Homemade Ginger Beer Recipe

GINGER BEER RECIPE (made from scratch with Ginger Bug)

This will be your new favorite summer drink!! Refreshing, super gut-healthy and delish! You must give it a try.

Ginger beer is a naturally fermented, mildly alcoholic beverage (similar alcohol amount as in kombucha) made from ginger, sugar, water, and a starter culture known as a ginger bug. It’s similar to a ginger-flavored soda but with natural carbonation and a probiotic boost from fermentation.

So what is the Ginger Bug exactly? Think about it as your sourdough starter. The ginger bug is your sourdough starter, and the ginger beer is your sourdough bread. It serves as a starter culture for fermenting homemade sodas and other beverages, adding natural carbonation and a probiotic boost.

TOOLS:

• 2 Mason jars
• Pickle Pipe
• Tough Band
• Spoon/spatula for stirring (avoid using a metal one as this would react with the acidic environment of the ginger bug)

INGREDIENTS:

For The Ginger Bug (Day 1)

• 1 cup dechlorinated water
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped or grated ginger (skin on)
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar

Food For The Ginger Bug, To Keep It Happy (Every 24 Hours – For 2-3 Days)

• 1 Tbsp finely chopped or grated ginger (skin on)
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar

For The Ginger Beer

• 4 cups dechlorinated water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3-5 tbsp ginger, grated
• 1/4 cup strained ginger bug liquid
• Whole spice mix: 1 star anise, 3 cardamom pods, 2 cloves
• *optional* Juice of 1 ½ lemons

INSTRUCTIONS:

(Day 1) MAKE YOUR GINGER BUG:

To cultivate your own wild yeast (Ginger Bug), combine filtered water with granulated sugar, and finely chopped ginger and place in a 24 oz Mason jar (16 oz will work as well).

Mix together until the sugar is dissolved, cover with the Pickle Pipe and secure it with Tough Band. Let it sit for 24 hours.

(Every 24 Hours – 2-3 Days) FEED YOUR GINGER BUG:

Moving forward, add the same amount of ginger and sugar every 24 hours until it becomes fizzy (don’t add any more water). Mix well till sugar dissolves.

This should take about 2-3 days.

Your ginger bug won’t get extremely fizzy. If you see or hear a bit of fizz when you stir the mixture, it’s ready to use.

MAKE THE GINGER BEER:

Once the ginger bug is fizzy, pour 4 cups of water into a medium-sized pot. To that, add in granulated sugar, spices and grated ginger.

Bring up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for 5-8 minutes.

Now, let it cool down naturally until it reaches room temperature, leaving all of the ingredients in there to steep.

Once it cools down to the room temperature, strain your liquid through a fine mesh colander. You can strain it straight to the 1-quart Mason jar (32 oz).

Next, strain the ginger bug. Add ¼ cup of the strained ginger bug to your ginger beer mixture followed by the juice of 1 ½ lemons. You can refrigerate the leftover ginger bug in a Mason jar with an airtight lid on for 1-2 weeks and make more ginger beer or experiment with different fermented sodas (feed your ginger bug once a week with more ginger and sugar to keep it active).

Stir well until thoroughly combined.

Secure the jar with the Pickle Pipe and Tough Band.

Let it sit in a dark place such as a kitchen cupboard for 3-6 days or until the mixture is fizzy.

Once it’s reached the level of fizziness that you like, you can transfer it to flip-top bottles and refrigerate them; just make sure you’re opening the top and burping them once a day.

How To Serve:

We like to serve it on ice with fresh mint or use it for a Moscow mule cocktail!

 Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Joshua Weissman.