If you don't have a scale, you really should just break down and get one. I put it off for years - which wasn't so bad because you can now get a decent digital one now for less than $30.
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| credit: greatcanadianpubs.blogspot.com |
I also use some plastic screw-top bottles. These are good because you can squeeze 'em to see if the yeast is working properly. So when in doubt, just get some clean used large soft-drink bottles and you'll be okay.
A word of caution - be careful about the pressure issues I highlight at the end of this recipe. If you are a regular beer brewer, you'll be familiar with the grenade effect. If not, just read carefully. I make only 4 or 5 large bottles worth because that will fit in our fridge. Read the last bit about the risks if you don't refrigerate.
A word about hygiene - This is a brewing process with yeast involved. You'll need to be reasonably clean, though obsessively sterilizing isn't necessary. Unlike brewing beer, this is a much shorter time-frame process, and a bit more forgiving, but wild yeasts or soap contamination could spoil your batch.
On Yeast - for best results you really need to find a beer & wine making store and pick up a package of beer-brewing yeast. It's very cheap, often around $1. You can use bread yeast, but it doesn't taste as good.
About the oven - The brewing stage needs a stable warm place. Your oven works perfectly if it has a light bulb inside. Turn it on low for a minute or two to get the chill out, then OFF with the light still on. Place a bowl inside with warm water in it. Do this before you start anything, so it can reach a steady temperature. Measure the temperature of the water in the bowl as a way to accurately read the temp of the oven. You're shooting for 30-36C ideally. That's like a hot summer day.
Finally, note that this is the result of reading many old recipes and experimenting to acheive the taste, spice, colour and effervescence I value in a ginger beer. You might feel differently, but I'll add tips along the way.
Equipment:
- Big pot - mine is almost 5 Litres, (probably about a gallon)
- A large crockery vessel, something non-metallic. If you don't have one, a couple of large glass or ceramic ones would probably work too. Food-grade plastic is probably okay. If you have nothing, you could use the same cooking pot, but be warned you might get a metallic taste in your result.
- 5 - 750ml bottles, or equivalent based on the above discussion
- Large stirring spoon, should be non-wood for hygiene reasons above.
- Weighing Scale - in grams
- Thermometer that reads the 20-40C range pretty accurately.
- Glass measuring cup or siphon hose.
You'll need an oven or a steady warm place, sitting it beside the fire was traditional.
Ingredients
- Ginger Root 140g grated. That'll require a big chunk that fills your whole hand
- Sugar - 130g brown, 250g white That's 2/3 white 1/3 brown.
- Cream of Tartar 10g
- Lemon Juice 1Tbsp adds some acidity and bite
- Cold Water 4Litres - filtered is best, but whatever.
- 1Pkg Brewers yeast - it's a little envelope
Procedure
Get your water ready. If using straight tap water, let it run cold for 60 seconds or so. Did you know the first water that comes out typically has heavy metal content above your local municipal drinking water health guidelines. Crazy huh?
Put 4litres of water into the large pot and get the heat on it. Measure and add your sugar, cream of tartar and lemon juice. As it starts to boil, turn it back, but stir well to ensure everything is dissolved.
Shred the ginger with a medium-to-large grater. Don't let the juice get away, it's good stuff. Put it into a tiny saucepan and just cover it with cold water. Raise to a hard boil, and hold it there for three minutes.
Add that ginger and liquid into the big pot, and bring it all to a boil. Simmer it so it's just lightly boiling for 10-15 minutes. In brewing this stuff is called 'wort'.
Now turn it all off, and let it cool. If you're impatient like me, you can emerse the entire pot in a shallow cold water bath in your sink to speed it up, it can take hours otherwise.
IMPORTANT - your goal is to get it down to about 32Celsius. That's 90 Fahrenheit if your thermometer is wacky.
Make sure your oven is in the 30-40C range as it should be by now.
When the temp is right (don't cheat you'll murder the yeast), transfer the liquid to your crockery pot. Sprinkle your yeast in and stir it around well. If the temp is too high you'll kill the yeast and it won't work. So be sure of the temperature. If it's too low the yeast will be dormant and do nothing. Between 28C and 36C is okay, low 30's is best.
Using a couple of vessels because you don't have a big one? Add the yeast to the pot first then dispense into the smaller vessels. Try to divide up the solids evenly too.
Place the vessel into your oven, and cover with a clean cloth towel or napkin. Let it sit for 18-24hours. You might see a bit of foaminess, usually there isn't much. Not like beer which would foam all over the place. Put a cookie sheet under your vessel just in case, to catch spills.
After you're done, transfer it gently through a sieve to the big (CLEAN) pot. There will still be some sediment, but don't worry about that. Let it sit while you get your bottles in order, and mostly leave the sediment behind as you transfer. Some like a more cloudy bottled result, but it will settle in the bottom.
You need to fill the bottles. Use a clean, clean, clean measuring cup, or even better a siphon if you have clean food-grade tubing (the beer makers will have one handy). Fill the bottles but ENSURE you leave an air space - about two fingers worth in the neck of the bottle will be fine.
Tightly cap all the bottles, and leave them out at room temperature for a day. If you have plastic bottles, squeeze one occasionally, it should be hard after about 24hrs. It's worth using one plastic bottle just for this test. If it doesn't get hard after a day, or two at the most, your yeast was either bad or you screwed up and killed it. You could re-boil, re-cool and re-add the yeast if you are in such a predicament, rather than throw it away.
Put the bottles in your refrigerator. If you leave them out longer, be careful when opening the top. After a few days or a week they'll be energetic. After a couple of weeks warm, they may be geysers or grenades. In the fridge they'll keep for weeks with no problems. But once you taste them, it will be hard to not drink 'em all up.
I'll make a separate post of notes for experienced beer brewers and other keeners shortly. Some stuff you're probably wondering.
