Which Sugars Ferment or Fail? Honey, Stevia, Agave? 🍺 Making Homemade Ginger Ale
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- Are you interested in fermenting with different types of sugars, or perhaps fermenting without added sugars? In this experiment, we ferment our homemade ginger ale using 10 of the most common sugars, including a zero-calorie sweetener to see what happens! Can you ferment with honey? Agave? Stevia? Can you ferment with just fruit as a sweetener? We even try to ferment without using any sugar at all. Will it work? Some of our results are surprising! We hope you enjoy this video and that it helps you with your ferments.
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Chapters
0:00 Which Sugars Ferment?
1:12 Our Top 10 Sugars
1:45 Making Homemade Ginger Ale
2:48 Raw Sugar Recipe (our traditional ginger ale)
3:16 Molasses Ginger Ale Recipe
3:41 Jaggery (Gur) Ginger Ale Recipe
4:25 Piloncillo Ginger Ale Recipe
5:16 Coconut Sugar Ginger Ale Recipe
5:46 Maple Syrup Ginger Ale Recipe
5:57 Agave Ginger Ale Recipe
6:31 Honey Ginger Ale Recipe
7:33 Fruit-Sweetened Ginger Ale Recipe
8:44 Stevia Test
9:39 Time to add our Ginger Bug
10:26 Start of the Fermentation Process
14:26 RESULTS & TASTE TEST!
18:37 Fermenting without sugar?
Recipe for Homemade Ginger Ale: • How to Make Homemade G...
Recipe for Ginger Bug Starter Culture: • How to Make a Ginger B...
More details on our website: fermentationadventure.com/whi...
🍺 Fermented Drink Recipes: • Fermented Drinks (like...
MASON JARS, fermentation LIDS, flip-top BOTTLES, and all our favorite fermenting gear: fermentationadventure.com/gear/
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I love that you did the test with no sugar. It's much better to prove that it doesn't work rather than dismissing the idea outright
Exactly! It's a valid question we get all the time. Thanks for the comment!
Welcome back! That and I must hand it to you, I haven't considered making a ginger mead but it's now on the list (I've made a few meads now, in addition to my 18% dry ginger brew and other "prison hooch" fermented/brewed fruit juices). Your channel got me started. Thanks!
Hey there! Thanks so much! We're honored to have helped kick off your own fermentation journey and it sounds like you're running with it. Nice! We just love the flavor of honey and how it evolves in mead. 🥰
Raw and Agave is always my go to and all I use. I made it once from the top of my head without writing it down, it was delicious. The 2nd attempt was disastrous, I couldn't remember what I did the first time. So now I have a go to recipe, Thank You so much.
Aww, our pleasure! 🥰 Thanks for reaching out!
Hello my friends, I like you very much and you are an inspiration to me. Thank you for including a test with different types of sweeteners. Honey was my favorite. I add to your type of freshness. and frozen fruit from our own garden. I also add dried home-made primroses and I like it very much. I've become somewhat addicted to kombucha. I also tried different types of tea. Greens, matcha, but not very good. I like black tea + sugar the best, and in the second fermenter, dried breadcrumbs and a little lemon at the end. I can't get enough of it. I am happy for your videos and I greet you from Europe, the Czech Republic. Hi Magda
Hello Magda! We loved hearing from you! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipe ideas. You are so creative! Keep up the great work in your ferments! 💗
I followed you from your early days, then lost track .... I'm back here on your channel after some months, and I'm immensely impressed, not just by your pro approach to video production, but the continuing research-based design you bring to fermenting by experimentation. In all this, you guys have kept your personal touch. You are go-to experts in domestic fermentation.
Wow, thank you so much for your sweet comment and your confidence in us! We try to put the best information out there and it brought us so much joy to read your comment. We're excited for this next year of fermentation! Thanks for watching, and as always, happy fermenting! ❤️
I was mostly excited for the coconut so I was really glad you included it even later. Please make more videos! I can't get enough of you!!!
