Making Ginger Beer is awesome and easy – although it requires a little patience (the biggest downside is it will take 1-4 weeks before it’s ready) and demands your attention at the start of the process. The upside is the depth of flavor, natural carbonation that is something magical to have created. Homemade ginger beer is wholly satisfying and a lot of fun to make.
Our recipe is based on the writing of Sandor Kraut though the quantities of ingredients and technique are pretty similar across the Internet as I suspect they have been for hundreds of years.
NOTE: This is an extremely active ferment – the process does not consume all of the sugar and this will continue to ferment at room temperature because of that. Storing this at room temperature can lead to explosions, especially if stored in glass. It’s best to store this in plastic or swing top bottles and store in fridge which will slow/ stop the fermenting. I prefer plastic because you can squeeze the bottle to test pressure (if it’s rock hard, slowly open it over a sink to release some pressure). This is true of almost every fermented non-alcoholic sweet beverage you’ll ever ferment. Although the risk is real, I don’t want to scare you off this awesome treat. Following the process above will keep it safe and is easily manageable; traditionally this was managed by storage in a cold cellar.
There are two parts to the process – the first small fermentation (called the ‘bug’) which gets things really kicking (almost like a starter for sour dough), and then a secondary fermentation with extra ingredients.
Ginger Beer Ingredients
- Water
- Ginger (a large piece about 8 inches long)
- 1.5 cups of sugar
- 2 lemons (it just isn’t the same without them)
Ginger Beer Instructions
- To start the bug, place 1 cup of room temperature water in a jar or bowl (I use a mason jar). If your tap water is chlorinated, allow it to sit open to the air for an hour before proceeding (this will help eliminate the chlorine and will help the fermenting).
- Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of finely chopped ginger. Stir well.
- Cover loosely with cheesecloth; I use a single layer as natural yeasts will enter the jar but flies will not. I hold it in place by screwing a band around it (just not using the lid).
- Store in a warm, dry place.
- Add ginger and sugar (the same amounts) every day, stirring after. Repeat until your contents become fizzy (you’ll be able to hear it). This should take a couple of days and up to a week. Our apartment has a bit of the initial chill of winter in it so it takes its sweet time.
- Boil 2 liters of water with six inches of chopped ginger root (for a strong flavor, you can use less if you’d like) and 1.5 cups of sugar.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely and strain the contents to remove the solids.
- Add the juice of two lemons, and this syrup to your ginger bug.
- Strain the mixture to remove solids.
- Add water (again a good practice is to let the chlorinated water sit for a bit) to increase the contents to 4 liters (roughly a gallon)
- Bottle in clean bottles – you can get them from brew-your-own beer stores, reuse Grolsch pop-top bottles (there’s a full post on how to use them here) or use beer bottles if you have a capper. We’ll share how to sterilize/clean later this week (it’s a post unto itself). Per above, plastic is the safest if you’re worried about explosions.
- Store until the bottle is hard to squeeze (in the case of plastic). It should take 2 days to a few weeks (the warmer things are, the quicker this will be as long as the temperature is under 100 degrees farenheit). If you’re worried about pressure, open slowly over a sink to release pressure (further fermentation will make sure it stays carbonated).
- Once it’s complete, store in refrigerator; know that this can be a little more prone to making a mess when opening so be near a sink, with a glass!
It’s really fantastic.
If you make Ginger Beer, do you do anything differently?
I will finally do it! I love ginger beer!
I add a few sultanas to help the initial fermentation begon but otherwise same.
Do not store in house of it can be avoided as bottles can explode and ruin carpets and walls – yes the voice of experience who stored them in a wine rack in the hallway.
cheers chookie2
The pressure of fermentation is also strong enough to make glass bottles explode (I have 6 stitches to prove it.) It sounded like pipe bomb went off in the kitchen. I recommend plastic or using a cork rather than the beer bottles with porcelain caps. That said, homemade ginger beer is delicious.
I’ve fermented it in 2 ltr soda bottles, squishing the sides of the bottle in about 1/2 inch each side (1/4 inch for 20 oz bottles). It will become firm soon in the summer time, not sure how long the sides will fill out and become firm in the winter, or in the fridge.
Do I strain it again before bottling, after adding the bug? Or do I leave all the bits of ginger that are in the bug?
Hi Melissa, you do indeed want to strain both (you cna do this after combining) – I’ve updated the post to make that clearer – thanks for the question!
