How to make home brew ginger beer - about 17% ABV and 30p a pint!
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2011
- This is ridiculously strong homebrew. Probably around 17% ABV, so be careful drinking it - think of it as fortified wine (ie sherry or port) and dont blame me if you get very pissed very quickly, or go blind, or do stupid stuff etc.
- Jak na to + styl
Thanks so much! My sweetie and I made three gallons of this, it finished today and as we bottled it, we had a few shots - and yes, we're tipsy! It is also delicious! We are starting another batch today! Keep it up brother!
Excellent video! I'm going to try this in the summer. You and your partner make a great team, what you forget she prompts you to tell. Thank you for taking the time to demonstrate how to make ginger beet.
Yer. for 1 gal:
2 lemons and a large egg-sized lump of ginger. Chuck in food processor and blitz to a mush
boiling water to swill the funnel o'mulch down into demijohn
Pint o'sugar.
Cold tapwater
add yeast (when COLD).
fit airlock
wait (up to 4 weeks, depending on conditions)
decant/filter, add large tablespoon of sugar to 2l Soda bottle, tighten cap. Let ferment a bit more (day or so of light fermenting will do) to get pressure up.
Stick in fridge.
wait a week to let all the crap settle.
drink
Did I already thank you? Oh well Thanks Again!!!! Can't wait to make this with my own ginger that I plan to grow. And of course .... Cheers "from across the Big pond"!!!
thanks for the recipie made a few times came out fantastic!!
This looks great...I'm so giving this one a go!
fuck man I got so drunk I thought I was blind, pissed myself and ran into a wall.
impressed you managed to run. standing is often a trial for me...
I made Dandelion wine one year and I worked it off twice, then bottled it in champagne bottles. After aging 2 or 3 months in those sealed bottles it was like liquid insanity in a bottle. A couple of friends tried it and I ended up having to load them into a wheel barrow, slide them into the back seat of their vehicle and take the keys away. IF I ever make it again I`ll put it in smaller bottles and only use in for Medicinal purposes...
Love the no nonsense way of doing this. Mine is nearly ready and it is like moorish rocket fuel! Seriously strong stuff and not for the faint hearted, more for the town park special brew drinkers! (which is probably why i love it) cheers!
Nice one Simon. Top instructoridge.
Might just give that a go. Love ginger beer.
Cheers
u present so well
Nice tutorial! Thank you so much!!
I've been searching everywhere for info on ALCOHOLIC ginger brew-- I've been making soda and lighter beer for awhile, the trick seems to be in the longer ferment, yeah? Thanks for this tutorial! Super helpful.
me and my neighbour worked it out last summer based on what it usually takes to get us wasted. Usually 9 pints of Strongbow. This does it in 3. vis à vis... 17% ish. Who cares anyway? it's potent gear and dirt cheap. Enjoy!
@centralparkfitness Yes, I've used "normal" general-purpose yeast in the past - the stuff that's sold in normal supermarkets for bread-making. It will give you about 4-5% ABV. If you do it that way, put less sugar in else it will taste very sweet (to my palate anyway). One trick I used when this was the case was to put in the higher tolerance champagne yeast in after bottling, just to add the CO2. When it was getting pretty hard (the plastic bottle!) , put it in the fridge to kill off the yeast.
Thanks dude for the tip gonna try my 1st soon :)
Made my first two demijohns last Monday. Took a few days to start fermenting but now the wether has picked up it's going crazy. Looks a lot more lemony than other ginger beers out there but then again it also has a lot more sugar and a stronger yeast in than most. Best of all it smells beautiful so can't wait to taste. Only problem i can see is that there is a lot of sediment which may become a problems when trying to decant it.
thanks for that simon , gone with the demijohns for now , but will throw a bucket on in a couple of weeks ! LOL , keep up the good work !!!
anything easy. I use a clean J-cloth in a funnel with a sieve an inch or more above it to catch the bigger bits.
Takes a while and you continually need to rinse out the cloth, but its a free way of decanting. Leaving it to settle for long time also helps. But dont worry - it wont harm you, just taste a bit bitter.
Simon, I make it but 5 gallons at a time! I like to add a heaped teaspoon or more of dried chilli flakes to give it a good kick n a burn!
