Gingerbeer Beer

[Cellar_Rat]

Simple AG wheat beer with Ginger and lemon...

21l. 80m boil

2.3 kg wheat malt
2.2 kg Pilsner malt
30 g Tettnang hops (4.2 % alpha)
1 packet Safbrew WB06 yeast (wheat variety)
5g Irish moss
You will need to substitute this with extract.

Now heres the tricky blighters...
15 g Fresh lemon zest. Add at 5 minutes before end of boil
This is 2 large lemons or 3 small. Zested on a medium grater
100 g Fresh grated ginger at flameout.

I think this should have been 200g ginger and let it soak to 30 mins before chilling.
Next time I might use your slow cook extract method for ginger and lemon and then add into primary. This could even be done the day below.

I used the cascade for recovery - dry hopping - when the ginger and lemon didn't do much.

[Delmonteman]

Ok well give me an idea of your recipe and ill have a go myself. I have wheat malt extract, malt extract, cascade and ginger waiting in the wings!

[Cellar_Rat]

Slow cooker oooooo good idea.

I think the gingered wheat beer is the way to go..... The dry hopped (cascade) is going to be a winner.

[Delmonteman]

Sliced, put in slow cooker with some water for an hour then strain, cool and add to must.

I didn't taste the ginger afterwards so don't know what my extraction rate was like but can certainly be tasted in the wine...

[Cellar_Rat]

I was aiming for 100g that was the actual when it was all prepared.

450 hmmm. How did you process it sliced-blitzed-grated?

[Delmonteman]

Why 88g? I used 450g in one gallon of wine when I made ginger wine (and it had a good kick but could have had more). Is your quantity known to give the flavour you want? Ie is it based on other tested recipes?

[Cellar_Rat]

Most of primary completed - no ginger flavour what so ever. 88g at flame out (from frozen then finely sliced).

Chewing proves there has been little gignger extaction. (result was eeeek - spit)

Choices are: 15g Cascaded dry hopping in secondary. (safe option)
or recover the ginger, blitz it and add that to secondary? (continue the pain of trying to ginger some beer)

Thoughts ?

[Delmonteman]

Watching this space!

[Cellar_Rat]

Did you do this in the end CR? Was thinking of having a go myself...

Yes. Just pitched.
After a few more ginger beer disasters, I decided to revisit this idea.
So far quite pleased. Based of a simple wheat beer that I have made before with lemon zest added 5 mins before flamout and Ginger added to Primary.

Watch this space.

PS Might have overdone the ginger...

[Cellar_Rat]

Unfortunately not. Really got into wheat beers. I quite fancy doing ginger beer again but will try to find a GB 'plant' for my next go.

[Delmonteman]

Did you do this in the end CR? Was thinking of having a go myself...

[Delmonteman]

Lots of other herbs be used as a bittering agent and I can't see anything wrong with using ginger. Just need to consider the malt profile that would suit ginger... I would think something lighter on the malt side but that gives less margin for error on the bitterness. Alternatively you could do a big fat porter style and land anywhere between bitter and stout with the acid in the ginger and you'd be fine. Do ginger and liquorice go together?

[Cellar_Rat]

Having made ginger beer ( ginger, lemons, sugar & water - ferment ) several times last year, on the whole was quite disappointed.
It was very well ordinary - perhaps thin.

Thinking all grain brew I am wondering if there is a better drink to be made with a bit of maris otter.

Something along the lines of.
19l batch
Mash 3.5 kg Maris Otter (bit more beery flavour) @69° C - to get a higher proportion of unfermentable sugars (to get a sweeter finish)
Boil for 60 mins and then use this (still still hot) as the base for the lemons and the ginger infusion?


I making this up as I go along ... Any thoughts or contributions please