for 32 ounces. 25 granules does not equal 1/16 tsp. by my measurements. help?

2.) temp of the “warm” water seems to be important. 100 degrees for the Red Star Premier Cuvee? or 85? Which is it?

Hopefully this first batch comes out right, but if anyone can help me here I would definitely appreciate it!

Thanks.
29 Dec 2008 at 7:15 am 56. Roger

I really liked the recipe (used the siphon for the first try but will try brewing in the future).

One even easier option: omit the 10 ounces of plain water and then add carbonated water when you are ready to drink it. this carbonated water can come from a soda siphon or just from store bought soda water (if you don’t have a siphon). This provides instant gratification. It is better than putting the ingredients in the siphon since you don’t have to pore the ingredients into the soda siphon which was a hassle and you don’t have to clean the soda siphon after each use.
22 Jan 2009 at 2:21 am 57. Ryan Cheverie

You inspired me to give this a shot with the ginger syrup I’ve been making for awhile. I just made ginger syrup, added some lime juice, a bit of water to make it less, well, syrupy and some other odds and ends (each batch has been a little different) and some plain old bread yeast. After two days in the cupboard (the bottle, not me) I was rewarded with a very satisfying POP and some hot n spicy ginger beer, followed closely by several Moscow Mules.

Thanks man, Cheers
29 Jan 2009 at 6:14 pm 58. Alan

Jeff, do you know how much alcohol is in one of these? I am going to assume around 4%, as most ginger beers seem to have that much in them.
29 Jan 2009 at 6:18 pm 59. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Alan – I can’t truly tell you the alcohol content but I’m going to assume it’s far, far less than 4% as I don’t think there’s time to build up to that percentage in 48 hours. Just a guess, though.
29 Jan 2009 at 7:02 pm 60. Alan

I did some research and it seems you are right. Do you think I could leave it in there for longer, so it builds up a higher percentage?
30 Jan 2009 at 1:26 am 61. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Alan – Please don’t. The pressure that builds up in a closed system can be very dangerous, especially with glass bottles. I suggest you follow the directions and proceed with a (mostly) non-alcoholic ginger brew.
30 Jan 2009 at 9:14 am 62. Alan

Alas, that is what I figured. I made enough for 8 bottles last night, and it smells wonderful. Followed everything to the letter, cannot wait to try it! It was very cheap to, I bought enough to make 16 bottles, and it was only 10 dollars.
31 Jan 2009 at 4:34 pm 63. Alan

Hey Jeff-

Glad to report a successful batch! Your recipe is perfect, and this beer is indeed delicious.
03 Feb 2009 at 11:39 am 64. Mark

I found out about ginger beer from a promotional booklet I received by Dr. David Williams, a medical doctor and pioneer in the field of alternative medicine. The teaser article was about a ‘beer’ that would aid digestions and alleviate GI problems. My gut, pardon the obvious pun, believed he was referring to ginger beer and my research proved me correct. And as I have irritable bowel syndrome, I searched for an easy recipe, finding one posted by a guy in London.

The recipe uses a two liter soda bottle, 2 cups of sugar, 1/4 tsp. of baking yeast, a couple of tablespoons of grated ginger, and juice of half a lemon(or of a whole lime). Leaving about an inch of space at the top of the
bottle, shake it up until the sugar at the bottom is mixed into the water, then put in a dark, warm place until the bottle becomes hard like an unopened soda bottle, which could anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. Put it in the fridge to chill and drink! I like the ginger pieces but if you don’t or are using it as a mixer, strain it as you pour or strain from one glass to another.

From a medical standpoint, my gut problems are for the most part, gone, and the allergy I had to wheat appears to have been eliminated by the beneficial bacteria in the ginger beer. Next, going to make wine from Welch’s frozen grape juice.
04 Feb 2009 at 11:58 am 65. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Wow, Mark, that is certainly a lot of information to, uh, digest there. Thanks for sharing.
06 Feb 2009 at 3:54 pm 66. Ken

Jeffrey,

Thanks for the great recipe! I’m looking forward to having a Dark & Stormy at Clyde Common with you!

I’ve been brewing homemade beverages with E-Z Caps, which are basically 2-liter bottle caps with a hole in them and some form of rubber stopper. It’s a poor-man’s airlock that you affix to a plastic bottle to keep the pressure from escaping too much, so that you get an effervescent beverage that won’t burst the bottle.

Mark, when you attempt your wine, you’ll want to use something other than frozen Welch’s grape juice, because the preservatives in the juice will retard the action of the yeast. Try getting some pasteurized Newman’s Own at Costco, or something that says 100% juice and doesn’t list any Sulfites or Sulfates in the ingredient list. Those will kill (or, like I say, retard) the yeast.

Just some friendly advice from an experienced 2-liter-bottle-brewer. I’ve currently got some cranberry cider brewing, and some ginger beer sitting in the fridge. Yummy!
07 Feb 2009 at 9:05 am 67. Mark

Hey, Ken. Thanks for sharing your brewing tips. As for the Welch’s, I looked on the can before I made my purchase and it said 100% juice, no additives or preservatives and the the only two added ingredients are citric acid & ascorbic acid. There are also some wine making videos on YouTube where people are using Welch’s. At one time they might have added sulfites to their product but apparently not now. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Enjoy your Dark and Stormy.
09 Feb 2009 at 12:34 pm 68. katie

I brewed up a quadruple batch of the ginger+lemon+syrup on friday night. I took in jars over to a party saturday along with my sodastream soda maker. I’d make a bottle of sparkling water, add the appropriate amount of the ginger mixture and then mix with rum. I have never seen people as in awe of a alcoholic beverage. One person remarked that it tasted “like a gingersnap” while it inspired others to recant stories of their time in Belize. Thanks Jeff!!
15 Feb 2009 at 10:05 am 69. Ted

Moscow mules were very popular in the 1940s. It wasn’t hard to find commercial ginger beer in stores. Makes a great summertime drink.

But about thirty years ago, it started being harder to find ginger beer. Had a great recipe for it and brewed up large quantities so I could keep enjoying the ‘mules’.