If you add also a half teaspoon of cream of tartar per gallon it helps the ferment.
for a faster brew, TURBOYEAST 48hr will brew to 16% in 2 days, 6kg sugar, or 20% in 5 days with 8kg sugar in 21 litres water.........MENTAL! Just Mental!
Chli flakes sounds good for it.
I used turbo yeast like you..But taste was horrible..
I think turbo yeasts are only for distilation..Not fermantation..
mehmet olcay
DONT USE THE FULL PACKET!
Thank you for this answer.
How much turbo yeast should I use for 10 liter cider for example ?
mehmet olcay Turbo yeast as I understand it used to pressure carbonisation as a rule, not fermentation. Yeast is a little animal/plant thing so even a tiny spec will in time do the job. more= a bit quicker.
@centralparkfitness no, never had a problem and I'm quite lazy with sterilisation etc - I tend to wash everything as if it were general "washing up" and rinse a lot, but no dishwasher sterilising or other chemicals and it all seems to work. In fact, to demonstrate to my kids what yeast is, i put in a single speck - literally the size of a very small grain of sand. It took a few days more to get going, but the result was the same of course.
Cheers. I will give it a go.
I love the expletive behind the camera at 2:40. lol You have to listen carefully though. Great video!
All depends on conditions. if it's fairly warm, fermentation will start within a week usually . if nothings happening, add in some more of the yeast. few days later it will start and then it takes about a week until fermentation dies right down. Then you can move to siphoning/bottling/pressurisation. Add 1 tbl spoon sugar at least. tighten up the soda bottle (make sure it can take the pressure). leave in the warm for 2 more days, then stick it in the fridge. Add sugar to taste thereafter. Enjoy.
I use champagne yeast that I bought from the local garden centre. It has a cleaner taste and a higher tolerance to alcohol.
@steelb123 Yes, that will work. However, a high yield yeast (ie the champagne stuff I use) will turn ALL the sugar into alcohol so it's VERY dry. Unless you can control the brewing environment,I would reduce the sugar and let it ferment fully, THEN add more sugar to taste and stick it in the fridge so it doesnt start brewing again. A bit of trial and error is required methinks!
Iv'e done ginger beer b4 but not by your method . Love it how you just toss everything into the blender and ram the contents through a funnel in the demijohns. I'd have thought to have warmed up the honey to go in easier or even have it in your boiled water... but everyone's different. Might give the champagne yeast a try though
I've tried your recipe but instead of a drop of Honey I added the whole jar and it took 5 weeks to ferment. This this real good stuff though. I doubled the rest of your amounts and whacked em in 2 demijohns. One of them tasted really sweet and sugary and the badass one tastes like ginger infused vodka so I'll be saving that bottle for a rainy day. Cheers!
Devon Plumley just a flavouring. Whilst honey does have antibacterial properties, the amounts used here are insufficient to kill anything
1) I bought mine from Paradies Park in Newhaven - garden centre. Sure it's available online via ebay. Search fro champagne yeast. Standard stuff.
2) you really only need a single speck if you're on a tight budget, or just tight. It will multiply. Just takes a bit longer
White champagne yeast is the perfect choice.
I use a larger 4 gallon plastic water container with a tap near the base, also I use a fish tank glass tube heater with a temp control built in.
A small 100 Watt one will do, it maintains the temp at 26° C indefinitely.
@carmoir19 totally normal for yeast to take a while to start. the bulk of fermentation happens in 72 hours but it usually takes a full 2 weeks to complete
nice idea, saves on loosening the caps every day
great vid, will get to work asap
@crisputer lavin EC1118 or EC116 would work nicely. I used EC1118, tasted great.
hi simon , love the recipe gonna give it a go at the weekend , just wandering if i up the ingredients accordingly would i be able to brew the in a 25 litre fermenting bucket with an airtrap fitted , or maybe 2 ?
Very interested in making this soon. Sounds delicious. Great video! If you don't mind, what specific yeast is that you are using? Thanks!
