Ginger Beer
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WishboneBrewery
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Re: Ginger Beer
Just a note on my Ginger Beer Demijohn, we tried a bit after racking it off into a couple of 2L bottles with 3 lemons worth of juice...
It's blooming fiery and very strong, quite a shock to the system... think its going to be a mixer rather than a straight drink!
It's blooming fiery and very strong, quite a shock to the system... think its going to be a mixer rather than a straight drink!
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Ska_J
Re: Ginger Beer
Emmak, sorry for the delay in reply, not been around for a while...
The ginger beer came out well. I moved most of it from the demi to a plastic pet bottle after just 3 days, and put it in the fridge. It was nice, I suspect the yeast (bakers due to a slight logistics error!) gave it a subtle flavour I didn't want, but no-one else noticed. It was just the right amount of ginger heat, and somewhere between 3% and 4% alcohol (still quite sweet). It kept fermenting quite a lot even in the fridge though- regular pressure releases were required and I had about an inch of sediment by the time I'd finished it! The rest I left to keep fermenting. It got down well below 1.000 on the hydrometer (I think we're talking ~ 7% abv, though I didn't do accurate temperature corrections) and was not quite as nice as the other one! Might mix with lemonade well though!
I've also poured 5 litres of apple juice on top of the ginger and sediment that was left. Its bubbling away nicely- I'll be interested to see how it works out. Ginger cider seems like something that could work!
J
The ginger beer came out well. I moved most of it from the demi to a plastic pet bottle after just 3 days, and put it in the fridge. It was nice, I suspect the yeast (bakers due to a slight logistics error!) gave it a subtle flavour I didn't want, but no-one else noticed. It was just the right amount of ginger heat, and somewhere between 3% and 4% alcohol (still quite sweet). It kept fermenting quite a lot even in the fridge though- regular pressure releases were required and I had about an inch of sediment by the time I'd finished it! The rest I left to keep fermenting. It got down well below 1.000 on the hydrometer (I think we're talking ~ 7% abv, though I didn't do accurate temperature corrections) and was not quite as nice as the other one! Might mix with lemonade well though!
I've also poured 5 litres of apple juice on top of the ginger and sediment that was left. Its bubbling away nicely- I'll be interested to see how it works out. Ginger cider seems like something that could work!
J
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kennoway_brewery
Re: Ginger Beer
Sorry for re-stating an old thread (if that's even an issue, some music forums I'm on can get a bit up their own arse).
Just started brewing my own beer after my wee bro failed at making his first batch and slung the kit in his garage. I'm a big fan of ginger beer but never had ginger BEER so naturally I had to make it happen. Used a variation on some recipes I found in these threads with ginger beer but only made 10 litres. Once I added this to the 30litre fermenter (Still getting my terminology right) I realised my first mistake. Also with the Scottish January weather it's been cold in my flat so the temperature of the fermenter has been between 16 and 20 degrees so took a while for yeast to finish off the sugar.
After 8 days there was still some sugar left according to the hydrometer (roughly 1.40) so I only added half a teaspoon of sugar when priming 2 L bottles.
Hope it all works out. Obviously I've used a few unorthodox methods so I'll let you know but I have 5 1/2 litres of clear ginger beer waiting for consumption.
Need some advice though. I know beer should be left in the bottles at room temp for at least 4 weeks but what about ginger beer? Since there's less ingredients do they they take less time to taste good? Also since my cold yeast didn't eat the recommended amount of sugar should it be left in the bottle for longer? Any suggestions much appreciated.
Just started brewing my own beer after my wee bro failed at making his first batch and slung the kit in his garage. I'm a big fan of ginger beer but never had ginger BEER so naturally I had to make it happen. Used a variation on some recipes I found in these threads with ginger beer but only made 10 litres. Once I added this to the 30litre fermenter (Still getting my terminology right) I realised my first mistake. Also with the Scottish January weather it's been cold in my flat so the temperature of the fermenter has been between 16 and 20 degrees so took a while for yeast to finish off the sugar.
After 8 days there was still some sugar left according to the hydrometer (roughly 1.40) so I only added half a teaspoon of sugar when priming 2 L bottles.
Hope it all works out. Obviously I've used a few unorthodox methods so I'll let you know but I have 5 1/2 litres of clear ginger beer waiting for consumption.
Need some advice though. I know beer should be left in the bottles at room temp for at least 4 weeks but what about ginger beer? Since there's less ingredients do they they take less time to taste good? Also since my cold yeast didn't eat the recommended amount of sugar should it be left in the bottle for longer? Any suggestions much appreciated.
