Ginger Beer

[dmcmillen]

When we were in Ecuador a while back we had a really good Ginger Beer. It was light and refreshing with a good taste of ginger but not overpowering. I think this would be a great beer for the summer which is just around the corner. I don't want to make ginger ale. I want to make a ginger beer. I was thinking of a light ale and adding some fresh grated ginger possibly to the boil and the secondary or maybe just the secondary. I know from cooking that ginger is very strong and can very easily become overpowering so it probably won't take much. Just don't have a feel for it at this time.

Edit: I notice that a lot of recipes don't treat as a beer with some ginger added but use a lot of sugar/honey/brown sugar/molasses fermentibles. Be curious as to why.

Any ideas or recipes that anyone might want to share.

 

[brwmistr]

I just finished my third batch of ginger beer used;
3.5 liters water
2 inches of peeled thin sliced ginger root
1/4 lime washed and cut in the center to let the juice out
4tbs honey (grav test to get abv you want)
7grams lavalin-1118

Boiled on the stove until water turned golden in color, cool until 30cel or less and pour into fermenter and pitched yeast. One week test gravity then bottle adding a tsp sugar to carb it.

 

[North_of_60]

This is my best ever Ginger Beer (AKA Barley Pop). It was a hit with most every one who tried it. It’s been 4 or 5 years since I made it. I’ll probably make it again soon. I will skip the lemon grass next time and just use 2 lemons.

We have a masticating juicer so I’ll juice the ginger and add the juice at 10 minutes remaining boil. Also add the brown sugar at the end of the boil.

If you’re bottling, it gets really dry since the sugers are fermented out. The honey malt helps but I add white sugar till I get the taste I want when I keg it. I suppose you could use an artificial sweetener for bottling, I don’t like the taste they have though.

Edit: also I will use whirlfloc at 10 minutes boil and gelatin at cold crash for fining. Because of the ginger it will still be a bit cloudy though.

 

[kevin58]

If anyone wants to try a 1700's early American Ginger Beer here is an interesting video...

 

[dmcmillen]

@kevin58 - pretty neat video. Thanks for sharing.