One-Week Homemade Ginger Beer
By Yankee Magazine|Apr 15 2014|
One-Week GInger Beer
Photo Credit: Matt KalinowskiThis homemade ginger beer is a refreshing beverage. If you find it too strong, or if you like some pizzazz in your drink, combine it with seltzer water in a ratio that works for you.
Yield
about 3 quarts
Total Time
20 minutesIngredients
3 quarts water
1 pound ginger root, washed, unpeeled, and grated
1/2 cup lime juice (from 4 to 5 small limes)
1-1-1/2 cups light brown sugar, loosely packed
Instructions
In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil, then remove from heat. Add ginger and steep overnight. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing ginger to release flavor, then pour into bottle through a funnel. Add lime juice and 1 cup sugar; stir vigorously. Adjust to your taste with remaining sugar. Cover and store at room temperature; let mixture steep (and dregs settle) 24 hours. Decant to a second bottle with a tight-fitting screw top and refrigerate 3 to 5 days.
I may add that if you add a teaspoon champagne yeast once the beverage is cooled, putting it into a bottle with either a cap or bail cork the beer will create its own fizz. I use champagne bottles and buy plastic corks and wire bails, Open it as carefully as you would a fine bottle of sparkling wine.
Keep in a cool dark place for one week. The dregs will settle, open, and either sieve into chilled mugs or serve dregs and all for a more robust drink
Brilliant
After the first week how long will it keep? In the bottle in a dark place?
Brilliant
Has anyone tried this recipe with the addition of a dash of cayenne?
I do something similar with ginger, also using champaign yeast, and while the fizz develops in few days my experience is that the flavor changes and improves after being refrigerated for three or more weeks. I have no idea what chemistry causes this.