A Fermenter’s Experience: Ginger Beer
Long before the days of sugar filled sodas and soft drinks, people still craved bubbly, sweet, cold drinks. What is summertime without them?
Of course, our ancestors didn’t have access to the soft drinks that we do, but they made more than a few of their own! Many of these were naturally fermented or lacto-fermented drinks that held many good bacteria and probiotics that helped the gut while they refreshed on a hot day.
When I started researching old fashioned fermented drinks, I was totally surprised by the diversity that there was! Everything from shrubs (apple cider drinks) to switchel and hard lemonades. Did you know that root beer was once a fermented drink from, as its name implies, roots and herbs? Or that Coca-Cola started out as a medicine with cocaine in it?
My personal favorite old fashioned, fermented drink is homemade ginger beer! It is so very easy and only requires a little patience, time and four ingredients. I hope you will give it a try! It is very refreshing on a hot summer day!
Combine the first three ingredients in a quart jar and stir well. This this the ginger beer soda starter.
Cover with cheesecloth or a paper napkin and rubber band. Let it sit out on the counter.
Feed the ginger beer starter 2 tsp. sugar and 2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger every day for a week, stirring each time.
After a week, it is time to make the ginger beer.
To make the syrup, bring the 1/2 gallon and 2/3 cup fresh grated ginger to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes on low, covered.
Add sugar and lemon juice and mix to dissolve.
Strain the syrup into a gallon jar. Fill the rest up with water, leaving room for 1 cup of starter.
Let cool completely.
Strain out 1 cup of starter and add to the cooled syrup.
Cover the jar with a cheesecloth or a paper napkin and a rubber band.
Stir vigorously 2 times a day for 3 days.
After 3 days, the ginger beer is ready to drink or you can leave it on the counter for 2 more days to ferment further.
To serve, you can drink the ginger beer straight or fill a glass up half way with the ginger beer and then add seltzer water or mineral water.
You can easily double the ginger beer recipe or store the extra starter in the refrigerator and take it out later to make another batch.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the first three ingredients in a quart jar and stir well. This this the ginger beer soda starter.
Cover with cheesecloth or a paper napkin and rubber band. Let it sit out on the counter.
Feed the ginger beer starter 2 tsp. sugar and 2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger every day for a week, stirring each time.
After a week, it is time to make the ginger beer.
To make the syrup, bring the 1/2 gallon and 2/3 cup fresh grated ginger to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes on low, covered.
Add sugar and lemon juice and mix to dissolve.
Strain the syrup into a gallon jar. Fill the rest up with water, leaving room for 1 cup of starter.
Let cool completely.
Strain out 1 cup of starter and add to the cooled syrup.
Cover the jar with a cheesecloth or a paper napkin and a rubber band.
Stir vigorously 2 times a day for 3 days.
After 3 days, the ginger beer is ready to drink or you can leave it on the counter for 2 more days to ferment further.
To serve, you can drink the ginger beer straight or fill a glass up half way with the ginger beer and then add seltzer water or mineral water.
You can easily double the ginger beer recipe or store the extra starter in the refrigerator and take it out later to make another batch.