Have not made any in years and have missed the drink. Decided to try again so found your web site and just mixed up a batch in a 2 liter plastic bottle. Hope it turns out as great as what I’ve been reading here.
01 Mar 2009 at 3:45 am 70. simonLloyd

hi, im about to try your ginger beer recipe out, i was wondering if i should boil the liqid then cool before bottling, please reply, also dose this drink become alcaholic.

thanks
01 Mar 2009 at 5:57 am 71. Mark

Simon,

No need to do any boiling before bottling. The recipe I posted was the same as that used by the gentleman in London. Regarding alcohol content, he said that it’s equivalent to non-alcoholic beer, which is about 0.5%, extremely low. Now if you wanted to make it ‘hard’, I guess more yeast or brewer’s yeast or champagne yeast, but then there’s the issue of safety, since after the bottle becomes rigid, it’s ready for the fridge. Maybe someone else on here can address the question of raising the alcohol level.
01 Mar 2009 at 11:29 am 72. Ted

Mark,
I’ve raised the percent by taking the “hard” bottle out of the frig, loosen the cap to bleed off some pressure, retighten the cap, then leave it out for a few hours and as it starts getting hard again, put it back in the frig. Repeat the process several times. The cold doesn’t kill the yeast, and it will keep on working as it cools.
01 Mar 2009 at 11:45 am 73. Mark

Cool! I know that a longer fermentation will increase the alcohol but didn’t know how to do it. Still learning. Thanks Ted.
01 Mar 2009 at 6:13 pm 74. DG

For those of you trying to
alcohol-ize your ginger beer, you seem to be making it a lot harder then it needs to be. All you need to do is put your liquids into a carboy/plastic jug with an air lock on it. The air lock will allow the pressure of the CO2 to be released from the ginger syrup and will stop anything bad from entering the bottle. Any time you have a tight seal on it, you can run into a bit of trouble.

If you want it to have more alcohol, you need to add more sugar, not yeast. The yeast will multiply very quickly. To best be able to measure your alcohol possibility, I suggest getting a hydrometer. That will be able to help you out.
04 Mar 2009 at 11:24 am 75. Ted

Has anyone tried using turbo yeast? A high alcohol & temperature tolerant dual function yeast complete with needed nutrients. Yields 23 liters, produces 14% Alcohol in 24 hours, or 20% in 5 days.
04 Mar 2009 at 2:24 pm 76. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Here’s a thought, take or leave it as you all will: This ginger beer recipe might taste really gross if you try to turn it into an alcoholic beverage.

While I haven’t personally discovered what a bottle of fermented lemon juice and five day-old ginger tastes like, I’m going to assume it’s not the most awesome tongue-pleaser in the world.

So do yourselves a favor: make a bottle of nice, fresh, non-alcoholic ginger beer and spike it with a healthy dose of rich, dark rum. Your tastebuds, head, and stomach will thank you.

Jeffrey
04 Mar 2009 at 4:28 pm 77. Ross

Jeffrey,

Thanks for the recipe! You inspired me to give it a go, though I departed from your instructions relatively significantly. I omitted the lemon entirely; I also add vanilla. Most importantly, I avoid white sugar — instead, I use a combination of honey, brown sugar, and molasses. The product is almost the color of amber ale, with a richer flavor.

At the recommendation of my (Seattle) local home-brew shop, I use Nottingham Ale Yeast. The argument for it is: champagne yeast survives at a higher pressure and stays active at a cooler temperature than ale yeast, making bottle explosions more likely. Perhaps not a huge issue — but ale yeast is also very cheap.

Thanks for blogging — I look forward to reading more!
04 Mar 2009 at 8:09 pm 78. DG

Jeffery,
While, yes, non alcoholic ginger beer is fantastic, and as a home brewer of alcoholic ginger beer, I have to say it is quite tastey, up to about 15ish%, depending on the recipe. Anything after that, is ridiculously harsh and definately not worth drinking. Nothing beats a cold ginger brew on a hot summer day, either plain and mixed with rum, or hard and lonesome.
19 Mar 2009 at 3:09 pm 79. Gina Valentino

Sometimes I forget how cool you are, and then I forget about your website. Thanks for the occasional reminder. I love fun projects like this. Can’t wait to try it!
19 Mar 2009 at 5:38 pm 80. Ted

Thanks to your inspiration, been making a 2-liter bottle twice a week. Used just plain Fleishamann’s yeast and four key limes for each batch plus adding in a teaspoon of Tarter. The bottle gets very hard long before 24 hours so bleed off some pressure and place it in fridg. Excellent flavor. Gotta get my copper mugs from home to make it taste just right. Believe me, a Muscow Mule made with vodka, ginger beer and lime tastes much better in a copper cup. Go to your local thrift store and find a copper cup!
24 Mar 2009 at 1:07 am 81. Daniil

Is it OK if this ‘beer’ is much more transparent than on your shots and there is smth like 0.5cm of ginger ‘mixture’ at the bottom?
24 Mar 2009 at 1:17 am 82. Daniil

What would be perfect if someone could make a visual representation of how much yeast is required to produce a decent beer, my bottles are around a second day and no carbonation is present :(
24 Mar 2009 at 5:42 pm 83. Eric

What should we do if we know we added too much yeast?
24 Mar 2009 at 5:48 pm 84. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Danill and Eric – If you didn’t add enough yeast, add more and wait another 48 hours. If you added too much, keep a close eye on it and release the pressure from time to time if you can. You’ll be fine either way.
26 Mar 2009 at 11:39 am 85. William

Wow, I’m excited. I just went out and got some flip top glass bottles today. Do you think that using a plastic bottle as a test would be a good idea? I guess it would give me a good idea of how much pressure is building up in the glass bottle. I got the cuvee yeast, as well as a white wine yeast that the guy in the brew store said a lot of people use. I’m gonna make two with each kind of yeast. I can’t wait!
26 Mar 2009 at 11:39 am 86. William

I forgot to put this in my previous question, but how much sediment occurs with the 25 granule method?
28 Mar 2009 at 5:48 pm 87. Benjamin

Jeff, just started a 32oz batch today, I can’t wait till it’s done. I had a few questions though… First was on the yeast content, it seems to be the most mysterious question, main reason why I am concerned is because I don’t want my flip-top exploding on me. I counted out 50 granules the best I could and that is very little… I put the granules in 1/8 tsp. and it doesn’t even cover the bottom of the spoon. I would say that if I were to use a full 1/8 tsp. it would probably be more in the range of 1000 or more granules.

Also you had mentioned that you would probably try to use cream of tartar in your next batch, have you tied it yet, and how much would you use? Thanks
28 Mar 2009 at 5:52 pm 88. Benjamin

Oh yeah, and is there some kind of visual I will see to confirm it’s ready or that it’s carbonating? I’m fairly new at this but have heard of this happening with similar things like Kombucha tea…
06 Apr 2009 at 12:18 pm 89. seriousdarious

My first attempt at this recipe is (hopefully) bubbling away beneath the sink. Having made it, I just have one question – to wit: how the f#^k do you get “approximately 25 granules” of the yeast. My standard kitchen equipment does not include tweezers and a giant light/magnifying glass combo, nor am I dextrous enough to use them if I had them. Do you eyeball it? Use some minuscule fraction of a teaspoon? Do you have a sensitive scale? What’s the deal? Thanks for the recipe, I’m looking forward to homemade gingery goodness.
09 Apr 2009 at 7:31 pm 90. Christine

SUCH a good idea – my husband brought Goslings home from last years Newport-to-Bermuda race.

