You may have wondered how to make homemade ginger ale? How to make homemade ginger beer? Or maybe you’re wondering what is the difference between ginger ale and ginger beer? Let’s dig deep into this topic and learn how to make homemade wild fermented ginger soda today!
But first, this is not how to make ginger beer at home. This is how I make ginger beer at home, and believe me, it’s fantastic.
What’s the difference between ginger ale and ginger beer?
Historically ginger beer was a fermented drink that contained some alcohol, as all fermented foods and drinks do. Modern day ginger beer and ginger ale are very difference from the traditional naturally made beverage.
Today’s ginger beer is non-alcoholic and very sweet. When trying to choose a ginger ale or ginger beer at the store, keep in mind that a ginger beer has a stronger ginger flavor. Ginger ale may be a lighter ginger flavor that also incorporates other flavors in the soda.
Both store bought ginger ale and ginger beer are carbonated. Many people use the two terms interchangeably.
But what about a naturally made soda?
Did you know you can make many types of sodas at home? Even without special ingredients or equipment. The natural bacteria present on our food and in our environment are there waiting for the right conditions to make magic. Kitchen alchemy!
How to make homemade ginger beer.
What you’ll need:
Swing top glass bottles
or
A couple of glass or plastic water bottles you save and rinse
Ingredients:
Ginger
Sugar
Ginger Bug Starter (Learn how to make a ginger bug starter)
Water
Time
How to make homemade ginger beer from scratch?
First you will need to make your ginger bug starter. If you’ve never done that before, check out this post where I describe how I make and maintain my ginger bug.
Ginger Bug! Starting and Maintaining One is Easier Than You Think!
Start by boiling a half gallon water. A half gallon is 64oz aka 8 cups.
While the water is boiling, grate the ginger and then add to boiling water.
Immediately reduce heat and simmer for 20-40 minutes.
After that time is up and the ginger tea is strong enough for you, strain it through fine mesh strainer into your gallon jar. You can then add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add some cold water and lemon juice to almost fill gallon jar, leave a couple inches of headspace.
Now you have your sweet ginger tea, time to ferment it.
Make sure the liquid is cooled to room temperature then strain ginger bug in. Pour all of that liquid to gallon jar. I use about 1 cup of ginger bug starter for this much soda.
Go ahead and add a few slices of fresh ginger to the mix before covering it with a cloth or coffee filter and rubber band. Be sure to write the date and time on the jar.
And now, you wait.
Stir the jar often over the next 24 hours. At least 3 times a day if at all possible. If it’s not starting to get bubbly you can leave it for longer. The goal here is to see and hear some bubbles in the jar. You’ll see it at around the 24 hour mark depending on how hot your house is.
After things are bubbly, use the bottle funnel to fill your swing top bottles.
Leave the ginger beer to ferment again in the swing top bottles for 1 – 7 days. Use the plastic bottle method to tell when they are carbonated enough, then move them to the fridge.
Let sit in the fridge at least another day or two before enjoying.
That’s it! It isn’t that hard to learn how to make homemade ginger beer, is it?
What’s the plastic bottle method?
What I mean by the plastic bottle method is simple. I use at least one plastic bottle when bottling my soda. That means I can do 5 glass swing top bottles, which I prefer, as long as I have a sixth bottled in a plastic vessel. The reason for this is so you can tell how the carbonation is building up just by squeezing the plastic bottle. When it stops feeling squishy and starts feeling tight your soda is ready to move into the fridge.
Don’t worry, if your bottle never get’s tight, still move it into the fridge after 4 or 5 days. Leave it in the fridge for a couple days to a week before giving it a taste. I find the longer it stays in the fridge (to a point) the better the soda it. Like a fine wine, it’s better with age.
How to Make Homemade Ginger Beer
Equipment
- gallon glass jar
- cloth or coffee filter
- rubber band
- swing top glass bottles
- fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- ginger – an inch or two for a mild taste – a whole hand for a spicier brew
- 3/4 cup – 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup ginger bug strained, liquid only
- 4 quarts water
- Juice of 2 lemons or 4 limes
Instructions
- Boil a half gallon water (64oz).
- Grate the ginger and add to boiling water.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 20-40 minutes.
- Strain through fine mesh strainer into your gallon jar.
- Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Add cold water and lemon juice to almost fill gallon jar, leave a couple inches of headspace.
- Make sure liquid is cooled to room temperature then strain ginger bug, add liquid to gallon jar. Hopefully about 1 cup of ginger bug liquid.
- Add a few slices of fresh ginger. Stir often over the next 24 hours. If it’s not starting to get bubbly you can leave it for longer.
- After things are bubbly, use funnel to fill swing top bottles.
- Leave to ferment again for 1 – 7 days. Use the plastic bottle method to tell when they are carbonated enough, then move them to the fridge.
- Let sit in fridge another day or two before enjoying.
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