Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The ginger beer Chronicles

So I've been trying to make home made ginger beer. First I tried this recipe with added ginger, but it didn't ferment enough (probably my fault), and it just tasted like ginger ale. I was looking for a stronger flavor especially after trying some Jamaican style ginger beer. It was incredibly strong and spicy. So I looked around and formulated my own recipe:
  • Ginger to taste, grated, juiced or sliced. I used most of one root
  • 2 allspice berries
  • 1 cassia (cinnamon) stick
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • juice and zest of 1/2 lemon or whole lime
  • 1/4 tsp bakers yeast
  • 2 liters water (to fit the container, double the recipe for a gallon container )

From Ginger Beer Recipe 2
Put the ginger, sugar, and spices in a large pot

From Ginger Beer Recipe 2
Add water and boil. Let steep for ~10 min.

From Ginger Beer Recipe 2
Cool to prevent over-steeping. Add citrus.

From Ginger Beer Recipe 2
Put yeast in bottle and pour liquid into bottle.

Ferment for 24-48 hours until plastic bottle is firm when squeezed. Refrigerate to stop fermentation.

I accidentally watered it down a little when cooling it. On the plus side I now have 2 bottles of it. My initial taste says that it's tasty with spices, but is not particularly gingery. We'll see how it is when it's done.

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