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Brewing Steps
BREWING PREPARATION
Debris on equipment can harbor micro-organisms that could spoil your homemade ginger beer, even with proper sanitation.
Everything that comes into contact with your ginger beer wort after the boil must be sanitized to prevent risk of any unwanted things getting into your finished brew.
While you are waiting for the wort to boil, you can start cleaning all the brewing supplies you’ll need to get the job done right.
Step 1: Clean all of your supplies with soap and hot water.
Step 2: Add 1 tbsp of the No-Rinse Cleanser provided in your Ginger Beer Making Kit to the fermentation jug. If your spices did not arrive with brewing supply cleanser, any local home brew supply shop will be able to help you purchase a brewing cleanser that will work for this process.
Step 3: Fill the fermentation jug to the “one gallon label” with hot tap water and shake to dissolve the cleanser.
Step 4: Transfer the cleanser from your fermentation jug into a clean 5-1/2+ quart pot.
You may find that the cleanser will bubble as you agitate it inside the jug, be sure to let gravity help you to remove the bubbles inside and add more cleanser to help rinse the jug out if needed.
Use the cleanser to sanitize a mixing bowl for holding your brewing supplies after they have been cleaned thoroughly. Make sure to submerge each clean brewing tool in the cleanser solution for at least 1 minute.
After cleaning all your supplies, safely place them aside in the cleaned bowl and pour out the pot to remove the cleanser water. Let everything air dry, no towels. Do not rinse with tap water or you may introduce unwanted contaminates. The cleanser does not require any rinsing.
Be sure that your airlock is filled with cleanser to the line indicated on the plastic before discarding of the extra cleanser!
Alcoholic Ginger Beer Instructions
Bootleg Botanicals homemade Ginger Beer ingredients can be brewed to be alcoholic or non-alcoholic depending on your preference.
The following instructions will produce an alcoholic Ginger Beer. Your brews final ABV will depend on the time and temperature the Ginger wort is kept at during fermentation. Each yeast will yield a different finished alcohol proof however, the Safale US-50 provided in all Bootleg Botanicals Ginger Beer making kits can produce a finished brew ranging from 0-10% ABV.
If you would like a non-alcoholic Ginger Beer, please follow the instructions on the next tab.
Step 1: Bring 17 cups of filtered water to a boil in your clean 5-1/2 quart + pot. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer.
Step 2: Pour all of the contents from the Ginger Beer Spice bag into the boiling water and stir to help dissolve the sugar. Partially cover the pot with a lid to allow steam to escape and prevent overflowing.
Step 3: Allow your brew to boil for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 60 minutes, you will have successfully created wort, the un-fermented liquid that will turn into your amazing batch of homemade Ginger Beer.
Follow the instructions under the Cooling and Fermentation tabs…
Non-Alcoholic Ginger Beer Instructions
Yeast requires sugar to create alcohol. By reducing the sugar in your Ginger wort and lessening the amount of time the Yeast has to ferment, you can craft your homemade Ginger Beer just the way you like it.
Follow these directions if you’d like your Ginger Beer sans alcohol…
Step 1: Bring 17 cups of filtered water to a boil in your clean 5-1/2 quart + pot. Then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Step 2: Remove 1-1/2 to 2 cups of sugar from your Ginger Beer ingredients package and set aside.
Step 3: Pour the remaining contents of the Ginger Beer ingredients package into the water and stir the pot until all of the sugar granules have fully dissolved.
Continue to simmer your Ginger wort for 50 minutes.
Step 4: At the 50 minute mark, do a quick taste test to make sure that you are happy with the sweetness of your wort. If it is not sweet enough, add sugar and dissolve it in the boil until you are satisfied. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to add more sugar later if it doesn’t turn out as you hoped the first time around. Just remember… it’s easier to add sugar than remove it.
Step 5: Continue your boil for 10 more minutes (60 minutes total).
For Ginger Beer that is 100% Alcohol free…
Follow the { Cooling } instructions and add 1 teaspoon of yeast to the pot. Give the ingredients a stir and use the racking cane to transfer the ginger wort into four, one liter, pressure-rated plastic bottles (see bottling instructions).
For low ABV Ginger Beer…
Alcohol proof under .5% is considered non-alcoholic. We find that the slight fermentation improves the flavor of the final brew and tames the spiciness of the ginger beer root. If you are over 21, here are the instructions for brewing a low ABV ginger beer.
Step 1: Follow the directions above and move on to the Cooling and Fermentation tabs for the next steps.
Step 2: Ferment for 1-3 days. We’d suggest stopping the process a day or two after the airlock begins to bubble.
