How to Make Ginger Beer
- 9 cups spring or well water
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar*
- 1/3 cup fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice**
- 1 cup granulated cane sugar***
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast****
- 1 (2-liter) plastic bottle with screw top . a soda water bottle that has been carefully cleaned works great
- A medium to large sized pot for heating water
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Add the cream of tartar, lemon juice and fresh grated ginger to a large pot along with 4 cups of the water. Bring to a full boil.
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Turn the heat down to medium, add the sugar and stir until all of the sugar is dissolved.
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Add the rest of the (cold) water to the pot and allow it to cool to around 75 degrees F (23 degrees C).
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Add the yeast, stir and cover the pot with a kitchen towel.
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Place pot in a dark place for 3 hours.
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Using a fine strainer, strain the liquid into a pitcher to remove all the bits of ginger.
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Pour the brew into one clean 2-liter plastic bottle (or two 1-liter bottles) but do not fill up the bottle all the way because the fermentation will yield carbon dioxide, causing gases to build in the bottle – you will need to give the liquid some room to build the gas.
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Place the bottles in a dark, warm room for 2 to 3 days (two days if you want a sweeter ginger beer, and 3 days if you prefer a drier ginger beer).
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Once to three times a day, carefully loosen the caps to relieve some of the pressure (without opening the bottles all the way). Be very careful in this process and do not point the bottles at anyone’s (or your own face).
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Once the ginger beer has finished brewing, store it in the refrigerator to chill. This will also slow the fermentation process.
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Pour in a glass and enjoy as is, or add a splash of rum and lime juice for a Dark n’ Stormy. Ginger beer keeps for 10 days – be sure to store in air-tight bottles in your refrigerator.
*You can replace the cream of tarter with 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
**I used a meyer lemon – it only took one for 1/4 cup of juice.
***If you don’t do cane sugar, you can use coconut sugar.
****Yup, this is the same yeast you use for baking bread. After your brew is finished fermenting, you can either add fruit, simple syrup, juice, or liquor to it to create a customized treat, or drink it as is. If you choose to bottle the ginger beer in glass bottles, allow the ginger beer to lose much of its fizz prior to bottling, as it will continue to carbonate in the bottles, which could result in them exploding if there is too much pressure.