Ginger Beer

Classification: ginger beer, soda

Source: Eric Pepke (pepke@gw.scri.fsu.edu) Issue #630, 5/6/91

Every time I did not peel the ginger, the yeast did not multiply properly. There may be a causal relationship. The more you let the lemons boil, the more bitterness will be extracted from the peels. For a result a lot like Canada Dry's Bitter Lemon, increase the number of lemons to 4, let the lemons boil for about 1/2 hour, and cut back on the ginger.

Ingredients: (for 1 gallon)

1 gallon, water
3-4 ounces, fresh ginger
2 lemons
2 cups, sugar (sucrose or brown sugar or both)
Yeast

Procedure:

Peel the ginger and slice into 1/8 inch slices. Mix the water with the sugar and put in the ginger. Boil an hour or so. Slice the lemons, add to the boil, and boil for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add yeast. Let the yeast grow overnight. Bottle in very strong bottles. Let sit at room temperature for about 12 hours to carbonate. Put bottles in the fridge. Open very carefully.