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GINGER BEER RECIPE
To get that 'real' ginger beer flavour that you are probably familiar with, then then you will need to use sugar, however since refined sugar (sucrose) is a substance that plays a key role in degenerative disease it should be avoided wherever possible. The sucrose molecule is composed of a glucose and a fructose molecule and it is the fructose molecule that does the damage to the body, hence fructose, dextrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup are not good alternatives because they are too high in fructose. Taking all of this into consideration, the most important factor to keep in mind is that you ferment all the sugars to completion. (Note that 'sugars' is a term used to refer to any simple carbohydrate.)
Honey may be used, however because it contains both right and left handed sugars only 60% of it will ferment (yeast's require right handed sugars.) The unfermented honey however gives the ginger beer a pleasant taste, as it does to honey mead, a beer made with honey. A point worth considering is that raw honey contains natural antibiotics which may slow the fermentation process. Other alternatives are to sugar are rice malt, barley malt, maple syrup, palm sugar, blackstrap molasses, unrefined cane sugar and so on. Fruit juices that have been extracted with a slow speed juicer may also be used. You will need to experiment with quantities of sweeteners to find a recipe that suits your taste buds. It is suggested that you use sugar in the ginger beer starter and use an alternative sweetener when you brew the ginger beer.
There are four main steps to brewing a lacto fermented beverage.
1. Obtain a suitable
primary starter culture that contains the required microbial organisms.
2. Activate the starter by fermenting a starter extension.
3. Ferment the sugars with the bulk of the liquid.
4. Add any additives such as plant material, minerals and salt, and top up the
liquid to the final volume.
Please read the procedure for brewing a lacto fermented beverage before attempting these recipes.
INGREDIENTS FOR A GENERIC GINGER BEER RECIPE
Makes 3 litres, 4 x 750 ml bottles. You will need a suitable brewing
container, such as a stainless steel stock pot, glass jar, ceramic crock or food
grade plastic pail.
- 1 litre water.
- 1/3 cup raw honey.
- 250ml starter extension
- 150gm fresh ginger.
- 2 teaspoons green tea.
- optional herbs.
- 1/8 teaspoon Celtic sea salt.
- optional minerals.
- 2/3 cup lime/lemon juice.
- Filtered water up to 3 litres.
- 2
teaspoons rice syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1. Obtain a suitable primary starter culture that contains the required microbial organisms.
Step 2. Activate the starter by fermenting a starter extension.
Step
3. Ferment the sugars with the bulk of the liquid.
Calibrate the
fermentation vessel at the 3 litre mark. Add 1 litre of water and the raw honey
to the fermentation vessel, stir until dissolved. Add the starter extension and
stir once again. Leave for 12 hours then stir gently. After 24 hours add the rest
of the ingredients as follows.
Step
4. Add any additives such as plant material, minerals and salt, and top
up the liquid to the final volume.
Peel and grate the ginger, squeeze
out the juice through a piece of muslin. Add the juice to the liquid in the fermentation
vessel. Simmer the ginger pulp in about 1 cup of water for 30 mins. Strain through
muslin and put the ginger pulp back into the pot with another cup of water. Simmer
once again, turn off the heat and add the green tea and optional herbs. Leave
covered for ten minutes so that the green tea can steep. Strain through muslin.
Add the sea salt and optional minerals to the tea, stir then leave the tea to
cool to below 25C before adding it to the fermentation vessel. Add the lime/lemon
juice then top up the brew to 3 litres with water. Cover with a cloth. After 12
hours give it a gentle stir then leave it to ferment for 5 days or until it has
gone flat. Dissolve
2 teaspoons of rice syrup with 1/2 cup of water, stir it into the brew then bottle.
MEASUREMENTS
1 teaspoon = 5
ml / 5 gm. 1 tablespoon = 15 ml / 15 gm. 15 tablespoons = 1 cup / 225 ml. 1
cup = 8 fluid oz / 225 ml. 1 US gallon = 3.6 litres. 1 lb = 16 oz / 454 gm. Temperature 20C = 68F.
Conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius: C = (F - 32) / 1.8. Conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit: F = C x 1.8 + 32
Culture: probiotic
sauerkraut.
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