Ginger Beer

This drink not only contains healthful probiotics for the gut it also contains fresh ginger for digestive health as well. For those who are looking for a replacement for real beer, this is a great alternative. Truly expensive in stores, this will give you a cheaper version. After buying a dozen or so bottles and some fresh ginger...well you're all set!

Look here to buy the bottles: EZ Cap Clear Beer Bottles

Ginger Beer

Making ginger beer is a three-step process. We start by making a ginger bug, then ferment it using water, sugar and lemon juice, then bottle it and allow it to sit for secondary fermentation.

Ingredients for the ginger bug:

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated, divided

3 tablespoons raw organic sugar, divided

2 cups water

You also need:

1 quart glass jar or jug

Paper towel

Rubber band

1-gallon jug

How to make ginger bug:

1.  To start your ginger bug, add 1 teaspoon of the peeled and grated ginger and 1 teaspoon of the sugar to a jar (a 1-quart jar works great).

2. Add two cups of spring water (non-chlorinated) to the jar and stir.

3. Cover the jar with a cheesecloth or towel bound with a rubber band.

4. Allow jar to sit in a dark place for 24 hours.

5. Once a day for one week, add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger to the jar and stir well. This ensures your ginger starter stays fed and grows, similar to sourdough starter. Stir a couple times per day. During this process, natural yeasts are released and create a white substance at the bottom of the jar. This is where the probiotics come from.

6.  After about three to five days (perhaps longer if your house is very cold), the liquid will begin bubbling when you stir it. Once you can hear bubbles without touching the jar, your ginger bug is ready to be used. This will take seven to ten days in a warm house, but longer in a cool house. If after seven days, your ginger bug is still not bubbling, continue adding a teaspoon of sugar and ginger until it does.

7. Use the liquid from ginger starter to make ginger beer. Continue adding water, ginger, and sugar to the starter as you continue to use it for batches of ginger beer. If you ever see old floating on top of the starter liquid, discard the starter and make a new one. There will be a white substance on top of ginger bug sometimes, this is normal.

Ingredients for the Ginger Beer:

1 cup ginger starter

1 scant gallon of spring (mineral) or well water

1 ¼ cups sugar (raw organic cane sugar recommended)

½ cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup fresh ginger, grated

How to make ginger beer:

1.  Fill a gallon-sized jar most of the way with spring water.

2.  Add the sugar, lemon juice, grated ginger, and the ginger starter.  Stir very well.

3.  Cover the jug with a paper towel bound by a rubber band and put it in a dark place at room temperature for eight to ten days.

4.  Taste-test the mixture periodically to see if you need to add more sugar.  The natural probiotics will eat the sugar, so if the beverage ever loses all of its sweetness, add a little more sugar (no more than 2 tablespoons at a time), but be careful not to overload the probiotics, as they can die when given too much sugar.

5. Stir the mixture once or twice a day. You will notice a white substance forming around the ginger at the bottom of the jug.  This is the natural yeasts coming out of the ginger—it’s a good sign!  There will also be large bubbles forming on the surface of the liquid.  The ginger beer is ready when the substance becomes bubbly when stirred.

6. Once the ginger beer is ready, give it a taste test.  If it doesn’t taste sweet, add additional sugar and ginger because once you bottle the brew, it goes through secondary fermentation and the probiotics continue to need to eat sugar.  (Recipes that follow give you an idea how much sugar to add.)

7.  At this point, you options are to either bottle the ginger beer as-is or flavor it prior to bottling it.  Pour the liquid into sealable bottles and set them in a dark room for two to four days.  This process makes the ginger beer very fizzy.  The warmer the room, the faster the beverages gets fizzy, so open a bottle every day or so to check the fizz and level of sweetness.  Both the fizz and sweetness is up to your taste, but be careful not to allow the bottles to sit for too long because they most definitely will explode.

8.  Place the bottles in the refrigerator to calm fermentation process.  For best results consume within a week.

Lime Ginger Beer

4 cups of ginger beer

4 limes

2 tablespoons of sugar, or to taste

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and pour into sealable bottles for secondary fermentation.  Leave the bottles at room temperature for two to three days and then place in refrigerator.

Coconut Basil Ginger Beer

10 leaves fresh basil, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons of sugar

¾ cup coconut milk (full fat from a can recommended)

4 ½ cups ginger beer

1.   Heat the coconut milk, sugar, and chopped basil over medium heat until it comes to a gentle boil.

2.  Remove from heat and allow it to sit about 10 minutes to let the basil flavor infuse.

3.  Pour mixture into glass container and place in fridge to cool completely.

4.  Once cool, strain the basil from the coconut milk using a strainer and discard basil.  Mix the coconut mixture with the ginger beer.

5.  Pour  into bottles for secondary fermentation or drink right away.

Blood Orange Ginger Beer

Juice of 3 ripe blood oranges

2 tablespoons of sugar

4 cups ginger beer

1.   Combine the blood orange juice, sugar, and ginger beer in a pitcher.  Stir vigorously to dissolve sugar.

2.  Pour into sealable bottles and secure the lids.

3. Leave bottles at room temperature for 2 days to allow for secondary fermentation.

4.  Then place in refrigerator to chill and slow the secondary fermentation process

Strawberry Ginger Beer

2 cups fresh ripe strawberries chopped

½ cup water

2 tablespoons sugar

8 cups ginger beer

1.  In a saucepan, heat the strawberries and water,  covered, over medium heat.  Allow the mixture to come to a boil.

2.  Once the strawberries begin to lose their form, mash them with a fork.  Stir in the sugar.  The mixture will have the consistency of chunky syrup.

3.  Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.  To speed up this process, pour it in a bowl and refrigerate until cooled.  Strain mixture.

4.  Combine the strawberry mixture with the ginger beer in a pitcher or jug and stir well.

5.  Pour into sealable containers.

6.  Leave at room temperature for two days and then refrigerate.

Really, the skies the limit when thinking about flavors...the above are just a few suggestions. Try grapefruit, raspberry, pineapple...