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!