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Ska_J
Re: Ginger Beer
Firstly, I'm pretty sure ressurecting threads is ok, from my experience everyone here is very relaxed and helpful (and this has been posted in recently too!)
Secondly: Can you tell us what recipe you followed? If your hydrometer is 1.040 (which I guess must be what you had) then that is still quite high, at least compared to the drinks I've fermented. Unless some of the sugar in there is non fermentable then there is quite a lot which the yeast can still use and a chance of an exploding bottle.
Since this is ginger beer, you might want to just try it and see what its tasting like. You might find it is good at this stage and want to put the bottles in the fridge to stop it fermenting any further, I personally wouldn't want my ginger beer all alcohol and no sugar. On the other hand I would be careful to keep checking the bottles so that they don't explode. If its not fermented very much then I'd be tempted to put it back into the fermenter so this doesn't happen.
I'm not sure how much leaving ginger beer to condition is worthwhile, my experience in ginger beer is limited to one, and it didn't last long enough to know! Maybe someone else is more of a connoisseur and can help...
I hope it's delicious!
J
Secondly: Can you tell us what recipe you followed? If your hydrometer is 1.040 (which I guess must be what you had) then that is still quite high, at least compared to the drinks I've fermented. Unless some of the sugar in there is non fermentable then there is quite a lot which the yeast can still use and a chance of an exploding bottle.
Since this is ginger beer, you might want to just try it and see what its tasting like. You might find it is good at this stage and want to put the bottles in the fridge to stop it fermenting any further, I personally wouldn't want my ginger beer all alcohol and no sugar. On the other hand I would be careful to keep checking the bottles so that they don't explode. If its not fermented very much then I'd be tempted to put it back into the fermenter so this doesn't happen.
I'm not sure how much leaving ginger beer to condition is worthwhile, my experience in ginger beer is limited to one, and it didn't last long enough to know! Maybe someone else is more of a connoisseur and can help...
I hope it's delicious!
J
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chrb
Re: Ginger Beer
I'm doing one of the Tobar Ginger Beer kits that someone gave me as an Xmas present. It's basically ground ginger and a packet of dried yeast with some instructions. Now these instructions say:
Ah ha - was just looking back through my notes and saw that I'd scribbled "max safe 12g/l" next to priming sugar. I have no idea where I got this figure though. If it's correct then the 680g per 4.5l (170g/litre) from the Tobar instructions is way off.
So, they say to use 680g of sugar for priming 8 pints of ginger beer. This seems like a lot, obviously way above an ale, so my question is - is this correct for a soft-drink like carbonation? What's the actual pressure at which a glass bottle would explode?5. Into the 8 pint container place two pints of hot pre-boiled water and dissolve 1 1/2 lbs (680g) of sugar. Add to this the juice of 2 lemons and the sieved liquid from the second bowl.
6. When the liquid has cooled to 21C (70F) add 5 pints of water, mix thoroughly and bottle in the clean sterilised bottles...
Ah ha - was just looking back through my notes and saw that I'd scribbled "max safe 12g/l" next to priming sugar. I have no idea where I got this figure though. If it's correct then the 680g per 4.5l (170g/litre) from the Tobar instructions is way off.
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kennoway_brewery
Re: Ginger Beer
Thanks for the replies.
The recipe I used was...
lots of fresh grated ginger (about 15 thumb sized pieces)
juice and zest of 2 lemons
10 litres of water
7 grams brewers yeast (basic coopers I think)
1kg white sugar
Hydrometer readings...
17/01/09 Initial 40 1.040
19/01/09 48 hours 30 1.030
27/01/09 7 days 14 1.014
Hope that gives a better idea of my methods. It's looking good in the bottles. I left an inch of air at the top and squeezed it out the bottle before putting the tops on to give the beer extra room to move. I'll keep my eyes on the bottles though and maybe need to let some.
The recipe I used was...
lots of fresh grated ginger (about 15 thumb sized pieces)
juice and zest of 2 lemons
10 litres of water
7 grams brewers yeast (basic coopers I think)
1kg white sugar
Hydrometer readings...
17/01/09 Initial 40 1.040
19/01/09 48 hours 30 1.030
27/01/09 7 days 14 1.014
Hope that gives a better idea of my methods. It's looking good in the bottles. I left an inch of air at the top and squeezed it out the bottle before putting the tops on to give the beer extra room to move. I'll keep my eyes on the bottles though and maybe need to let some.