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  • How to Make Ginger Ale (Beer)

    Even though you can look at the shelves in any supermarket and find various brands of ginger ale, making your own creates an entirely different (and remarkably better) taste. Here's how to make a 2L bottle of fresh ginger ale straight from the ginger.

    It's also a great way to spend time with your children, teaching them the wonders of science (fermentation) and the world of wine/beermaking. You can have fun and enjoy the time with them, and they might feel like they are sharing your hobby as well!


    Ingredients
    • sugar (1 cup)
    • freshly grated ginger root (1 1/2-2 tablespoons). Use only fresh ginger root.
    • juice of one lemon
    • fresh granular baker's yeast (1/4 teaspoon)
    • cold fresh pure water


    Things You'll Need
    • clean 2 liter plastic soft drink bottle with cap
    • funnel
    • grater (preferably with fine "cutting" teeth)
    • 1 cup measuring cup
    • 1/4 tsp and 1 Tbl measuring spoons
    Attached Files
    Last edited by medpretzel; 25-05-2010, 11:46 AM.
    Virtual Wine Circle & Competition Co-Founder
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  • #2
    Add 1 cup of sugar to the bottle through the dry funnel. Leave the funnel in place until all the steps are complete and you are ready to cap the bottle.
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    • #3
      Measure out 1/4 teaspoon of fresh granular active baker's yeast. Use any brand that you might buy in the health food store.
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      • #4
        Measure out 1/4 teaspoon of fresh granular active baker's yeast. Use any brand that you might buy in the health food store.


        Grate the ginger root on a fine "cutting" grater to produce 1 1/2 Tablespoon of grated root.
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        • #5
          Place the grated ginger in the measuring cup.
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          Last edited by medpretzel; 25-05-2010, 11:44 AM.
          Virtual Wine Circle & Competition Co-Founder
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          • #6
            Juice a whole lemon. Lemon is important to keep the PH level low and ward off unwanted microorganisms. If you don't like lemon, try grapefruit juice instead.
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            Last edited by medpretzel; 25-05-2010, 11:44 AM.
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            • #7
              Add the juice of a whole lemon to the grated ginger.
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              Last edited by medpretzel; 25-05-2010, 11:45 AM.
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              • #8
                Stir the lemon juice and grated ginger to form a slurry.
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                Last edited by medpretzel; 25-05-2010, 11:45 AM.
                Virtual Wine Circle & Competition Co-Founder
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                • #9
                  Add the slurry of lemon juice and grated ginger to the bottle. (It may stick in the funnel. Don't worry, the next step will wash it into the bottle.)
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                  • #10
                    Rinse the containers that held the lemon juice and grated ginger with fresh clean water. Do not dump the water just yet.
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                    • #11
                      Add the rinsing water to the bottle.
                      Cap and shake the bottle.
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                      • #12
                        Reopen and fill the bottle to the neck with fresh, cool, clean water, leaving about an inch of head space, then securely screw the cap down to seal. Invert the bottle repeatedly to thoroughly dissolve sugar. Also check the bottom of the bottle because the suger tends to stick in little pockets there. (The ginger root will not dissolve, of course.)
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                        • #13
                          Place the ginger ale in a warm location for 24 to 48 hours. See the Warnings below.


                          Test to see if carbonation is complete by squeezing the bottle forcefully with your thumb. If it dents in as in the picture, it is not ready.
                          Once the bottle feels hard to a forceful squeeze, usually only 24-48 hours, place in the refrigerator. Before opening, refrigerate at least overnight to thoroughly chill. Crack the lid off the thoroughly chilled ginger ale just a little to release the pressure slowly. You do not want a ginger ale fountain!
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                          • #14
                            Tips
                            • Make sure the fermenting vessels are cleaned before use, there are a wide variety of powdered sanitisers that can be used.
                            • Filter the ginger ale through a strainer if you find floating pieces of ginger objectionable. These are found in the first glass or two poured and, since most of the ginger sinks to the bottom, the last glass or so may require filtering too. Rinse the bottle out immediately after serving the last of the batch.
                            • Fermentation has been used by mankind for thousands of years for raising bread, fermenting wine and brewing beer. Carbon dioxide causes bread to rise and gives effervescent drinks their bubbles. This action of yeast on sugar is used to 'carbonate' beverages, as in the addition of bubbles to champagne.
                            • You may, of course, adjust the quantities of sugar and/or extract to taste. Note that the lemon called for in step seven is optional. And if you want a spicier drink, you can increase the amount of grated ginger.
                            • To personalize your ginger ale, design your own label and attach it to the bottle as you place it with pride in the center of your dinner table.
                            • You can substitute artificial sweeteners for the sugar as long as you use 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. This is all that is actually required for the yeast to carbonate the beverage.
                            • For an interesting variation, simmer a piece of well bruised root ginger in water for an hour as an alternative method of extracting the flavor, this will give the water a golden/brownish tint. Start with about 20g of ginger root per 2 litres of water, and increase/decrease to taste.



                            Warnings
                            • This recipe will produce alcohol in the finished product
                            • The quantity of alcohol in the finished product over a 2-3 day fermentation period is going to be minuscule, however, if left out for several days (see further warnings) it will continue to ferment until all of the sugar is gone, and the alcohol content will be considerably higher. It will taste nothing like ginger ale. Note also that local laws pertaining to the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages may apply. (For example, some "dry" areas maintain zero tolerance for alcohol in beverages.)
                            • Do not leave the finished ginger ale in a warm place any longer than the time it takes for the bottle to feel hard. Leaving it at room temperature longer than two days, especially in the summer when the temperature is high, can generate enough pressure to explode the bottle! Once it is thoroughly chilled, there is little danger of explosion.
                            • When purchasing your yeast, do not buy "brewer's yeast", as this is typically inactive yeast left over from the brewing process. It is dead yeast, and will not work. For best results, buy yeast from a beer and wine maker's supply store.
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