… whipped up a batch on Tuesday (and was easy enough that my handy 6-year-old helped). Was shocked it actually fermented, as those bottles look REALLY inactive for 48 hours, but cracked on open and FIZZZZ.

A bit lemony for my taste? Used lemon and lime juice (per recipe) so I’ll probably cut that down a bit for the next batch.

Definitely going to try some thyme and vanilla (hoping the ginger doesn’t overpower?). Thanks for the recipe!
15 Apr 2009 at 9:39 am 91. John Merrill

How much tartar would you add per batch?
20 Apr 2009 at 9:20 pm 92. Brian

Thanks for the great recipe. I’m on my 5th case now. I had to go back and buy more bottles, as I couldn’t keep up.

I’ve experimented with the recipe, and my current favorite is a reduction of lemon juice by .5 oz and addition of an extra .5 oz syrup. Still tastes a little lemony, and decreasing lemon/increasing water made it too watery. Any ideas on tempering the lemonyness would be great.

I think honey might be a good addition, maybe substituting .5 oz of syrup?

I’m also interested in whether anybody’s tested the tartar. I can’t even say I know what flavor tartar has, or how much to add.

Finally, to everybody struggling with the yeast… I’ve just used a 1/8 tsp measuring spoon and eyeballed a half of that per 16 oz bottle. It’s been perfect since the start, and it’s nowhere near precise (it’s also a lot more than 25 granules I think).
21 Apr 2009 at 10:32 am 93. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Everyone – You know, I posted this when I was still in early ginger beer production mode. Basically once we got rolling we would do what Brian does here and eyeball a half of a one-eighth teaspoon measure. The “25 granules” thing came from the folks at the homebrew shop where I was buying my yeast – sorry for the confusion.
21 Apr 2009 at 9:14 pm 94. Benjamin

Thanks again for the recipe Jeff. I’ve made several dozen batches now and have had good success from them all. I have used 1 liter flip top bottles for all of it and it’s worked great! I started right away with using creme of tartar, about 1/4 tsp. per 16oz and the 25 grains of yeast per 16oz has worked out fine. Basically 50 grains just covers the bottom of my 1/8 tsp. I’ve found I get almost the same ginger affect from only 1/2 ounce per 16oz, and I’ve really reduced the lemon juice. I’ve been brewing them in my utility closet (about a constant 80 degrees) and it’s worked great. I suggest tho anyone who is going to do this consistently to get flip tops as they tend to release the pressure when it gets too great. Hope this helps.
23 Apr 2009 at 10:44 am 95. Ryan

I’ve been eager to try making my own ever since I went to Grenada two and a half years ago and came back only to realize you can’t get this stuff in the local markets.

Last night reading this inspired me to go find a local brew store, bought a case of 750ml champagne bottles, bag of caps, the red star premier cuvee yeast, and do a test run with a gallon (5 bottles) of some root beer mix I picked up there for my fiance.

So excited to start making ginger brew though, will stop at target on my way home, get a cheese cloth, and try making a couple bottles of this stuff.

Thanks for posting this, will let you know how it turns out.
24 Apr 2009 at 6:22 am 96. Ryan

Couldn’t find cheesecloth at target so I buckled and got the Juiceman Juicer instead, after making some wacky juice of 8 things for my fiance I ran a bit of ginger through the thing, the resulting juice being full of colors and tiny bits of juice from the other fruits, upon tasting it I was ensured it was definitely pretty pure ginger juice though.

I bottled up two 750ml champagne bottles with this stuff per your instructions (just doing 1.5 times your ratios for 16 oz). Hopefully the little bits of other fruit juices will add a touch more flavor.

I had one question for you though, how much honey would I use in place of simple syrup as I love honey, but if I used too much or too little it could affect the carbonation right?
24 Apr 2009 at 12:50 pm 97. Jonathan

Hey Jeffrey!

First of all let me say congrats on the Playboy nod!

Secondly…. I am a HUGE fan of ginger anything… I am also a big DIY-er, so this recipe was a must for me to try.

Bought the Juiceman Jr… love it. Using the french press… (bought a Nespresso system a while back… and stopped drinking coffee, the quality and ease of use of this little Swiss gizmo is phenomenal) And started my first batch using 32 ounce bottles, Agave nectar and Red Star yeast (Thanks FH Steinbarts!)…

Hopeless night sleep last night as around 1 a.m. I was thrown out of bed top the sound of breaking glass as one of my 32 ounce bottles exploded violently in the kitchen covering everything withing 15 feet in a fine layer of gingerale. instead of measuring the yeast…. I guestimated and used a pinch. BAD IDEA… I used either too much sugar/agave or too much yeast or it was too warm… I then proceeded to try to open the other bottles from that batch (there were three) to release some pressure and they did a wonderful job mimicking those toy plastic rockets that used water and air to achieve altitude.
I have never been so sticky in my life.

i spent about an hour mopping up the 96 ounces of deliciousness. Now I get to swiffer it.
It was really very tasty though!
I am pouring out my other two batches as I used the pinch method with them too….

I am so used to cooking by intuition and not using measurements… I think I am also gonna go back to the FH Steinbarts here in Portland and buy smaller bottles so I can experiment with smaller and less dangerous batches….

Anyhow… just wanted to add my two cents….

Do you serve your ginger brew at the Common…? I’d love to try some while waiting for my next batch to mature.

Cheers!

I’ll let y’all know what comes of the next batch… I LOVE the idea of adding thyme to the mix. Genius! I was thinking about Thai Basil… but think I will simply muddle some in a glass before adding the ginger beer.
24 Apr 2009 at 1:09 pm 98. Brian

Here’s a couple more comments as I pass my 100th bottle brewed:

1. On the juicer… at first I didn’t strain the ginger juice (I’m using a Champion juicer), and the result was “firewater.” I love ginger, but the burning went from throat to belly and stayed for a day. Since then, I strain the juice. Still lots of bite, but without the lingering burn. Also, my juicer produces juice from the bottom and the pulp from the end. I run the pulp through a second time, and get a lot more juice out.

2. On the Cream of Tartar… I took a bunch of old time ginger beer recipes and did the math to convert the COT to this recipe. I came up with 1/8 TSP per bottle. I found that it made ZERO difference in taste or head (which is the purpose of the COT). The bottle-conditioning creates plenty of head on its own, and I won’t bother again with it if it doesn’t help.

3. The honey, on the other hand, was a nice addition. I substituted .5 OZ of syrup with honey. It was nice, though next time I’ll cut back a little (maybe half of that) to cut the honey sweetness.

Here are the variations I like best. This is for 16 OZ portions:

1 OZ ginger juice (strained)
1.5 OZ lemon juice
3.5 OZ simple syrup
10 OZ warm water

I multiply by number of bottles (usually 16/batch), mix and bottle, then add (ROUGHLY) a half of a 1/8 TSP measuring spoon of the Premier Cuvee yeast (I ordered the bottles for about $2 each and the yeast for 60 cents a pack from Jeffrey’s link above). Cap and shake. Put in a kitchen cabinet for 48 hours and refrigerate.

