Apparently I’m on a fermentation kick. My last post was on homemade sauerkraut for those homemade bratwursts my hubbie had made and what else is a crucial part of summer? Well, for me, that would be an icy cold Dark & Stormy. Like I also mentioned in my last post, I’m seeing what things I can make from scratch vs. buying and I’m not sure I would have even though of making my own ginger beer until this article from Food Republic showed up in my Facebook feed. I tried to make it their way…in fact, I’m STILL trying with a “bug” that I am feeding every day. But while I am waiting I was getting thirstier and thirstier for ginger beer so had to find an alternative which is when I found this recipe on Tori Avey’s website that uses regular baking yeast to speed up the process. I will have to say that this is also an economical solution as good quality ginger beer comes at a price. Plus, when you make it at home you know it’s made with pure ingredients – no corn syrup, artificial flavors or colors – so ya gotta like that. Almost as much as I like that Dark & Stormy.
- For the ginger syrup:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 4 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated (you can adjust this based on how ginger-y you want it)
- For the ginger beer:
- 7 cups filtered water
- ⅛ tsp active dry yeast (like what you make bread with)
- Ginger syrup (above)
- 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Clean 2-liter plastic soda bottle
- Funnel is helpful too
- Place the sugar, water and grated finer in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and let the mixture steep for an hour.
- Strain the mixture (I’m still trying to figure out something yummy to do with these sugar-soaked ginger shards) and allow to cool.
- Add water to clean 2-liter pop bottle. Sprinkle in the yeast and add the ginger syrup and lemon juice.
- Put the lid on the bottle and shake until the yeast is dissolved. Stow it out of direct sunlight for 2-3 days or until fizz is achieved. At this point it’s ready to drink or can be stored in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation. If you’re not going to drink it right away, open the cap every couple days to release any extra carbonation. Drink within 2 weeks.
- If you like your ginger beer very fermented-tasting, you can leave it as is for a few days before bottling. If you prefer a fresher-tasting soda, bottle it as soon as it is bubbly by placing a funnel in a two-liter soda bottle and pouring ginger beer through. Cap tightly and leave at room temperature until carbonated, anywhere from 1-3 days: you will know when soda is carbonated when the plastic bottle resists squeezing. Once carbonated, refrigerate ginger beer and drink within two weeks. As it sits a sediment will form in the bottom which can be strained out before serving if you like.
Hi Linda. I am definitely going to make a batch of Ginger Beer. One suggestion that I have is to use Champagne yeast instead of Bread yeast. The Champagne yeast will provide a much cleaner flavor profile vs. the bread yeast. It is available from any local homebrew store. You could also play with using other varieties of brewing yeasts to accentuate different flavors such as adding a clove flavor by using a Wheat Beer yeast. Just some ideas.
I am going to try and get a natural starter going as well, but my experience in the past has proven mixed results. If the starter is not kept fairly sterile, you can get some really funky off flavors from wild yeast. Sometimes it is a good funk, but sometimes it is dirty socks funk. :>
I love the new site!!!
Thanks Dave! Good advice all the way around. I’ve tried twice to make the natural starter and it’s failed both times so I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. Experimenting with different yeasts sounds interesting though and I think I’d add more ginger next time as I like it spicy! Keep the comments coming. 🙂