Hi Joel, just wanted to say that I made it exactly the same as your recipe and it turned out perfect!! My husband and little girl loved it and I will definitely be making it again
Thanks Joel, the bug is bubbling away and the syrup is almost boiling on the stove
I bottled my ginger beer about 3 weeks ago and have been excitedly awaiting the results, however i just noticed 3 of the 5 bottles have what look like mold blooms floating in them. the other two bottles are fine and are getting fizzy. Could the mold be a sanitization issue? I used 1/2 liter plastic soda bottles cleaned with regular dish soap and then sanitized with Five Star. The moldy bottles are all green, while the ok bottles are clear, but that could just be coincidence… any thoughts? I want to figure it out before i start another batch!
Stephanie, total bummer – sorry to hear.
I haven’t had this before but looked into it at Wildfermentation.com (it’s the Sandor Katz site we share from time to time and I love) and found this:
http://www.wildfermentation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=61
Read the whole thread – but here’s what I gleaned – as it’s a forum you have to take it for what it is – the experience of others not necessarily ‘scientific fact’:
1) It could be sanitization.
2) It could be a yeast film (although it sounds like yours indeed is mould)
3) Mould needs air to grow – it could be a headspace/ too much air in the bottle issue.
4) It could be a vegetation issue – i.e. not strainer enough.
That’s a lot of variables but all 4 sound like good places to check before starting again.
Is any of that helpful?
j
Just my 2 cents, since I’ve noticed this with mine as well. When I opened the bottles, it all mixed together and tasted just fine. No mold smell and no off flavor. I believe it is a filtering issue. It is just a blob of the ginger and other spices that have collected on the bottom area, much like what happens with Kombucha’s expended yeasts and bacteria that are harmless.
THanks for adding this Trudi!
Thanks, I had looked around on Sandor’s site but missed that particular post. I’m not sure what I actually have is mold since it’s floating in the liquid, not on the surface. Although I suppose it could have started on top and submerged as it grew (they’re about .5 to .75″ in diameter, tan colored and fuzzy looking). all my bottles had the same amount of headspace, and there’s definitely sediment, but it just looks like the little white yeasties.
I guess i’ll wait and see how it turns out after it carbonates enough. I assume I will know by the taste if something is really bad. thanks for the suggestions!
The other possability is that air is seeping into the boddle (i.e. the lids didn’t seal) which could feed the mold. I’ve never enountered it so can’t reccomend consuming it but do reccomend doing research to see the experience of others (specifically those who would be recognized as experts or experienced with it). It may be worth posting a question in Sandor’s forum (the link in this thread) to see if anyone there has ecperienced the same; but quality of answer will be reliant on who answers it.
I just have bottled the ginger beer. I took the liberty of burning the sugar a little bit to give it an amber brownish color that i personally like.
However, is there any way i could have screw it up and end up killing or poisoning my friends?
I’m really concerned about this particular topic.
Cheers.
Feedmejunk,
I unfortunately can’t make that decision for you – but I do drink it. If you google WILD FERMENTATION FORUM you’ll see a tonne of posts all claiming that you can’t hurt a fly with it. My learning is based on reading, research and experimentation and if you poured me a glass I would drink it but can’t reccomend that you do. This article explains why I can’t reccomend in greater detail; I know it’s not what you are looking for but it explains why…
http://wellpreserved.ca/2011/09/14/the-multiple-problems-around-advice-on-preserving-tomato-sauce/
Joel, a little bit of an update:
Today was the second week of storing and i gave it a try. I left it in the fridge all night and i opened carefully, it had A LOT of gas! i had to open it and close it a few time for the liquid not to be spilled…
Apart from that, there were sediments in the bottom, but i didn’t mind.
It tasted delicios, fresh lemony, a little mit acidic and with a strong and sweet ginger aftertaste.
I have never had actuall ginger beer because in my countr (Argentina) doesn’t exist, so i’m really happy with the final product, but i don’t have a clue if it tastes any similar to ginger beer.
I drank almost 2 litters so far an i’m a little tipsy, so thank you for the recipie!
So I am trying again. I started the bug a week ago, after 4 days it got very fizzy, but i wasn’t prepared to bottle that day. Now, two days later there is no fizz at all though i’ve been feeding it every day. Did I miss the window? will the yeasties perk up again, or should I just start over?