Step 3: Follow the Bottling directions, chill and enjoy!
Cooling Your Ginger Beer Wort
Yeast is a fragile thing. Maintaining just the right temperature can make all the difference in the world. It is important to be aware of the temperature of your wort before adding your brewing yeast to the pot. A basic cooking thermometer can help you determine if your wort is cool enough to safely add the yeast.
The following steps will help you to quickly and safely cool your Ginger wort in preparation of the fermentation process.
Step 1: Plug one side of your kitchen sink and fill the bowl up 1/3rd of the way with cold tap water.
Step 2: Add 16 cups or more of ice cubes to the water.
Step 3: Carefully place your pot of Ginger wort into the water making sure that the pot does not float.
Step 4: Stirring the wort will allow the brew to cool faster but it’s important not to splash any sink water into the mixture to avoid contamination.
Step 5: Continue to cool your brew until the temperature reaches 70-77° F (21-24° C).
Be sure your cooking thermometer was properly cleaned before placing it in your Ginger wort.
Fermentation
Once you have run your optional initial ABV tests and cooled your Ginger wort to 70-77° F (21-24° C), remove 1 teaspoon of brewing yeast from the packet enclosed in your Ginger Beer kit and add it to the pot of cooled Ginger wort.
Seal the additional yeast completely and store the unused portion{s} in the refrigerator for use in additional batches of Ginger Beer down the road. Each packet of yeast will make up to 4 gallons of Ginger Beer. {CLICK HERE} to order additional packages of Ginger Beer ingredients.
ALCOHOLIC GINGER BEER INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1: Gently mix the yeast in the Ginger wort pot.
Step 2: Using a funnel or siphon, transfer the Ginger wort from the brewing pot into your clean fermentation jug.
Step 3: Firmly press your clean airlock and rubber bung into the fermentation jug. Be sure that the bung is snug to create an air tight seal.
Step 4: Place your fermentation jug in a cool, dark location where it will go undisturbed for the duration of the fermentation process. On the floor of a closet or pantry works well.
Step 5: Ferment your Ginger Beer for 5-7 days for optimal flavor. The warmer the brew is kept, the faster your Ginger Beer will ferment.
What is the sludge at the bottom of my brew?
During the fermentation process, the dead yeast will collect at the base of your fermentation jug. This sludge is called Trub and it is natural part of the brewing process. Do not worry when the Trub begins to form as it means your yeast is working to make alcohol. The Racking Cane included in your Ginger Beer kit will help filter the Trub out during the bottling step.
Bottling Your Brew
IMPORTANT! The residual sugar content in Ginger Beer can create excessive pressure build up during the carbonation step which will result in bottle bombs if left unattended or stored in hot locations. We strongly recommend that you check the pressure build up by squeezing your plastic bottle to gauge how firm it has become. When you can no longer compress the sides of your plastic bottles, store them in the refrigerator at all times to stop the carbonation process.
The carbonation process takes 36 – 40 hours on average. Longer durations could result in Ginger Beer dangerous explosions. Never use glass vessels to store your ginger brew!
Old plastic soda, Seltzer or Soda Stream bottles work well for storing your finished Ginger Beer. You can use the additional no-rinse cleanser to prepare these bottle types before embarking on the bottling process.
Step 1: Mix the remainder of your no-rinse cleanser with 1 gallon of hot water.
Step 2: Soak each, clean plastic bottle in the cleanser for 1 minute or more. Fill the bottles with cleanser, re-attach the caps and shake the bottles vigorously to thoroughly clean the inside.
Step 3: Empty the cleanser from the bottles and sanitize your racking cane and hose. Attach the hose to the curved end of the racking cane.
To help start the suction of liquid, fully submerge the racking cane and hose beneath the cleanser. Before removing the hose from the water, place your thumb over the end of the hose firmly.
Place the fermentation jug on a surface above the plastic bottle filling area and insert the black-tipped end of the racking cane into the jug and slowly release the cleanser from the hose into the sink. Once ginger beer begins to flow, quickly insert the hose into a bottle and fill the vessel roughly 3/4 full. Repeat this process until all of the ginger wort is gone from the jug.
Step 4: Gently squeeze the bottle as you replace the cap to remove excess air. Place the bottles on your kitchen counter until they have resumed their shape. This can take 1-2 days depending on the room temperature. Once you can no longer squeeze the sides of the bottle, pop all the bottles into the refrigerator to stop the carbonation process. Please keep the bottle in the cooler until use to avoid over carbonation and potential explosion.
If your Ginger Beer gets flat, you can re-carbonate the bottle by leaving it on the counter until the brew re-carbonates.
Downloadable Printed Instructions
