Nana's Ginger Beer | Community Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Nana's Ginger Beer | Community Recipes | Nigella's Recipes? ›

Bottle in sealable bottles: Recycle plastic soda bottles with screw tops; rubber gasket “bail-top” bottles that Grolsch and some other premium beers use; sealable juice jugs; or capped beer bottles, as described in chapter 11. Leave bottles to ferment in a warm spot for about 2 weeks. Cool before opening.

Bottle in sealable bottles: Recycle plastic soda bottles with screw tops; rubber gasket “bail-top” bottles that Grolsch and some other premium beers use; sealable juice jugs; or capped beer bottles, as described in chapter 11. Leave bottles to ferment in a warm spot for about 2 weeks. Cool before opening.

Others say the raisins are added to supply nutrients for the yeast. The ginger and sugar alone cannot host a very healthy yeast colony without the trace minerals supplied by the raisins. Whatever the case, your ginger beer needs it. They're also edible (at own risk).

The main difference is in taste between the two ginger beers produced. GBP has a more tart flavour to it when compared to ginger bug, which produces a much sweeter tasting traditional ginger beer. Organic ginger beer plant is more of a treat for us rather than something we consume daily.

Ginger beer is a fermented non-alcoholic beverage made simply from fresh ginger, sugar, water, lemon juice, and yeast. It is very similar to ginger ale, but with a more pronounced spicy “ginger” flavor, less carbonation, and my version is decidedly less sweet.

Let ginger beer ferment too long, it's very dry and has no sweetness at all. Almost unpleasant.

Allow the mix to ferment for at least 5 days – this is a minimum and extra time in the fermenter won't hurt it. You can leave it to ferment for up to 2 weeks without issue. The airlock should have stopped bubbling before bottling. Once the fermentation is done, it's time to bottle up the ginger beer.

Relieves Nausea and Improves Digestion

Did you know that ginger beer is an effective remedy against nausea and morning sickness? According to studies conducted by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, ginger beer enhances digestion and helps food move smoothly through the stomach.

“Ginger root contains a special compound called gingerol that has been shown to support gastrointestinal motility, or the rate that food moves through the digestive tract,” explained Stefani Sassos, a registered dietitian and the nutrition and fitness director for the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, and Anti-cancer Properties

Ginger also contains antioxidant properties and inhibits inflammatory responses due to natural anti-inflammatory compounds. In addition to gingerol, ginger also contains shogaol and paradols that have been shown in studies to prevent cancer.

Which ginger beer has the most real ginger? ›

Maine Root Ginger Brew

With its commitment to using Fair Trade Certified organic sugar cane and loads of ginger, there's no mistaking the authentic ginger flavor in this handcrafted beverage. It has a bright and spicy taste that has been known to leave lips tingling—in a good way.

Reed's Original Ginger Beer

This world-famous, Jamaican-inspired recipe is crafted with REAL fresh ginger root, natural fruit juices, honey and spices. Perfect straight-up or mixed.

Ginger Beer “Plant”

This gelatinous mass that floats on the top of the liquid is made up of the yeast Saccharomyces florentinus (formerly S. pyriformis) and the bacterium Lactobacillus hilgardii (formerly Brevibacterium vermiforme).

It is expensive to do it, and ginger juice makes such a big component that to make it it's our highest cost per production beer that we make.

For the best flavor and most fizz, we suggest drinking the ginger beer within four weeks. Because we only use fresh ingredients without chemicals or preservatives, it must be refrigerated.

Beer, we always recommend that you bottle your beer no later than 24 days in the fermenter. You can go longer but the longer your beer sits the more chance you have to get an infection and get off-flavors in your beer. The 24-day mark has always worked well for us.

I tend to leave mine to brew for around 4 weeks in the Demijohn. The airlock should have no activity. Once it's ready siphon it through some filtering mesh into a clean jug, to remove the ginger and most of the Yeast and then bottle it.

Without microbes, your drink will not ferment. Sugar. I usually use evaporated cane sugar for my ginger beer. Any type of plain sugar will work.

Generally speaking, it takes 2 1/2 to 8 weeks to get from ingredients to finished, ready-to-drink beer, with a 3-4 week timeline being the most common. Many factors affect the overall brewing timeline, which is why there is such a range.