Once
you have an active ginger bug (see part two below) you’re ready to make the
beer.
Ingredients (makes 1 gallon):
4-5
inches fresh ginger root
1
½ cups sugar
2
lemons
water
Boil
two quarts of water and add ½ cup – ¾ cup grated ginger (depending on how
strong you want the ginger flavor) and 1 ½ cups sugar. Boil the mixture for 15
minutes. Turn off heat and add two additional quarts of water (preferable cold,
to quicken the cooling of the mixture). Let cool to body temperature.
Add
juice of two lemons and the strained ginger bug. Stir well and pour the entire
mixture through a strainer.
Bottle
in sealable bottles (using a funnel!); you can reuse soda bottles with screw
tops, juice jugs, or the fancy ‘ball-top’ bottles with rubber seals. Leave to
ferment in a warm place for about two weeks. We checked ours after a week and
it was ready! The time it takes to become optimally carbonated depends on the
climate and the strength of your bug. Open with caution, or at least have an
empty glass handy – several of our bottles overflowed when we cracked the seal.
Variations:
We’ve
been experimenting with adding different flavors and juices to our ginger beers.
The batch we made using a lime in place of one of the lemons was particularly
successful. We also added fruit juice to several bottles, about two tablespoons
per ½ quart. I recommend pineapple or Surinam cherry, but experiment with
whatever fruits or juices you have on hand. Note that the added fruit juice
will actually quicken fermentation, so check those bottles sooner.
For
the next batch I’m going to try adding spices – I’m thinking cinnamon, cloves
and cardamom – and a bit of honey. The possibilities are endless!
Happy
soda-making.
 |
| A baby pineapple! |
 |
| Loquat and Blood Orange for experimenting |
Note:
These instructions were inspired by Sandor Katz’s amazing book, ‘Wild
Fermentation’ which we used as our guide through the process.
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