Here’s the honey version:

1 OZ ginger juice (strained)
1.5 OZ lemon juice
3 OZ simple syrup
.5 OZ honey
10 OZ warm water

One last thing… Costco sells 1 liter bottles of 100% organic lemon juice (not from concentrate) for about $3. That’s the juice of 40 organic lemons! It’s really good, ready to use, and WAY cheaper than alternatives. Now, if they sold ginger root…
24 Apr 2009 at 1:28 pm 99. Ted

Personally, I prefer using fresh lime juice instead of the lemon juice. However, I spent the winter in south Texas where key limes were about two cents each.
06 May 2009 at 5:54 pm 100. Ellen

I’m planning to make some easy ginger beer without the fermentation, because I have a sodastream carbonator. But before I got to this site, my plan was to make a ginger simple syrup by cutting up fresh ginger and boiling it with the water and sugar. I make a jalapeno-mint syrup this way for some kick-ass spicy margaritas. So now I wonder if boiling might make the ginger flavor too strong, or change it entirely? Any idea?
07 May 2009 at 6:20 am 101. Ryan

After having been through a hand full of bottles of this stuff, here are the modifications I’ve come to like:
1 part ginger juice
1 part lemon juice
.5 parts lime juice
3.5 parts simple syrup
3 whole cloves (for 16oz)

The cloves give it a nice touch, though can be easily overdone so careful with them. Also, if I had some rum on hand I would be able to test my theory on this, but I think the flavor the cloves add would make it meld with the rum even more better (or, mo’betta if you will) as it kind of rounds out the spice a bit.
11 May 2009 at 1:39 pm 102. seriousdarious

Thanks to all who posted re: the yeast amount. I guess my measurements were pretty inaccurate as two of the four bottles I made geysered upon opening. Oh well, the ones that didn’t were pretty damn good. Re: the shelf life of the product, I got sick between mixing my batch and drinking some of it. The last bottle I drank had been sitting in the fridge for 2-3 weeks and still tasted dandy. Finally, a question to those in this thread with homebrewing experience. I sanitized my bottles (and only my bottles, none of the other implements) for this batch (washing with be-brite(sp?) and sanitizing with star-san). I realized after I was done that if I didn’t sanitize everything then sanitizing anything was probably pointless. What do you think? Is sanitizing even necessary for something with such a short fermentation period and that is drank so quickly? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

sd
11 May 2009 at 5:46 pm 103. Bill

sd -

I think you’re right about sanitizing and about the short fermentation time. Just make sure everything is clean. I personally just scrape off the big chunks and have at it. If you ever go to home brewing, though, sanitizing is back big-time.

Ryan -

I, too have changed the proportions, but the other way around, using 2 pts. ginger and 2 pts. lemon to 3 pts. syrup for 16 oz. I like my ginger, and it’s not for everybody.

On the yeast amount question, those little beasties multiply like rabbits once they get a little sugar and warmth, so even if you start with 25 grains, you’ll have a lot more than that before you’re through. The amount and time and temperature restrictions are there so you’ll know when to refrigerate. (I use plastic 2-liter soda bottles, so just judge by feel.) If you change any of the numbers, you’re just guessing.

Bill
12 May 2009 at 2:27 pm 104. seriousdarious

Bill -

Thanks for the advice. I’ve done a little bit of homebrewing (kits only, so far), hence my possession of the be-brite and star-san. As soon as I finish reading Papazian I’ll brave a more “free-style” approach.

sd
20 May 2009 at 6:28 am 105. John Merrill

Interesting article in the NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20ginger.html

The article didn’t take comments so I couldn’t point readers here.
20 May 2009 at 6:39 am 106. Bill

Jeffrey -

Ahead of your time once again.

Bil
26 May 2009 at 1:05 pm 107. Chris

Made this on Thursday for girlfriend’s birthday (who loves ginger beer). I followed Jeffrey’s recipe pretty closely, using the champagne yeast, and made 2 bottles of it. I allowed to ferment for about 48 hours, but I think I didn’t add enough yeast, as there was very little carbonation. But it turned out great! Both of us were very impressed with the result. FWIW, the NY Times recipe was pretty good too, but there’s something special about Jeff’s bottle conditioned version. I plan on repeating, but not until I get my hands on a juicer. Microplane grating 12 oz of ginger was not fun.
26 May 2009 at 3:40 pm 108. Matt

Hey Jeffrey,

I’ve done a bunch of beer brewing and I was wondering about increasing this recipe in a 5 or 6 gallon carboy. Would I use an airlock? Let it sit for 48 hrs, then bottle with priming sugar for fermentation? Any ideas for a larger batch? I figure I’ll try a few bottles to start.

Matt
27 May 2009 at 2:38 am 109. Oliver

So. Just a small hint for anybody who couldn’t find the champagne yeast or is as dumb as myself:

In austria (where i live) I couldn’t find the requested champagne yeast and looked for the regular baking one. As i wasn’t quite sure about the exact amount yeast ( gramm would be nice) needed I just took 1,5 packages for a 1 litre bottle.

To keep it short. My Ginger Beer is perfecty carbonated. After 30 minutes.

One exploded, but i could save the other three :D … now I have to paint the kitchen. Again.
28 May 2009 at 10:00 am 110. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Matt – You’re on your own, unfortunately. I’m not a homebrewer, just a guy who makes ginger beer for cocktails. Good luck, though, and let the rest of us know what you find out.
29 May 2009 at 10:26 pm 111. Professr

I’m trying this for the first time today – I’m using metal Klean bottles (they have decent threaded tops and a silicone o-ring). I tried to put around half of a 1/4th tsp of yeast in each, but it may be too much, as they are each only 530mL. I have a *giant* glass jug for wine fermenting, and I was wondering if there were any tips for making larger batches (maybe with some alcohol) in it with standard fast-rise bread yeast…
30 May 2009 at 4:10 pm 112. Professr

My first batch came out pretty good, aside from the expected foam explosion! It smells nasty, but tastes amazing – is that because I used regular sugar instead of simple syrup? Also, I tried thyme, cinnamon, and cloves, which all had interesting effects, but then I tried Garam Masala (it has cloves and a bunch of other things in it). It was *perfect*, and removed all the bad smell and added so many flavor hints to the taste.
08 Jun 2009 at 7:05 am 113. John McGovern

Jeffrey, et al:

Many many thanks for this easy, fun, and delicious recipe for ginger beer! Per the genesis of this concoction, I had my first taste of my brew on an island, minus the rain, just as the sun was setting (and the midges were descending…) mixed into a delightful Moscow Mule.
The cocktail was pure [bracing] summer refreshment and so enjoyed by all that I relished it on three more occasions within the span of one weekend. The island tasting was the best, perhaps b/c of the crushed ice or perhaps because I was on an island! The imbibing post cob-oven construction was missing the ice, though notably, the ginger lime mixture cut right through the taste of clay that had made its way onto my face. Around the fire? awesome cocktail! Around the pool? awesome cocktail! I’d highly recommend crushed ice in the makings of an excellent Moscow Mule.
Jeffrey’s recipe for ginger beer seems destined for mixing with spirits, rather than drinking straight, which is fine with me for the three months of remaining summer here, on Ohio’s north shore!

