Nana's Ginger Beer | Community Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How long do you leave ginger beer to ferment? ›

Bottle in sealable bottles: Recycle plastic soda bottles with screw tops; rubber gasket “bail-top” bottles that Grolsch and some other premium beers use; sealable juice jugs; or capped beer bottles, as described in chapter 11. Leave bottles to ferment in a warm spot for about 2 weeks. Cool before opening.

Others say the raisins are added to supply nutrients for the yeast. The ginger and sugar alone cannot host a very healthy yeast colony without the trace minerals supplied by the raisins. Whatever the case, your ginger beer needs it. They're also edible (at own risk).

Brewing your own alcoholic ginger beer is no big deal! If you like the fiery taste of ginger, you'll love this homemade fermented drink. Its alcohol content is similar to that of a beer, which is usually between 3 and 5%.

YOU MUST LET IT COOL BEFORE PROCEEDING TO THE NEXT STEP. Heat will kill your microbes and your ginger beer won't ferment.

Beer, we always recommend that you bottle your beer no later than 24 days in the fermenter. You can go longer but the longer your beer sits the more chance you have to get an infection and get off-flavors in your beer.

“Ginger root contains a special compound called gingerol that has been shown to support gastrointestinal motility, or the rate that food moves through the digestive tract,” explained Stefani Sassos, a registered dietitian and the nutrition and fitness director for the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Adding cream of tartar to simple syrup inhibits the natural tendency for granular sugar to recrystallize, there's also a side benefit that the cream of Tartar gives a smooth mouth-feel finish to the drink.

Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, and Anti-cancer Properties

Ginger also contains antioxidant properties and inhibits inflammatory responses due to natural anti-inflammatory compounds. In addition to gingerol, ginger also contains shogaol and paradols that have been shown in studies to prevent cancer.

After using this bug for the ginger beer, it is possible to seal it and put it in the refrigerator, where it will lie dormant — and alive — for a few days. But beware, if left long enough, it will go flat because the yeasts will die.

Rum & Ginger Beer co*cktails

Whether it's white rum, dark rum or spiced rum, the rich taste of rum gives an added depth of flavor to our zingy Ginger Beer.

What kind of yeast to use for ginger beer? ›

Add champagne yeast. Cap bottle and let stand at room temperature for about 2 days, checking bottle pressure intermittently by squeezing it or releasing the cap slightly and briefly. When ginger beer has achieved desired carbonation level, transfer to refrigerator. To serve, strain into glass.

Place the bottles in an out-of-the-way room temperature spot in the kitchen and let them ferment for at least 5 days. Depending on the temperature of the room and the amount of yeast that made it into the bottle, your ginger beer can take up to 10 days to fully ferment and carbonate.

The above process should yield ginger beer with an ABV of circa. 3.5%. If you like your Ginger Beer more alcoholic, say 6%, then just add an additional 1kg of Dextrose or raw sugar at the start – easy! It is easy – follow the directions as above but do not add the Dextrose or raw sugar and do not ferment for 5-7 days.

It's ready to bottle when bubbles are forming at the top of the jar. Strain the mixture and bottle it in a bottle that can handle the carbonation. See notes for more details. Allow the ginger beer to ferment in the bottle for a further 2 to 5 days to build up the carbonation.

Generally speaking, it takes 2 1/2 to 8 weeks to get from ingredients to finished, ready-to-drink beer, with a 3-4 week timeline being the most common.

This is why many brewers give beer at least two weeks before bottling, but sooner than 2 weeks is ideal for hoppy beers and wheat beers, which are brewed to be drank quickly. You won't get to take full advantage of the clean up phase, but highly hopped beers begin to lose characteristics quickly.

Place in a warm location for 24 to 48 hours. (Do not leave at room temperature longer than necessary to feel "hard." The excess pressure may cause an eruption when you open it, or even explode the bottle!). Test to see if carbonation is complete by squeezing the bottle forcefully with your thumb.