Aww, thank you so much for the love!! We're so happy to have found a coconut sugar that works. Paul was especially excited about that coconut sugar. And we're already thinking of other recipes to share with you all!
Thank you so much for doing this video!! How fun! Now my brain is turning with possibilities!!
Awesome! We're so glad you enjoyed it and that it gave you some ideas! Happy fermenting! 😄
Great video! I hope you start making regular videos 😁
Thank you so much! We appreciate your support and are excited for the new year! 😄
thank you for this educational video.
I am from India 🇮🇳
I ferment with jaggery, I even tried making vinegars using it, it's a good alternative to the Mexican pilloncio for my Tepache.
Plus, it has many micronutrients that aid the fermentation and the yeast.
Hi there! Thanks for chiming in! We appreciate hearing from you all about how your ferments are going, and it's great to hear that you have success using jaggery! 😄
This is a fantastic way to use honey from my hives! I've been making mead for the last few months, and it has one heck of an alcoholic kick to it, fermenting withing a week during the warm summer. I'm starting a ginger bug today so i can try making honey-ginger ferment. I've watched a lot of your videos today and I just love how happy you both are :) Thank you for the inspiration
Aww, thank you! Mead is so delicious. 😍 We're excited for you to try the ginger bug. Let us know how you like it!
Great to see you back. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for the love and thanks for watching! We're excited for a great new year of fermenting! 😄
Yaaa another video :) ... I have to try honey ... I think I will leave jaggery for my morning coffee.
I make 3 gallons per week of ferments. I use 1 gal carboys with an air lock. Tomorrow I will be bottling a gallon of cherry and a gallon of pineapple and in a couple of days a gallon of apple made with store bought apple cider. As an experiment I am going to try 50/50 apple and orange.
I love your videos.
Hi there!! Woohoo! We were so excited to get this video out, and we're working on ideas for the next one. We love to hear about your great ferments! 😄
Great fun video! Thanks! I was a follower of your podcast, The Fermentation Podcast, which I still enjoy occasionally. You have a very balanced presentation between info, humor, and inspiration - wonderful to watch!
Sweet!! Thanks for allowing us to reminisce about Paul's podcast days. 💗 Hmm, maybe we should come out with another podcast sometime... Ha! Who knows where this new year will take us! 😄
Glad to see you back. Keep on giving us videos please. You have so much knowledge!
Thanks so much for the support! 🥰 We love sharing our knowledge of fermentation with you all!
I've missed you two. So delighted you are posting again!
Thank you so much!! ❤️ We couldn't wait to get that video out, and we're planning for future videos! 😄
It's so good to see you back, you've been missed! Blessings 💜🙏💜
Thank you! We will be back at it soon. Hope you are well too! ❤️
Fantastic video! Thank you for making it.
Thanks for the sweet comment! Happy fermenting! 😄
I love this experiment!!! I was just sharing your channel and just saw you posted a new video. Thank you so much for sharing ❤❤❤
Oh that's awesome! Thanks so much for sharing! 😄❤️
I looked up your channel randomly to see if you had a new video and it had just been days! So glad to see you guys back. I love your videos!
Aww, thank you! That's awesome. Great timing! Hope you are doing well! Looking forward to a great year of fermenting. 😄
Thanks for the quality content these must take a while to make and they are really well done. Cant wait to see what else we can do.
Thanks so much! We love helping others learn to ferment! Now which ferment will we get into next... 😏😍
Good to see you two again! I love elaborate experiments. Great video and great production. Very professionally done! Keep em coming!
Thanks so much! We really appreciate the feedback and lovely comment! We're excited about fermenting in the new year! 🤩
I love the information you provided. It was extremely helpful I am glad you two are back! Fermenting is my new thing. Keep giving us more of your expertise. THANK YOU!! We will be waiting.
Woohoo!! We're so excited that you're getting into the beautiful world of fermentation, and thank you so much for your sweet comment! We look forward to bringing you more content soon! 🥰
Thank you for doing this test. I think you answered all my questions.