I’ll definitely be making several more batches, perhaps infused with mint, thyme, or any number of summertime smells…. Also, I wonder about switching out the simple syrup w? Mapel syrup or honey?!? The professr may be onto something with the garam masala – will def give that a try.

Thanks again for the recipe and for helping to make all the good folks out here just a little bit happier!

Cheers,

John
Cleveland, O
10 Jun 2009 at 1:00 am 114. Professr

After finding that baker’s yeast leaves sediment and a taste I couldn’t really enjoy, I have spent the past week or so building a homemade carbonator (http://wiki.professr.net/wiki/Beverage_Carbonator). I am carbonating my first batch now!
26 Jun 2009 at 7:06 am 115. Adam

Hi Jeffrey,
I love ginger beer (just on its own) especially on a hot summer’s day. I have tried a few recipes of the net but none as well documented as yours. I shall definitely be giving your a try as the weather is starting to warm up here in the UK. I will keep the site bookmarked and give you an update once the first batch is finished!
04 Jul 2009 at 9:08 am 116. Ginger Beer

Hi Jeffrey,
Adam here, all worked out fine and tastes great … just in time for this great weather we are having here in the UK. Fast running out though so i think its a bigger batch next time. Good luck and thanks for the info.
06 Jul 2009 at 10:59 am 117. Matt B

Hi Jeffrey…just wondering if you re-use the bottles – and if so, how do you wash them? I may be cheap, but $1.95 per bottle seems pretty steep to use just once (and I really want to try the recipe!)…thanks
07 Jul 2009 at 6:24 am 118. John Merrill

Slightly off topic, but of interest to us Dark and Stormy fans:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/fashion/05shaken.html?hpw
07 Jul 2009 at 9:26 am 119. Stuart Reeves

I have given homemade ginger beer a go now a couple of times, I think I have finally mastered something I am happy with. what alcohol content, if at all, do you find your finished product comes in at? also once opened how long do you find your mix holds its fizz and life?
18 Jul 2009 at 10:52 am 120. Tom B

Thanks for the recipie. I just mixed up three bottles which are fermenting under my sink as we speak. 48 hours later I hope to have a carbonated drink.

I had some extra ginger and lemon juice left over so I made a non carbonated dark n stormy.

Will let you know how it turned out.

/Tom
21 Jul 2009 at 1:45 pm 121. Jesh M

So I don’t have to make let the yeast begin workin for a week, like some recipes say?

I can just add directly into the bottle of ginger beer, no culture needed?
22 Jul 2009 at 10:12 pm 122. metametagirl

Thanks for the recipe! Made 32oz this week — my first time brewing something other than coffee and tea! It was a great success — not too sweet, and actually a bit bitter. I wouldn’t change anything about this recipe. Much better than the high fructose corn syrupy sweet stuff from the store! I used plastic soda & mineral water bottles placed under the kitchen sink inside a plastic tub, since I’m scared of the glass explosion that other people have had. I’m glad I used the plastic tub since there was a bit of leakage. I bought a Microplane grater for the occasion — well worth it because my wasabi grater is tiny. Still, juicing ginger by grating is a pretty time consuming task.

Got a question: does the ginger beer contain any “beneficial bacteria” when brewing with the Red Star Premier Cuvee champagne yeast?

I look forward to making another batch! Cheers!
23 Jul 2009 at 7:32 am 123. Tom B

So results: turned out great. everyone at work enjoyed the flavor.

I let off pressure after 24 hours and it made a nice pop – the yeast didn’t die! for once. haha.

The carbonation is good in the bottles. The taste is a little too lemony, probably my fault. the taste is also kind of flat, not too complex. I wonder if boiling the ginger in the simple syrup would help.

I also want to try limes as my favorite bar – Apothecary, Phila – uses limes.

/Tom
04 Aug 2009 at 9:19 am 124. Lisa

Wow, as a sailor who’s been around lots of people enjoying Dark ‘n Stormy’s after both hard and easy sails, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that your ginger beer recipe generated 123 responses! And how nice that you answered every person’s questions and concerns so thoughtfully. For someone who might not be up to the challenge of homemade ginger beer (please forgive me), is there a brand of ginger beer that you recommend?
Thanks so much!
04 Aug 2009 at 1:54 pm 125. Daniel

Jeffrey – quick question about the ginger juice…

Can the pressed ginger juice be frozen for any length of time or do the oils go off?

I have a twin-roller juicer that is excellent for getting the juice out of the ginger but is a pain to wash up for small batches. I was hoping to do, say three or four batches of juice and store them in portion-sized bags. Have any of you had experience of freezing the ginger juice?

First batch of ginger beer comes out of the fridge this Thursday. The only variations were light muscovado in the simple syrup and the juice of a lime in with the lemons cos one lemon was all dry and icky inside.
04 Aug 2009 at 2:43 pm 126. Ted

Good question, Lisa. In June, I was in a liquor store in Folsom, CA that had about ten different brands. It would have been great getting one bottle of each, but I don’t think Continental would have allowed me to carry them back to Colorado.

When I used to buy it 30 years ago, I had a favorite brand, but since it hasn’t been available for a long time, I forgot what brand it was. In fact, I find it very seldom in any store. That’s why I’m making my own now, at least a liter each week.
04 Aug 2009 at 5:12 pm 127. Lisa

Ted,
Thanks so much for the reply. I’ve actually bought ginger beer (Reed’s?) at Trader Joe’s, but just didn’t know if it was one of the favorite brands of Dark ‘n Stormy lovers: http://www.traderjoesfan.com/Trader_Joes/reeds_extra_ginger_beer/details/
Lisa
05 Aug 2009 at 7:19 am 128. Daniel

My first batch is complete today and it was quite a taste experience!

Although I thought I had seated all the stoppers carefully, I noticed the rubber seal on one of the four bottles was bulging off-centre so I thought I would let off the top, re-seat it and let it finish its last three-and-a-half hours before putting it in the fridge.

I *very* carefully let it off, expecting it to be pretty flat since there were very few visible bubbles but I was amazed by the incredible pressure that had built up. Through judicious pressure on the stopper I was able to get it calmed down without a geyser of foam. I guess that despite being in the shade, the sunny weather outside had done the business and so decided to cool the three remaining bottles in the fridge immediately.