@simonearly I think you answered my next question but just to be sure, your finished product isn't going to be too sweet right because the yeast fermented all the sugar? you then add the honey after the fact to give it a sweet taste? I think I'm gonna make a batch of this today! have you ever done it with other types of brewing yeast like ale yeast? heck baking yeast would work, just won't be able to get the high ABV
Super easy to follow recipe. After sieving my first ever batch as I new to home brew . It came out lookin spot.on. next time I.must remove lemon pips lol. Wots best way to.decant as I have a syphon from wiko but ginger bunged it up lol. So I.poured direct into sieve and saucepan and then symphoned from that.. gonna get trollied at weekend . Thanks for.video. do.some more
cheers mate.
Going to try this at the weekend. Did you but your champagne yeast online, if so, where?
I can only find little packets ....not as cost effective.
Cheers mate, brilliant vid!!! do some more!! love how simple and user friendly your brewing technique is.
Awesome video! It might be worthwhile adding that boiling your lemon/ginger mix will kill any mould that might have snuck in anyway. Cheeeeeeeeeers
@dinodom000 Er, dunno. I base the strength on the ability of it to knock out me and my neighbours at his barbeque last summer. It usually takes 8-10cans of stella to get that smashed.THis did it in a 1/3 of that amount, hence the calculation. As for the clearing, a *true* alcoholic waits for no beer to clear - that's just for girls!
Looking at trying this, for 5l how much sugar do you use?
Also is it ok to bottle in glass 750ml crown seal bottles?
Really enjoyed the video - aren't you meant to leave it open to the air in the first few days though and only after say 3-5 days put the airlock on, or doesn't it really matter if you airlock it from the start?
on contact with liquid (ie this stuff), it becomes hydrated, and active. Simples.
Simon Early can you brew them in 6 pinter milk cartons, and whats the best temp to ferment them
Yes I over fermented it for sure, consequently I am having trouble carbonating it. Still the good news is I can run the car on it. So how long roughly do you leave it fermenting? I am thinking maybe 2 weeks next time... I am about to start batch number 2.
As for warning about Marriage/liver/job prospects etc, way too late I messed all them up years ago lol. And going blind, who said that? Cheers again for the help.
thanks, the smell isn't too strong so i hope it'll go when i chill it.
wicked recipe though, nice one
I whipped up a few batches of this because it looked interesting. After adding a pint of sugar (20oz) to a gallon the gravity was only around 1.04x. Witch seems a bit low for 17% ABV. Did I overlook something? A second question, after fermentation do you wait for it to clear before carbonating?
can you use a natural ginger bug in lieu of champaign yeast and get the same result?
Yeah, this is more like ginger wine. Did this last winter, as an attempt at cloning Stones. Stones is about 13% though...! I added bananas for a bit of body/mouthfeel. I probably would have added more on reflection. Also I racked (decanted) several times and deliberately didn't allow carbonation to happen, let the yeast die in its own evil alcohol excretions and then backsweetened, i.e added sugar to get a sweetness that suited me (was too harsh without). It didn't ferment any more after that.
Just a quick update, I'm putting the honey in *after* the brewing process has finished instead so the sugar makes it a bit more palatable.
Giving this a try after a different recipe tasted awful! Hope it's some good stuff :) Also, we have the same processor, yours is alot whiter than mine though. The taste i had from taking the OG it tastes really nice, Looking forward to this. Going to leave it awhile before drinking though, want a really nice crystal clear outcome :)
sorry simon , i did not explain myself properly , when you go to bottle your brew , if i do not add more sugar will it be flat wine ? i have made with champaine yeast as said so should have brewed the sugar out mostly , but just thinking of putting some of the brew into wine bottles with no sugar , do you know if ok ?
you've gotta love the description! HAHAH
I'm a bit of a novice at all of this, and before trying my first batch I just wanted to makes sure nothing is going to explode. Will the wine capper you bought release some of the gasses? Is there a chance of your glass container cracking/exploding? Will releasing any gasses harm the process? Any explosionary tips would be appreciated :)
would wine yeast do the same thing and if so would i have to leave it to ferment any longer then 3 weeks?
how would dried active yeast work?? strength wise
@carmoir19 I would be seriously concerned if you could get the fermentation done in 48hrs. Perhaps with Hydrogen Peroxide or Ammonia added? (I'm kidding - for chissakes don't do anything like that!) But seriously, you can buy accelerators from your homebrew shop (or garden centre as I did) and it does speed things up. Keeping the mixture warm (25C-30C ) will help as will the amount of yeast used in the beginning.