Fantastic! Thanks for the feedback! 😄
Yay you're back!
😍 Thank you so much for the love! We're always fermenting. Sometimes just have to get the cameras out and do some filming.
Glad you are back!
Hey hey! Thanks so much! ❤️❤️❤️
Im soooo happy to see a new vid!!! please continue posting on the regular
Hi there! Thank you so much for the love! We were so excited to share this video with you all, and we're looking forward to sharing another recipe soon. 💗
Wow! Thanks for the very helpful information. You saved many of us a great deal of experimentation. I loved hearing your take on some of the flavours as well. This Canadian will definitely give maple syrup a try. So grateful I found your video!
Thank you for watching! We're so happy to hear you found it helpful! Can't wait to hear how you like the maple syrup. Sarah is Canadian as well (hence the "Oh, Canada!" singing in the video 😅) and obviously LOVES maple syrup. 😍
Hi Paul & Sarah, this is Anne from Curieux Nomades 🙋🏻♀️Very interesting experiment. I will definitely choose the Canadian theme 🇨🇦, hehe! The honey seems to be very tasty. 👌See you next time!
Bonjour Anne! Glad you found our channel! Yes, the maple syrup ferment was so fun - different but good! ❤️ Will you try making your own ferment? 😄
@@FermentationAdventure I don’t know, maybe it looks fun.
Wow, long time no see! Good to see you back.
Hey there! Thanks so much! We're excited to share this video with you and looking forward to a great year! 🥰
They're back! Yay!
Woohoo!! 🥳😄❤️
So glad you’re back! Just remembered my ginger bug in the back of my refrigerator 😅
Haha! 😂 Hopefully it's just sleeping. 😴
Huzzah great to see you two! Thank you, this is an amazing wealth of information! I have used honey regularly for jun, I have used piloncillo for tempache. I can now do more experimenting!
Thank you! We were so excited to share this video with you! 🥰 It's a wonderful world of fermentation! 😄
Finally you are back! more videos from You guys!!!
Yay! 😄 Thanks for the love!! ❤️
Very interesting test. Do you prefer the honey ferment over your traditional sugar ferment?
Thanks for asking! YES! We actually do prefer the taste of the fermented ginger ale using honey rather than traditional sugar. Although we really enjoy the taste of honey, and the flavor of it really comes through after fermentation. We can't say that we'd prefer it in every recipe, since it does affect the flavor, but we'll definitely start experimenting with using honey in some of our other recipes. 💗
Agave is where tequila comes from. 😊
I know temperature affects the fermentation process. What was the constant temperature in your house?
It sure is! That agave plant is so versatile! We keep our home at a fairly steady 72 degrees Fahrenheit. For anyone fermenting in cooler temps, it will ferment more slowly, and for warmer temps it could go much more quickly. Happy fermenting!
Now I want to try making maple, agave and honey vinegars.
Now that's interesting! 😄
Great to see you back! I just grew my own SCOBY following your video. 😊 I definitely want to try the fruit and honey versions. I've made ginger beer with bread yeast (surprisingly good - not too sweet), but the ginger bug is compelling...
Thanks for the love and congrats on growing your own SCOBY! Good luck experimenting with the different types of sugar! And if you haven't tried a ginger bug yet, it's super easy --> czcams.com/video/wtb1BvRUWmI/video.html
Yay you’re back! Amazing video! Great to know there many options outside of sugar. Question: you skim the foam layers off the top. Since it doesn’t hurt, could you mix it in? Is there a reason why you choose not to?
Thanks so much! We are so excited to share another video with you! Great question about the foam on top. Anything sitting on top is a risk for mold, so we just skim it off as a precaution. As long as it's just foam, stirring it back in would be fine, but you'd have to check it daily to see if the foam came back. So by stirring it back in, you'd have to check on it more often and make sure to keep stirring it. Hope that helps! 😄
Awesome video
Can't believe you tested so many different sugars.