I am used to the pressure you get in commercial cans and bottles and I can say the wine yeast had certainly done the business. I was especially careful not to over-sugar the recipe, so I assume it was the little guys making all the fizz!

Excellent taste, very gingery and a good lasting fizz in the glass. Now to wait for my Gosling’s to arrive in the post from the importer!
05 Aug 2009 at 10:36 am 129. Matthew

@Lisa 04 Aug 2009 at 5:12 pm

I have most often used Barritt’s Ginger Beer – it has been prevalent in my preferred liquor stores. I have also used the Cock’n Bull brand as well. A lot depends on personal taste and what you enjoy. Officially, there is/was an “unofficial partnership” between Gosling’s and Barritt’s; however according to this article [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/fashion/05shaken.html] Gosling’s is producing their own brand of ginger beer.
08 Aug 2009 at 1:49 am 130. The Meat

my ginger beer has been sitting in its warm dark place for 36 hours, should it be carbonating yet?
08 Aug 2009 at 2:26 am 131. Professr

Yep, it should be carbonating by now. Some advice: skip using a metal bottle. Use a washed-out 2-liter soda bottle, so you can tell when it starts carbonating more easily.
08 Aug 2009 at 3:46 am 132. Daniel

The Meat – yes, it should be, but you will barely see any bubbles because the pressure will be forcing them to dissolve into the ginger beer.

Get a bottle out and stand it between you and a window or a light and let the light bounce off the surface of the top of the liquid – if you are patient you should see tiny movements as the odd bubble rises and pops.

When you hit your 48h mark and put them in the fridge, be *very* careful when opening the first bottle as there can be quite a lot of pressure inside if it has all gone right. Just flipping off the top will result in a lot of wasted ginger beer over the worktop. Be prepared to hold the top down as you flip the spring off and gently let off the excess pressure.

Good luck!
08 Aug 2009 at 10:34 am 133. Ted

If you have it in a plastic bottle, the bottle certainly should be feeling harder. I doubt you will see the actual carbonating because the bubbles are being absorbed into ther liquid.

I leave mine out for 24-30 hours, then put it in the fridge and it actually keeps working. If the bottle feels too hard, like a solid pipe, I will bleed off a little gas then see the bubbles rise to the top.

Also, I have be reusing the sediment in the bottom of the bottles to make another batch. No need to add any more yeast. It’s right there!
11 Aug 2009 at 4:13 am 134. Didi

Hi everybody!

First of all, Jeffrey, I’d like to thank you for posting this recipe! Anyway, since the ginger beer was a total triumph, I’ve been thinking about making my own ginger ale by a similar process. If anybody had some ideas about how to change the recipe to make a traditional ginger ale, I’d be much obliged.
I have been thinking along the lines of cutting the amount of ginger juice down, but I don’t know by how much exactly. Furthermore, I’m thinking about taking half of the sugar and make dark caramel of it, before adding the water and the rest of my sugar for the simple syrup. I am thinking, that thus I would get the traditional ginger ale colour.
Any suggestions are more than welcome!
17 Aug 2009 at 2:33 pm 135. Daniel

Didi – you can make your simple syrup using light (or dark) muscovado sugar to easily get the nice colour. Billingtons do an excellent light muscovado here in the UK.
18 Aug 2009 at 1:32 pm 136. Didi

Daniel,

Good idea. I’ll definitely try this.
18 Aug 2009 at 7:53 pm 137. Burma

Jeffrey, thank you for sharing your ginger beer recipe on this fantastic site! I love ginger, especially ginger beer, and am excited about the prospect of trying your recipe. I’ll definitely report back once I give it a try. (I’ll also want to try, for the very first time, a Dark & Stormy!) Thanks again so much.
21 Aug 2009 at 1:49 pm 138. Mike Aubrey

Learned this purely on accident. I had picked up some ginger at the store for a reduced price because it was old, so I froze it when I got home.

But it turns out that for making ginger beer, if you freeze and then thaw your ginger, you can literally squeeze the juice out of it without having to spend the money on a juicer or make a massive mess with a grater.

And it tasted great too.
22 Aug 2009 at 12:35 am 139. The Meat

thanks for your help and replies
30 Aug 2009 at 10:35 am 140. James B. U.

Thanks for the recipe. I just made mine last night, with a few small changes.
I used a blender to grind up the ginger, and actually had to add liquid to get it done, but I think it worked very well – I used cheesecloth, and got a good 8 oz. of juice out, which was just what I needed for 8 bottles. I only used about 12 oz. of lemon juice, since that’s all I could make, and I dumped everything into a pot with some vanilla bean and a couple of star anise, and heated it up for a while. I let it cool down a bit, to what I figured was below 120 degrees so as not to kill the yeast. Now it’s all bottled up in old Grolsch bottles, in a plastic-lined box in a warm place. Tomorrow night I’ll put it in the fridge, let it cool, and see how it did; then we’ll make some Dark and Stormies if all goes well. I’ll keep you posted.
01 Sep 2009 at 11:23 am 141. James B. U.

Tried the Ginger Beer last night, and it was terrific. Fizzy, bursting with Ginger after-burn, and tart but not too lemony. Perfect! It reminded me of Vernor’s before they were bought out by Pepsi. It used to come in a brown bottle with sediment on the bottom, and it left a good burn behind when you drank it. Then they got bought out, and they turned it into really lame Ginger Ale. Sad, but now I can make my own! Next, I need to try the tonic water. Thanks!
02 Sep 2009 at 1:21 am 142. Jeffrey Morgenthaler

James – Glad it worked out for you!

Jeff
04 Sep 2009 at 3:57 am 143. danny

I find myself wishing Napoleon had conquered the US and introduced the metric system .

with all your “ounces”, “teaspoons”
and whatnot it gets tough for a European to comprehend …;)
07 Sep 2009 at 9:30 am 144. Nathan

Did it according to recipe. Works, tasty, cheers!

Thanks Jeffery.
11 Sep 2009 at 5:32 pm 145. Tom

I used to make beer in college. I was hitch-hiking back to school one cold winter day with a couple of quarts in my suitcase. Got a ride with a nice older couple who had the heat turned on extra high. You can guess what happened. The whole side of my suitcase blew open and made a hell of a mess. The gentleman driving almost had a heart attack. He swerved, ran off the road and got stuck. No body hurt buy the police stopped and …….what a day. I was arrested for being underage. I have never made any since but that was 40 years ago and I am ready to try some ginger beer.
14 Sep 2009 at 12:59 am 146. Lee

I have been looking at your recipes and although I think they are all great, I have one which is really simple and uses no fancy equipment nor fresh ginger.

Recipe is for 1.5 L plastic bottle
2 T warm water
1/2 t sugar
1/4 t dried yeast granules
-
1 cup sugar
juice of 2 lemons
rind of 2 lemons
1 t to 1 T dried ginger

Put first measure of sugar in warm water to dissolve, add yeast and stir. Place in warm place to start working.

