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Homemade Ginger Beer

Homemade ginger beer is a simple probiotic soda pop
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4.9 from 16 reviews

Traditional ginger beer is easy to make at home. It is made with the ginger bug, which is a wild yeast culture fed on ginger and sugar. Homemade ginger beer is refreshingly probiotic, spicy, and delicious! It’s also a traditional remedy for digestive issues and nausea.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 1/2 cups water (chlorine-free)
  • 4 to 6 Tbsp raw sugar (see above for options)
  • 1/4 cup ginger bug starter
  • 1 to 4 Tbsp finely grated ginger (see notes for details)
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (not bottled, see notes)

Instructions

  1. Mix all the ingredients in a 1 quart (1 L) glass jar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Cover with a piece of cloth or coffee filter held in place with a rubber band or metal ring. Ginger bug needs exposure to air for fermentation so don’t ferment in a sealed jar.
  3. Place the jar somewhere warm and dark to ferment for 3 to 5 days and give it a good stir each day. The speed of the ferment will depend on the temperature. It will go quickly at temperatures above 70 F (21 C). 
  4.  It’s ready to bottle when bubbles are forming at the top of the jar. Strain the mixture and bottle it in a bottle that can handle the carbonation. See notes for more details.
  5. Allow the ginger beer to ferment in the bottle for a further 2 to 5 days to build up the carbonation. 
  6. Once it’s fizzy, store the ginger beer in the refrigerator and consume it within four weeks.

Notes

  • It’s important to monitor carbonation. Either use plastic pop bottles or swing-top bottles that can handle the pressure of carbonation. Check the carbonation by popping open the swing-top bottles every day or squeezing the plastic bottle.
  • The more ginger you use, the more flavor you will have in your ginger beer. Also, the beer will ferment quicker with more ginger. It’s really a matter of personal preference whether you want to use 1 Tbsp or 4 Tbsp of ginger. If you aren’t certain, then use 2 Tbsp, which is still quite mild. Likewise, the amount of sugar is optional. Using 4 Tbsp will result in a less sweet ginger beer. For a typical ginger beer use the full 6 Tbsp.
  • Bottled lemon juice is very high in sulfites, which will slow down the fermentation. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead.

Find it online: https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/homemade-ginger-beer/