How are you coming up with the 17%? Testing or just going off what the yeast can do? Just curious, thanks for the video.
i love this stuff, make a 2 gallon batch and it was a massive hit with my friends. Now ive done a 20 liter mix and its abit watery
can I add more ginger and honey during fermentation? or will that contaminate it? anybody know?
I see you used tapnwater for the airlock. Is that fine? I see instructions calling for filtered water.
I have followed your recipe pretty much, and it is fermenting away nicely. The only thing is that it smells a bit like rotten eggs.
Did you find that with your batch? Other forums suggest that it is a bi-product of the yeast and it should go.
Thought I'd ask you your experience as its the closest thing to what I've done.
what would be the result if following the end of a very active fermentation process (one week), the ginger beer sat for another 4 weeks due purely to the laziness of the brewer. then she bottled it and placed the bit of sugar...would it still yield an alcholic tasty beer? or should she start over...
Simon Early do you need to top up the airlocks if they go dry
Would cider yeast be any use with this recipe?
hi simon , i did not explain myself well last message , sorry , i meant if you do not put the teaspoon of sugar in it could be wine ? but i have seen somewhere else you have to freeze for 2 days ? then yeast is killed ! i now have 60 ltrs on the go so i hope ok ! lol , will let you know how i get on but looking good so far !
hmmm. It does smell a bit "yeasty" but what you're describing sounds like sulphur, which is odd. It should be bubbling away nicely, that's all really. Not experienced that, so cant advise. If it's bubbling, then it's working.!
Just curious, could you make an non alcoholic version of this if you were that inclined? Because isn't the fizz created by the fermentation?
How do you make it stronger or weaker? Which ingredient do you need to add more or less of?
Simon Early can i make a batch of ginger and lemon mulch and freeze it for another day ,cheers
Phillip John yer.
I have 2 demijohns of this brewing at the moment. Started last Monday night...time will tell if I got it right.
if I want to filter out all the bits eg ginger and lemon bits do I do this before bottling it for 3 weeks or just before I drink?
Does what it says on the tin.Well bottle. Rocket fuel indeed. Just got another batch underway with a few allspice berries to spice it up.
Simon, have you ever fooled with adding pumpkin pie spice (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon) to the mixture? Also, some videos have suggested using whole sugar (rapadura) as opposed to the refined white. Any thoughts on that?
hi there. i have just started ginger beer brewing, but using a bug. feed bug for a week, add at the end to water/sugar then bottle for 2 weeks. whats the real difference between these two methods? i think i'll try your one next!
how would dried active yeast work??
Hi, I just made your recipe this afternoon but I got confused by your amount. Thought you said six at first, but then - gasp - two and a half. I may have a very lemony ginger beer... "ginger and lemon wine", I'll tell my friends, if it works.
hey how long did you leave your 25L batch for and did you bottle it?
I'm afraid it's dependent on lots of factors - how much sugar, the temperature etc- basically you will see that the fermenting dies right down. Technically, you can decant and pressure it from then (or at any point - sweeter if you do it sooner), but adding a bit o'sugar at bottling makes it pressure up a bit more and stops it from tasting fucking vile too.
If i reduce the suger will the alcohol and fementation time reduce?
ordinary wine yeast wont make it as strong, plus it might give a yeasty flavour. Duration might be quicker, but you need to wait until fermentation stops. All depends on the environment. Colder temp = longer time required.
hi simon , sorry to trouble you again but just a quickie , if i put this brew in a wine bottle without the sugar would that come out as wine ? or explode in the bottles ? sorry to be a pain but just starting out and do not want to throw loads of brew away through silly mistakes ! LOL
The point of that capper is to release any extra gasses! The bottle won't explode... just the drink if you don't vent it!
Alright will do fella, you say you made enough for 3 demis? think I will do the same :) btw great video!