Ha! We had to go the extra mile. Why stop at just honey or fruit?! 😅 Hope it was helpful!
I have missed you both so much!
Aww, you're so sweet, thank you! We are so excited to share this video with you and about the new year! ❤️
Hi guys, I really like this video and I'm going to make my own with the honey and the agave.
Wonderful! Let us know how you like it! 😄
I am retired & live in Mexico 19 years. I use Piloncillo small once’s. I can get dark ones or light ones, I like the dark ones. I just drop one in the jar as is. It does really well for me. I never tried the blue agave. I have used coconut water & water grains to make coconut kiefer. But it does ruin the grains. They puff up like over cooked rice. I have lots of grains so that is ok.
Missed you guys! ❤
Just love your videos.
You should do a sourdough one!
Maybe yogurt?
Thanks you two! 🥰
Aww! Thank you so much!!! 💗 You're so kind. Yes, yes! We will get to it! We've been making our sourdough pancakes recently... so delicious!
welcome back!
Thank you!! 😄
I cannot believe you are back! Please keep posting, whatever it is! Make stuff up!
You rock, thank you so much for the love! The kitchen is ready for more ferments, so we'll get the camera out and get to creating some more content for you all! 😅
Great video! Question about the fruit: what is that thick layer at the bottom? Pulp?
Nice to see a new video 😊
Thank you for watching and for the comment! You guessed it! The fruit jar had quite a bit of pulp, both that sank to the bottom of the jar and some that also floated to the top. But all the jars had a layer of sediment at the bottom which was mostly the ginger pulp from the ginger ale. And then as the fermentation process continued, there was also lees at the bottom, which is a thin white layer from the natural biproducts of the fermentation process. Hope that helps! 😄
Agave and honey have been used to make alcohols for eons, so it's already known they ferment. Stevia would be interesting. Monkfruit and allulose would be more interesting to see.
Hi! Well, a lot of people do know about honey, and yet we receive a lot of questions over the years about whether it can be used in fermentation. We think it's great to keep this knowledge out there. With monk fruit being a similar no-calorie sweetener as stevia, it should have similar results. 😄
Allulose would be interesting. Its a natural sugar with some calories, but would the bung bacteria be able to use it?
I actually a while back did a ferment of radish pickles with stevia a while back doing a sugar free variation of a quick pickle video from the CZcams channel tanjis kitchen. At the time I was doing keto for medical reasons amd the sweet but savory radish pickles with ginger sounded really good. The original recipe used brown sugar and distilled vinegar, my variation used brine from a veggie ferment and stevia. I think stevia as you are doing it works better in a veggie ferment instead of a alcohol/yeast ferment like ginger ale. Just a suggestion. Btw, the radish pickles came out soft but with a candy like flavor and very mild acidity in the undertone/aftertaste. It worked well for my sour gummy cravings despite the texture difference.
Great idea and thanks for sharing! Fermented drinks use starter cultures (like kefir, ginger bug, or kombucha scoby) that need a sugar source to get the fermentation process going. But that's not the case with veggie ferments, so stevia should work great in those as a flavoring! 😄
@@FermentationAdventure yrah, I know that's why I mentioned it as a alternate use. Its won't work in a soda like this until its almost to the vinegar stage and most of the sugars are gone. Stevia won't work as a food source though things like allulose or eyrithritol with some natural carbs and sugars even if minimal might work as a sugar free natural alternative to stevia in a soda like this. It may not be as fizzy though.
I wish you two made more videos on a frequent basis. Thank you.
We'd love it too! 🥰
Why don’t you ? You do excellent videos with a great topic.
Hi,
Awesome video. Thank you so much. Can you test dates and date sugar?
Hello! Thanks for the question! We actually started a test jar to see if date paste would work, but then it got so messy that we decided it wasn't really a good option. 😂 Although date sugar should work just fine! It should be similar to the coconut sugar or if you were to use brown sugar.
I love this.