Stephanie,
Sorry to hear. I’d start anew but keep your current one going to see if it turns. Mine doesn’t fizz wildly although if I give it a gently jostle I can see some bubbles.
The most common reasons for no fermentation include not feeding (but you are), chlorinated water, soap residue in the jar or too much/ too little heat.
Let us know what happens and what you try!
Joel
I started a new bug while continuing to feed the one that had stopped bubbling. After a couple of days the old one just started getting moldy. But the new bug is fizzing away happily now, and I will be bottling tonight! We’ll let you know how it turns out!
-Stephanie
I’m going to start a batch of this and use the Golsch pop-top bottles, How much headspace should I leave in these in order to reduce my chance of explosion? Thanks!
Kelli,
I’ll put up a post tomorrow on using Grolsch bottles – they are all good; there’s a bit of cleaning to be done first and I’ll clarify headspace then. Not trying to evade – have to go back to my notes to see and will fire the topic across the facebook group to see if there’s any advice as I’ve never personally done it (though I have drank many homebrews from friends who have)…
J
Heya Kelli!
You inspired today’s post – it’s far more than just the headspace (about an inch) but I had to look back at my notes to get that info too. Been meaning to write this one for a while, you may know the rest of it – if you haven’t used them before I’ve shared some more info on using them:
http://wp.me/p2nOai-3vL
Let us know how it goes!
New question, I tried to find an answer to this to no avail. Is there anyway to stop the fermentation process completely. I want to not have to store it all in my fridge. What if you stored it in the fridge for a bit and then removed it for storage in the garage. If the yeast don’t die off they will continue to consume the available sugar in the brew. Ideas?
Alas, no real way to stop it and keep it alive – it’s part of the magic. But we have a batch that’s in bottles for several months (i.e. 6+ right now) and it’s still fine…
Cool temperatures will help ease the fermentation.
Having said that, if you want to keep it for a long time, my guess (not a tonne of experience) is that opening a bottle from time to time would give you an idea how much pressure is building in the others. It’s not exactly scientific but is my best guess.
Or make more.
J
Hi Joel. I recently made a batch of ginger beer for the first time ever following a recipe that did not include yeast and advised storing in a draft-free place for 2 days, and keeping at room temperature for 3 more days (or longer) before serving. I’m on the 5th day or so, and have noticed the white moldy-looking spots that have gathered on top of the brew. Is this normal? Are there health concerns here that I should be aware of? Is this something that I just need to scrape off of should I just throw it all out? I’ve also noticed that other recipes advise NOT to store at room temperature because explosions can happen. So, at this point, I’m a little confused about what to do next. Can you help?
Hi Corey,
I haven’t experienced this exactly so let me give it a shot and then I’ll give you a resource to get more info that will help.
Let’s start at the bottom: When you store it at room temperature, it will continue to ferment. Fermentation will add pressure (this is part of it staying carbonated). Chilling it will slow and almost stop the fermentation (not kill the carbonation) and stabilize the pressure. Putting it in the fridge will ease the pressure.
I haven’t run into the white spots before – when I run into something I haven’t encountered I search the Wild Fermentation forum (they are part of Sandor Katz’s site – he is the King of ferments)… http://www.wildfermentation.com/forum/ I searched white spots there and it sounds encouraging – take a peak there and let us know what you think!
J
Can this recipie be doubled or tripled? Everything is going well I just would like to make a dozen or so
Bob,
I haven’t tried but it should work – if you do, let us know how it goes…
If it doesn’t, you could make 4 bugs at once (i.e. 4 small jars) and then quadruple everything during cooking/ bottling. 
Joel
Hi all,
New here, but I thought I would throw my .02 in. I am onto week 3 of fermentation now and it is really starting to taste good. I think keeping the lid on and resisting the urge to taste it everyday is the hardest part!
Anyways, I decided to make quite a large batch using a recipe very similar to this one. About 20 litres in a large water cooler bottle. Everything seems to be going great! I just scaled up the recipe as necessary. Most of it was really just eyeballing it. Not a ton of precise measurement.
I will update in 4 or 5 days after bottling.
PS…. I am currently sitting around 6% alcohol content….
How do you restart the bug from the solids in step 9? Just add a bit of water and then recommence step 5?