Finely grate or slice rind from 2 lemons and place in a heatproof container with the 1 cup of sugar and the dried ginger. Pour over 1 cup of boiling water and leave to steep for 10 minutes. Strain into 1.5 L plastic bottle in which the ginger beer will be made (I used a flannel or wash cloth as you Americans call it – in a funnel to strain). Top up bottle with cool water to near top so that final temp is approx. body temp. Add yeast to bottle as soon as it shows signs of working, ie. it foams. Cap bottle tightly.

It is usually ready to drink 24 -48 hours after bottling.

I have also been experimenting with less sugar and using mixed spice or cinammon to boost the sweetness instead and using oranges instead of lemons. The uncarbonated mixture smells fantastic so it will be interesting to see what it tastes like.
15 Sep 2009 at 9:39 pm 147. Michelle

Lisa,

If you’re still on the hunt for the best Ginger beer, you have to try “Bundaberg Ginger Beer”. It’s available at Cost Plus World Market. It’s Australian and, since I am Australian, I may be a little biased but it’s THE best Ginger Beer in the world, especially for Dark & Stormy’s.

Jeffrey,
Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I’m really hopeful that the taste will come close to my beloved Bundaberg variety, for a lot less money.

Cheers,
Michelle
16 Sep 2009 at 4:31 pm 148. nathan

Bundaberg is good for a shelf variety, but this homemade recipe puts the wood to it. We did a taste off the other night over cards, Bundaberg had not a chance. Make your own folks, it is worth it.
21 Sep 2009 at 8:18 am 149. Sue

I’m getting ready to try this recipe tomorrow (Tues) so it will be ready for a Dark and Stormy party on Friday. I’m a bit concerned about this exploding bottle issue. If I follow the recipe to the letter, do you think there’ll be any chance of explosion? The thought of glass flying everywhere kind of scares me.
21 Sep 2009 at 10:59 am 150. Ted

I just came across the old English ginger beer recipe we used in Woodside, CA in 1974.

1 oz Ginger
1 oz Cream of Tarter
1 or 2 lemons sliced
3/4 lb sugar
1 gal water
1/2 package yeast

Stir together and let stand overnight. Strain through cheesecloth and bottle in champagne bottles. Drinkable
in two days.
21 Sep 2009 at 12:21 pm 151. Daniil

To 149. Sue:
I think that You should try plastic cola bottles at first as they allow to test the pressure. And after getting them closed just check them every two hours or so – You should be able to understand how fast it is going.
22 Sep 2009 at 5:52 am 152. Sue

Daniil: I summoned up my courage and decided to whip up a batch last night instead of waiting until today, so I already used the glass bottles. Thus far, no bombs bursting in air. But, thanks for the suggestion. I’ll post my results when they’re known.
28 Sep 2009 at 6:10 am 153. Sue

I cracked open my brews on Friday night and they were fantastic! Strong, zesty flavor. Great recipe; I’ll definitely make it again.
29 Sep 2009 at 2:46 pm 154. Daniil

Sue, good! That’s a pity that comments does not allow photos – i think it would be great if someone posted the amounts that were used per bottle, especially yeast amounts
05 Oct 2009 at 11:50 am 155. Julie

we’ve made this recipe twice now, and it’s turned out great — I don’t think we’ll be buying Bundaberg anymore. Now I think I’m going to get some 32 oz. ez top bottles to brew it in because we drink it too fast!
16 Oct 2009 at 12:29 am 156. Andrew

Mark, Ted, and everyone else who have used baker’s yeast. I have been using Alton Brown’s 2 liter soda bottle recipe for a month now http://bit.ly/qyPAx and it tastes great. I have tried lemons and limes and kaffir lime leaves from the farm I used to work at. The lemon and limes work great, but the kaffir leaves get lost in the drink.

I have been using bread yeast because that’s the way I first learned it and I don’t live near a homebrew shop. I have been adding about a 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast to it and it is usually plenty carbonated by morning. Since I open it a lot I have been leaving it on the counter in the kitchen where there is always a light on.

My problem is that recently I have been getting pounding headaches that correspond with having finished a glass of the ginger beer. This has been happening for a week now and I cannot remember if it started after I started leaving it out instead of putting it in the fridge.

Does anyone know why I would be getting headaches? I know that brewer’s yeast and baker’s yeast are both saccharomyces cerevisiae, but are bred for different characteristics. Are there any harmful by-products as a result of using baker’s yeast for brewing? The ginger beer only lasts for a few days before I drink it and am ready for a new batch, so it isn’t around for that long.

My guesses right now are:
1. baker’s yeasts produces the wrong kinds of alcohols
2. leaving it in the light causes the yeast to produce some by-product that the body interprets as a toxin.
3. The yeast life cycle is short and they are producing new yeasts and the death of the 1st generation produces a toxin.
4. This is an unfortunate coincidence.

There is plenty of sugar in there and I know the yeasts are still alive because the bottle becomes hard again within a few hours and over time the drink becomes more dry.

I would love to hear what people have to say, I would hate to have to give up my new favorite drink.
03 Nov 2009 at 6:23 pm 157. Sea Dog

This is a great site and very interesting dialog. I have not tried making my own ginger beer but will be shortly. Before I do, I thought I would give back to the site and answer some questions. Particularly Andrew’s, regarding headaches. I have some experience brewing beer from kits and all grain.

Yeast: Yeast eats stuff, creates alcohol, CO2 and more yeast. If the yeast is eating sugar it produces a “good” ethanol. If it eats something else it can produce a “bad” alcohol and can be dangerous (I don’t know if yeast eating ginger pulp is good or bad). The amount of yeast you start with only affects the time it takes for it to become carbonated. As long as you have live yeast, sugar and a temperature suitable for the yeast, it will multiply creating alcohol and CO2.

Andrew’s headaches are more likely the result of something else growing in the ginger beer but it could be that the yeast had something besides sugar to eat. Both are bad, pour it out.

When brewing beer the most important thing is working in a clean environment and sterilize everything that comes in contact with the sugary solution you are creating. This is because bacteria and other bad stuff would love to eat the sugar and reproduce and make bad stuff. That is one of the reasons the sugary solution in beer is boiled. Brewers also make a yeast starter solution a day or two before they brew. This is so they can add active yeast to their brew, minimizing the time it takes for the yeast to eat the sugar. If the yeast eats the sugar first it is less likely for bacteria to.

After the boil, they rapidly cool the sugary solution, poor it in a fermenting vessel, add the yeast and put an airlock on it. The air lock allows the CO2 escape and prevents air from getting in and contaminating the batch. A few days later, the yeast has eaten all the sugar and created alcohol. At this time the beer is bottled, additional sugar is added and it is capped. The amount of sugar is controlled so that there is enough for the beer to be carbonated but not explode. There are many factors that determine the amount that is “just right”.