I had something like this before, hungover for days granted I did drink pretty much a whole demijohn LOL I do not remember much but it was very tasty! Say do you think you could actually write a recipe for me please?
Giving this a try in a 4L water jug for my first batch. Simon; LOL, your comments are hilarious!! You've mention adding teaspoon and tablespoon (in different comments) when bottling. Which is it? I'm bottling in one liter x4 bottles....How much sugar? Thanks.
Tablespoons, always.
the wine capper is a wine/demijohn airlock and it's zero pressure.
If you cap it off with a soda bottle cap on a screw, the bottle will explode before the cap does. Avoid.
have you ever had contamination problems? seems to me like you should be putting the sugar, honey and water in a pot and bringing to a boil, then at the end of the boil add the lemons and ginger mix so the heat sterilizes them. then cool it down and then pitch your yeast.
hi mate do you think you could write a recipe for one demi jon please
yep. the yeast aren't fussy
depends on the yeast. bread yeast= weak and sweet. Beer yeast = more alcoholic. champagne yeast = higher tolerance, therefore higher alcohol, plus in my view cleaner taste
Before anyone tries Basil's suggested method, try this: Buy a cheap cooking thermometer that goes up to the boiling point of water 212F/100C. Buy a beer. Open the beer and take a sip. Pour the remainder of said beer into a pot and put it on the stove. Bring the heat up to 174F/79C (b.p. of ethanol). Hold it there for 1 hour. Remove from heat and chill in fridge. Pour into pint glass and taste. Grimace. Admit that no amount of carbonation is going to rescue that nastiness. It's boiled beer.
Ive had it bubbling for just over 3 wks now. I am now getting one bubble in just over a minute. So I'm thinking, that's probably close enough, or maybe leave it and squeeze a bit more alcohol out of it?
Either way, thanks for the recipe...
A Brit living in Florida
I've never brewed before, but I believe honey is anti-fungal and may interfere with the fermentation..?
yer, all simple stuff. water, sugar (pint of regular sugar per gallon or thereabouts!), flavourings (lemon,ginger) and champagne yeast - that's it! Keep it clean, warm and with an air trap or some sort and it's piss easy.
separating alcohol from liquid has gotta be a bit more careful than that, as boiling it will make both the alcohol AND water evaporate, so it wont work out all too well...
Youd be better off only adding sugar to bottles (for carbonation), which also means you will only need to wait a few weeks for the carbonation, and the alcohol content will be about ~0.5% (which is negligible)
been brewing the ginger ale a week,if its hissing does it mean its still fermenting, not sure if i spoilt the brew along the fermenting process
if it's hissing it means the pressure is getting high - maybe on the verge of exploding. Make sure the container can handle it, or run for cover. Either option is good
yes, if you use bakers yeast instead of lager or ale yeast it will be non-alcoholic.
Yep. watch the vid - all simple steps. take notes using a pencil and paper. Voilá - recipe !
Hey SImon,
Just wondering how long would the ginger beer last once bottled? Got a batch of your recipe fermenting as we speak, and was hoping to bottle it and give some as Xmas presents. Does it have a short life span? Don't want it to go off or anything before we get to chirstmas.
Excited about tasting it!
in the fridge it lasts for months (in my experience). it's so strong,nothing will grow in it - no bacteria, nothing. Think mild bleach. Tastes the same too if you forget to put in extra sugar when bottling. Enjoy...
Simon Early Just decanted my ginger beer as it had finished bubbling after two weeks, and it tastes dreadful! I followed your steps to the letter, any ideas what could have gone wrong? Do i need to kill the yeast by putting it in the fridge before its drinkable? Its undrinkable at the moment. Cant figure out what I did wrong, its so sour and tastes really ripe and off. Any thoughts?
Samuel Minton the cold in the fridge will kill the yeast (OK make it dormant) so no other chemicals needed. Dunno what went wrong, soz. It does taste waaaay to dry unless you sweeten it afterwards though. My wife thinks it smells/tastes like shampoo, but she's just plain wrong. Probably. If that's ok with her, natch
Samuel Minton it could have been excessive cold or heat that killed your yeast, or it could have been a mold infection. you need to disinfect all your equipment, some kinds of mold are dangerous so disinfection is important.