Maybe do it like a beer… check it with a hydrometer twice over the course of a few days to be sure it’s done fermenting, then add corn sugar (for a 5 gallon batch of beer I believe 3/4 cup is right) and bottle. This way you know the fermentation is done first and you can get the proper fizz you’d like without the risk of explosion…
hi there
I was wondering if using an airlock on a 1 gallon glass carboy would help the “explosion” issue with glass bottles and also help eat up the fermentable sugars?
Marc.
Thanks for the comment. I haven’t tried but I suspect that it would stop the explosion issue 9there would be no worry at all) but that carbonation would eventually die altogether.
Open to learning though!
J
Is it non alcoholic? Can I use raw honey instead of sugar?
Keri,
Alcohol is generally created as yeast interacts with alcohol. There is some naturally occuring yeast on the ginger root but according to what I’ve read (specifically Sandor Katz), there’s not ‘appreciable amounts of alcohol.’ If that’s a concern you can measure it with a hydrometer (I don’t have instructions for that but a brew-your-own place could provide a kit and instructions). I have never measured the alcohol firsthand.
I don’t know about raw honey. I have tried with maple syrup and not had the success I was looking for (I came out with a mouldy mess) but I’m sure it’s possible.
Joel
What you will need to do, if you are using glass or plastic to store your fermenting product in the fridge, is cover the top with a stopper plug and an inexpensive single-chamber water gas tube to allow the fermentation to take place without the gas exploding everywhere. What you might want to do is be sure that your house is well ventilated as the CO2 buildup might not be healthy for you in a closed environment. My most personal recommendation for all of you is to build an outdoor fridge for your ferment, that way you won’t need concern yourself about CO2 poisoning.
@Joel
Alcohol is generically the byproduct of yeast converting sugar into energy with the assistance of water, not through the means of pure alcohol.
Honey, especially raw honey, contains copious amount of sugar which can aid in further production of alcohol so long as there are enough yeast bacteria alive to complete the fermentation process. As I have completed a course on wine making, it makes sense to begin with the following base ingredients:
-water
-sugar (source of sugar is up to you: honey, sugar beet, or sugar cane)
- S. cerivisiae (top-fermenting at room temperature) or S. uvarum (bottom-fermenting yeast below room temperature)
NOTE: neither yeast are created for bottom fermentation (used for lagers and steam beer) or top fermentation (used for ales and stouts).
To prevent mould from being produced, you have to keep in mind with the temperature that you are producing your ginger beer. You can refrigerate it and it will still ferment without going mouldy. If your refrigerator unit is set to 10˚ Celsius or lower, you can put your ferment in for up to four weeks.
The end result, as I have read in other websites, is a cloudy mix, much like oat stout, a grey cloudy drink that tastes surprisingly good.
Correction to my recent post: for proper food storage, refrigeration units are set to 4˚ C or lower, with the freezer units set at -8˚C. Beer is food, so it would belike you to think of it as such.
Hello! Thanks for the recipe. I’ve got my own Toronto wild yeast ginger beer going and it’s wonderful! I have a question, though. There is a distinct sulphur smell to my ginger beer. It doesn’t affect the taste, but it does make the ginger beer smell a bit odd. Do you know why this is happening and how to eliminate it?
Hi Jonathan,
Unfortunately I’ve never run into that. If you google Wile Fermentation Forums you’ll find the site for Sandor Katz (he’s the guru of fermenting) and they have a really amazing forum that I use when trying to debug. That could be a place to start ours has never smelled like sulphur so don’t know what would cause that…
Joel
hello there!
I used to make ginger beer with my mom when I was younger, but we always did the wine yeast thing. I’d like to try this method, but I have a question: can I use a one-way gas top like I do with wine making, or will that result in a flat product? We used to do the crack the top method a bit, but since I have the tops Ok thought I’d ask.
thanks!
Codeman,
I’m afraid I haven’t used those/ not sure what they are so I’m not much help.. If you try, let us know.
I’ve tried this recipe a couple of times now and still haven’t been able to get it to carbonate…not sure what I’m doing wrong. Any suggestions?
Hi Finn – sorry to hear!
The two most common things are temperature (too hot or too cold) and water with chlorine or chloromine in it. Although I’m not a giant fan of bottled water I might try to use it for a batch to eliminate a variable…
If you try either and it still doesn’t work, let me know and will see if we can figure this out – it’s worth the effort and shouldn’t be so tough.
Joel