Since this site is devoted to low alcohol ginger beer it is difficult to incorporate beer brewing techniques. Other then keeping EVERYTHING clean. Wipe your work area down with soap and water or maybe water and a bit of bleach. Run your funnel, bowls, bottles, spoons… through the dish washer with a small amount of detergent or vinegar.

Go to a home brew shop, get a yeast starter kit (a glass flask, air lock, corn sugar, yeast and instructions). Do not use low temperature yeast. Start your yeast 2 days before you are ready to make your ginger beer.

Follow Jeffery’s instruction but mix it up in one vessel (bowl, pot, mixing cup…) and then add your yeast solution. Yeast solution of about 5% to 10% your total volume of the ginger beer should be sufficient. Mix it up and poor it into your bottles leaving the recommended air gap and cap it. It should only take a few hours for the bottle to carbonate. Use at least one plastic bottle and do the “hard test” once it gets hard put them all in the refrigerator to cool them and make the yeast go dormant. Remember, temperature, the type of yeast and the amount of sugar, effect how long it will take to carbonate more then the amount of yeast used. So keep checking. You can refrigerate your unused yeast solution, add more sugar solution to it and use it for your next batch. If they are not carbonated enough after refrigerating you can take them of and let them warm up to activate the yeast. Then put them back in the fridge so they don’t explode.

You should also be able to boil your solution, cool it, add the yeast and bottle it as I described. I do not know how this will effect the flavor but there will be less chance of contamination. Stainless steel is the best to use as a vessel (less off flavors will be absorbed by the solution).

The reason to add active yeast (from a starter) is to minimize the time needed out of the refrigerator, decreasing the chase of bad stuff growing and ruining your batch.

I hope this helps and keep others from getting sick or headaches.

Sea Dog
03 Nov 2009 at 9:53 pm 158. Andrew

It may be the sanitization that I was skimping on, I think I only rinsed out my bottle between the times I emptied the bottle and made a new batch. I left it sitting out for days releasing the pressure as needed. So maybe the yeast was eating things other than sugar. Thank you for the tips. I’ll try it again with better sterlization and refrigerating the drink in between pours.
04 Nov 2009 at 6:46 am 159. Bill

Sea Dog -

Nice post!

Bill
07 Nov 2009 at 11:16 am 160. Brian

I noticed that your final product, isn’t clear. Does this matter? Can I make this with Stevia as I don’t really like the sugar hit of most soft drinks?

thanks for any info.
08 Nov 2009 at 3:27 pm 161. Andrew

Brian-
Stevia wouldn’t work as the yeast need sugar to consume to produce the CO2. You could make a stevia syrup with ginger and use that with some club soda to have an Italian soda.
13 Nov 2009 at 7:13 pm 162. Saylor Kid

The first time I learned of ginger beer was in Australia when I asked for a Jameson/Ginger. Instead of ginger ale, i got ginger beer. Anyhow, just got finished making my first batch, and am sitting here enjoying my very first Dark & Stormy with home made ginger beer!! Absolutly delicious. Thanks Jeff!
05 Dec 2009 at 12:48 pm 163. Billy B

I live in Port Angeles, Wa. and have a monster apple tree here. This fall I decided to try making some apple brandy in as simple a manner as I could.

Fermented the mash in a stainless steel pressure cooker with an air lock on it. Strained it after it stopped working and added more water and used the pressure cooker as part of the still set up, just added a copper tubing coil to it.

It turned out pretty good for my first try and is an easy and cheap way to make some booze.
14 Dec 2009 at 12:15 pm 164. Dave

Jeff – wow! Great recipe. I used champagne yeast — took 1/4 tsp and used a knife and plate to cut into fourths — and it was incredible. For the record, I was so excited with my results that I tried Alton Brown’s recipe — absolutely horrible compared to this recipe.

Thanks.
16 Dec 2009 at 8:03 am 165. Dave

Flip-top Grolsch bottles are perfect for bottling this.

I substituted 1 oz key lime juice for one of the ozs of lemon juice, and added one clove per bottle. The key lime mellowed the citrus, while the clove accentuated the ginger spice.

Fantastic recipe. Even better than Gosslings’ own ginger beer for a D’nS.

- Dave
17 Dec 2009 at 2:44 pm 166. Rebecca

Hi, I was just wondering if this recipe is non-alcohlic? My 8 year old keeps on nagging me to make some ginger beer for him, but of course i don’t want to give him alcohol. I remember my mum making me ginger beer when i was a kid and i’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have been alcoholic, but i thought yeast produced alcohol…
regards
bec
17 Dec 2009 at 3:03 pm 167. Professr

It’s essentially non-alcoholic. The amount of alcohol created by fermenting for 24 hours is negligible.
18 Dec 2009 at 12:38 pm 168. Jordan

Made a couple of batches a few days ago. The batch with ginger juice turned out rather well, though my roommate demands more ginger flavor. Interestingly it also tastes very lime-y, even with the lemon juice going in. On the flip side, trying to make it with ginger syrup was a flop. Didn’t taste much like ginger and there was a distinct yeast flavor. No good at all.

I just finished putting together another bottle with half again as much ginger juice in it. We’ll see how that one works out.

Thanks for publishing this great recipe, Jeffrey. I can’t wait to try making cocktails with it. Aviation gin and cachaça are first on the list of liquors I want to pair with it.
09 Jan 2010 at 11:54 am 169. Deborah

Hi, I posted on my blog the other day about thinking of trying my hand at ginger beer. I’ve made more than 40 kinds of liqueurs, but never anything carbonated.
A friend saw my post; told me she had been following your blog; and sent me the link to this entry.
Love it! Thanks!
12 Jan 2010 at 2:07 pm 170. Brian

So I made the batch on Saturday and tasted it last night with my bartending co-horts. Tasting the original recipe, there definitely needs to be a reduction in the amount of lemon used. Talking with my sous chef about the process, he had this to say:

The use of Champagne yeast will definitely result in a more acidic and more citrus forward end result. It’s born that way.

So, for my next go around, I’ll be cutting back the lemon juice, splitting the sugar between both honey and the simple, and, adding my own couple of touches.

Thanks for the recipe Jeff!
27 Jan 2010 at 8:07 am 171. Brian

Thanks for the recipe!

I fell in love with ginger beer while in London–specifically the ‘Old Jamaica’ brand–and haven’t found a satisfactory replacement in the United States.

I just made my second batch of this on Sunday. Like my previous attempt, I ended up with it being way too carbonated. So much, in fact, that when I popped the bottle a lot of the beverage fizzed out. I know it wasn’t from me shaking the bottle or anything like that.

Is this a case of using too much yeast? I’m bottling them in old, clean, beer bottles and capping them myself. I followed your directions to the letter, though I used less lemon and more sugar the second time.

Thanks again!

Brian

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