Woohoo!! Thank you so much for the love! 😍
Thanks so much❤ fabulous. I'm in the mountains of the dominican republic and get awesome raw unfiltered honey. Looking forward to taste that
Welcome! That honey must be absolutely delicious! ❤️
@@FermentationAdventure it totally does. It's from wild bees. They only harvest a small portion to make sure the bees stay and have plenty of food for rainy days
That's wonderful! ❤️
i feel that adding ginger bug voided this experiment as adding bug to it would almost 100% be more effective in less failed ferments then having it ferment creating the bug. but thanks for the video was super fun to watch.
thanks for the vid more give us more. Please and Thanks
Hey there! Thanks so much for your sweet comment! We love making videos for you all and have exciting plans for more videos throughout the year. Thanks so much for watching! 🥰
Paula again. I like your shows. I should send you my recipe for Root Beer. I came from Pennsylvania. Not too far from amish area. There is a lot of root beer and Sarsaparilla beer. At events it comes in big wooden barrels like beer.
Oh yes! We'd love that! You are always welcome to contact us on Facebook! (facebook.com/fermentationadventure/)
hello1 do you know if allulose ferments??
I would be curious of how raw honey ferments. Great video!
Thank you so much for the question! Actually, the honey we used was raw honey. Woohoo! So it does ferment! 😄
Just found your channel. 👍👍❤
Hi! Welcome ❤️ We're happy you found us!
I dunno about fermentation, but you are sure a cute, happy couple. Glad her hair finally dried.
Not sure what it means, but glad you're enjoying the vids! 🤣
Inulin is also a fiber sugar you could try. Some chicory inulin taste like cotton candy.
Can you use allulos for fermentation?
Thank you for this video! It was great! I'm curious, though. Is there a way to measure how much sugar is left over in a fermented drink, once it's ready to drink? I think many people worry about the type of sugar and the amount of sugar because of health issues. Even if fermented foods are good for our gut, some people may be wary of these drinks because they're trying to cut out sugar. If there is a way to measure, it would be great if you could do a video on that. :)
I find 2 cups of sugar is too much for a gallon, I now use 1 1/2 cups of sugar per gallon and the results are not sweet and not dry ... perfect balance for me
@turtles1717 Thanks for the question! The easiest method is to do a taste test along the way, perhaps after the bubbles start slowing down during the fermentation process, to see if it still taste sweet. The sugars are eaten up during the fermentation process, so once it reaches a certain point, the drink will taste completely dry. Even thought the no-calorie sweetener will not ferment, it could be used at the end of the fermentation process to sweeten your ferment at the very end, just for taste. Hope this helps! 😄
@briankerr4512 Makes complete sense! We started to decrease the amount of sugar from our ferments as well, but then again we can always just let it ferment longer. 😅
@@FermentationAdventure yup ... since my house is at 65deg F, I ferment for 6 full days but for apple cider (from the store) I'm fermenting for 8 Days because the apple cider is really sweet.
Will granulated date sugar work for ferments?
Sweet❤❤❤
Thanks for watching! 😄
I was wondering if I can use half and half of regular sugar and monkfruit sweetner? I'll still be using sugar to feed the ginger bug, but not as much sugar. This is for making the soda not the ginger bug.
Have you guys heard of Kvass?? Is generally the same thing
Hello ! I'm new to fermentation and ginger bugs ! Can you use honey to start a ginger bug?
Hi there! Thanks for the question! Based on the great honey results in this ginger ale experiment, you should also be able to use honey to start your ginger bug! 😃
Have you made Kombucha with jaggery?
I want the results from all jars graphically if possible
I'm in Australia but ingredients and brewing times are critical
and available worldwide BUT flavour is my main interest...
Sure! You're welcome to check out the results with pictures of each ferment on our website: fermentationadventure.com/which-sugars-ferment-making-homemade-ginger-ale/
you could use a whole lot of stevia and cook it. you can ferment almost any part of any plant. cook it to break down sugars or use enzymes to break down the cellulose. make sure to filter after cooking, otherwise u will get a anerobic reaction an a lot of methane.
