Ginger Beer

We’ve had a crazy few weeks around here, and I haven’t been in the kitchen much (thank you, China Wok!). Therefore, the fermentation project was quick and dirty: ginger beer. I got the idea for this from Katz’s Wild Fermentation, which is a fabulous little book with all sorts of fermentation projects. This one is barely 3 steps, and pays back with bottles of lovely homemade soda.

First, the ginger bug: this is just like sourdough starter, but instead is for delicious beverage projects. I grated 3 inches or so of ginger into a jar, added a tablespoon of sugar, and topped up with a cup of water. Stir the whole thing, and cover with a clean cloth. I usually use a scrap of cheesecloth, and secure it with a canning ring. Then let sit in a dark corner for a few days. I feed it every day with a bit more grated ginger and another teaspoon of sugar.

Once that bad boy started to bubble after a few days, I started the next step, which was to boil a half-gallon of water with ginger and sugar. I used about 4 inches of grated ginger (I didn’t bother to peel it) and 1.5 cups of sugar, and boiled for 15 minutes or so.

When the ginger/sugar mixture cooled, I added the bug to it. Then I added the juice of two lemons. I save some of the bug to keep it going with my feeding routine, so I can make more ginger beer quickly if I feel like it.

Finally, I strained out the solids and added enough water to get a gallon. I bottled it into some bail-top bottles (like Grolsch bottles), and stuck those into a dark corner. We have to wait a few weeks, but then will be rewarded with sweet, gingery, and bubbly deliciousness 🙂