Ginger beer

[JarrodN]

Hello I'm looking at trying a ginger beer but want to make a full strength brew. The coopers recipe is:

1 can of ginger beer

1 kg Raw sugar

 

I was thinking perhaps 2 cans of ginger beer, would this work??

[PB2]

The Ginger Beer kit is probably the only style that copes okay with 2kg of raw sugar. This will bring it up to around the 5.5% abv mark.

[JarrodN]

Cool thanks I'm really looking forward to making this as I love [love] ginger beer. Is there anything else I can add to make it taste better?

[Dj labby]

Try adding some light dry malt. Just gives it a little more body and feel.

Another easy reciepe that i make 15L of,

Small packet of ground ginger and boiled in about 2 litres of water, add in your sugars, bout 2kgs or so, wait for it all to dissolve and the boil brings out the flavour, then just pour into your fermenter add yeast and Viola.

Oh i also squeeze a couple of lemons and put a few skins in with the fermentation.

The only biggest problem is that most of the sugar ferments out, so i add some artificial sweetner in at the end, just so its a bit like Soda.

Good luck.

 

[Matty A]

Wow that seems like alot of fermentables in the Ginger Beer Robert. What is the OG and FG of this bad boy, the ABV would be fairly high.

 

BTW I noticed it was your first post so welcome to the forums.

[Dj labby]

Good question. I have no idea, am still only new to brewing and understanding how to properly use the Hydro, also a bit lazy, but i think i estimated at about 5%or so, but its only about 2kg of fermentables per brew. My last brew was a little lower due to less sugar. But gees its nice and easy to drink.

 

Actually one thing i have found and it doesn't really bother me, but when i crack the lid(1.25L PET) it bubbles profusely and if i don't crack it then close it several times, it would overflow. Can anyone help me with that?

 

Thanks for the welcome.

I've done a few beer brews and have started using hops and soon start adding grains. I've found this site to be a wealth of information so far.

Rob

[Muddy Waters]

Actually one thing i have found and it doesn't really bother me' date=' but when i crack the lid(1.25L PET) it bubbles profusely and if i don't crack it then close it several times, it would overflow. Can anyone help me with that? [/quote']

 

Robert, this sounds like either they have been slightly overprimed or that the beer hadn't quite finished fermenting. No worries in PET but can lead to bottle bombs in glass.

 

As for the ginger beer fermentables it sounds similar to the amount I put in. I've never been able to perfect a ginger that tastes great on it's own without a dash of lemonade or soda. I suspect this may be due to the alcohol content and the flavour it imparts.

 

This is what I added to either my last GB or the one before that:

 

Cooper\u2019s Ginger Beer kit

500gms LDM

1kg dextrose

500g Dark Brown Sugar

500g Ginger

2 cinnamon sticks

12 cloves

2 Chillies

2 Cups splenda (non-fermentable - for sweetness)

1 tsp Yeast nutrient (optional)

 

Pound ginger, cinnamon and cloves in a mortar then add to a couple of litres of water and boil for an hour. Mix in fermentables at end and strain into fermenter. Add Ginger beer kit and top up to 20L with water. Pitch Yeast. Wait.

[Dj labby]

Thanks Muddy.

Yah i think the fermentation must not've been completely finished.

Yah i tried using that 50/50 sweetner and sugar, but found "sugarless sweet as" liquid is great coz you use very little to get the sweetness you need, so its best value for money that i found.

I like the idea of cloves and cinnamon. chillies?? i think the 500g of ginger on top of the can would make it quite spicy. Anyways.

I'm also brewing Mead, so like the addition of cloves and cinnamon. Yah i used the nutrient salts too.

Thanks Muddy.

[Canadian Eh!L]

Hi guys,

 

There is a really nice ginger beer over here made by Phillips Brewery out of Victoria, BC. It has a ABV5% and is spicey but not overly sweet. It is very refreshing and is a nice change from the norm.

 

I was hoping to make something like it. The thing is i can't get the Cooper's Ginger beer kit around here. So this is what I was thinking....

 

1.7 Kg Mex Cerveza kit

500g LDM

566g amber liquid malt

500g honey

500g ginger root (pounded and boiled for 20mins)

21L water

7g kit yeast

 

I'm looking for advice here. The way I see this one is that the malt and honey will give the residual sweetness but what i am not sure about is the amount of ginger. Should it be more?

[Dj labby]

Hey,

500g would prob be ok. I put 400g into about 12l on my first run and it was wayyyyy too spicy. But i think 500 in a full brew would be ok.

I just ask why use a cerveza can?

Another thing to note is that honey is just a sugar, complex but still a sugar. It will ferment out to nothing and leave very little sweetness and will make the fermentation take a little longer. Malt will help and give body, but you will need to offset the maltiness of the brew. I'd definately add some lemon juice or even some citric acid.This is just my taste and thoughts though.

Goodluck up there in B.C.

[Canadian Eh!L]

Hi Rob,

 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I thought i'd use the Mex. Cervesa for a couple of reasons.

 

1 i've never used the Mex. kit so i thought this was the time.

2 The mex. kit is very light in colour and bitterness which I feel is what i am going for. i am also trying to avoid the POR hops that is in the OS series kits.

 

The honey is an adjunct that I used fairly regularly in my brews so I know what to expect with it and feel it would be a nice touch with the ginger. The malty sweetness is to be balanced out with the spiciness of the ginger. Maybe i should add some Chinook to add some bitterness, though.?

 

If I was adding lemon juice would I add it at the time of fermentation? How much?

 

Chad

[CarlV1]

Hi Chad,

 

Interesting. I've just done something very similar to what you've described. I searched on the net to find a good ginger beer as I cant get the kit (or atleast it is very expensive!).

 

I did:

1 x can Coopers Mex

500gms fresh ginger

500gms honey

4 lemons

Safale US05 yeast

 

I only made this to 15L.

 

I used honey to try and get the sweetness up as I understand it ferments 90-95% - and to give aroma. I was wanting the malt in the kit to add to body and some residual sweetness - not wanting it too dry(I didn't have any lactose to sweeten with).

 

Got an OG of 1040 so it wont be too strong. Fermenting very slowly so far - only been down for 4 days.

 

How do you find the honey adds to your brews? I boiled it to ensure not harmful bacteria but some people say that destroys the aroma. Your thoughts?

 

Cheers,

Carl

 

 

[Dj labby]

I use the lemons in the fermentation process coz the yeast likes the nutrients, or well thats what they say in the Mead forums. Just to keep the PH right.I like the lemonade taste too, brings me back to my childhood where my mum used to make lemonade. Yah i guess the cerveza kit could work.

I saw a reciepe on Youtube for gingerbeer. Thats where i thought about using malt.

Yah well results speak for them selves, be great to try when its done.

[JarrodN]

Hey Carl just a quick one, when you say 4 lemons is that 4 whole lemons chucked in? Is that the same with the ginger as well?

[Canadian Eh!L]

Hey guys,

 

I just put this one down minutes ago.

 

Golden Ginger Ale

 

1.7 kg Mex. Cervesa

500g LDM

566g LME (amber)

500g honey

500g fresh ginger root (pounded & boiled 20mins)

2 whole lemons (halved, squeezed & chucked in for 20mins)

8g Chinook (20mins)

22g Cascade (20mins)

7g Cooper's Kit yeast

25L water

OG 1.042

 

[Dj labby]

Wow, interesting brew. Love to see how it turns out.

Good luck.

 

Yah you need to squeeze the juice out of the lemons first, then throw the skins in.

[CarlV1]

Yes, I squeezed the lemons and then put the skins in the boil (to get flavour and sterilise.