How long do you leave it in glass bottles for big bubbles? Would you still burp it once in a while?
Yes we'd recommend still burping it once in a while, even when it's done fermenting and in the fridge for longer storage. 2-3 days of bottling seems to be plenty for us when we're trying to build some carbonation. In case it helps, here's our original homemade fermented ginger ale video: czcams.com/video/KsMUuMmKwps/video.html 😄
Can I start my initial ginger bug with honey instead of sugar as well?
Hi! We usually stick to just raw cane sugar in our ginger bug starter culture to keep it simple, however you should be able to create your ginger bug using honey. I see from your other comment on the ginger bug video that you went ahead and gave that a try, so can't wait to hear how it turns out!
Please do a blind taste test at the end with friends and family minus kids...
That's a great idea for an upcoming video, thanks! 😄
What about dates syrup or the sugar? Or even the dates flesh?
Can you ferment with honey? *stares in Mead*
Yup, exactly! Mead is certainly the most obvious proof that it does indeed work. 🥰
Hi there. I am wondering how long the flavoured kombucha can be kept in the fridge? 🙂
Hi! We've kept bottled kombucha in the fridge for years actually, but the taste does change a bit over time. It's probably best to drink within a year, and to burp them every couple of months or so.
Thanks! I appreciate your reply!! Love you channel!
That's wonderful! Thanks so much for watching!
Where do I get the ginger ale recipe?
Thanks so much for your question! We made two videos on exactly how to make it here. Hope that helps!
Ginger Bug Starter Culture:
czcams.com/video/wtb1BvRUWmI/video.html
Ginger Ale:
czcams.com/video/KsMUuMmKwps/video.html
hello could you please make a video about the percentage of alcohol in water kefir ? like the one you did for ginger root beer. i am muslim and i am concered about the alcohol percentage thank you so much ❤❤❤
If I peel the skin of the the ginger could I use non organic ginger in my gingerbug?
Hello! Yes, that should work. We've made ginger bugs before without the peel. You could also try washing your non organic ginger well with non chlorinated water, and see if that works as well. Happy fermenting!
I was surprised that you were surprised that no sugar didn't work,
yeast + sugar = zoom
wink
It was basically the "control" group of the experiment. We knew it wouldn't ferment, but now here's the proof! 😆
Could you just ferment with fruit and sweeten with stevia?
Hi there! Thanks so much for the question, and yes, that is a really great option! You could let it ferment most of the way out so that there's very little sugar left, but like you said, add stevia afterwards for taste. Enjoy! 😄
without watching again, did stevia work?
Thanks for watching! **Spoiler Alert!!** The stevia did not ferment. We had used our fresh stevia from the garden, dried and ground, which means there was no sugar content to feed the ginger bug starter culture. Although you could ferment with a sugar source, let it ferment all the way out, and then add stevia before drinking it, just for taste. Hope that helps!
Looks like a scoby forming
Some of these definitely had a layer forming on top! But then the layers on the ginger bug ferments are usually just foamy, unlike the solid scoby layer that forms on top of kombucha.
💚💚💚💚💚💚
Thanks for watching! Hope you enjoyed! 😄
Hey....👍🏼
Hey hey!
You not suppose to boil the ginger
Hi! That's true for making a ginger bug starter culture (which is fresh ginger with sugar and water). But in this video, we quickly show how to make traditional homemade fermented ginger ale, which involves making a boiled ginger flavored liquid, and then adding some ginger bug starter culture to it. Here's the full video on how to make homemade fermented ginger ale: czcams.com/video/KsMUuMmKwps/video.html. However, you can also make fermented ginger ale by using juiced ginger! That's very spicy and refreshing too. If you're interested, here's the video on how to make that one: czcams.com/video/4t8peSK0AdI/video.html (this one is not boiled). Enjoy!
Honey 🍯
😋😋😋