Homemade ginger beer is extremely easy to make with ingredients that are readily available on the market.

Ginger beer is popular in many different parts of the world from the Caribbean to Africa and Asia. It can be consumed on its own or it can be mixed with many different ingredients to make flavorful cocktails and mocktails. 

You want to impress your friends with this trendy drink. So, let’s dive into this spicy, yet sweet fermented beverage!

 

How to make ginger beer

There are many different fermented ginger beer recipes out there and a few different ways it can be made. Some recipes can take considerably more time than others.

This homemade ginger beer recipe is both simple and less time-consuming than other versions because you will not be required to first make a “ginger bug” which can add significant time to the process of making one’s ginger beer. 

For this recipe, we do not recommend young ginger and we suggest trying to use organic ginger, especially if you are living in North America as ginger is often irradiated, which in addition to inhibiting the sprouting of the vegetable will also kill the wild yeasts on the skin of the ginger. We want to try and maintain these wild yeasts as much as possible.

Fermented ginger beer recipe

Ingredients

• 2 L spring water 
• 200 g fresh organic ginger (grated but not peeled)
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 78 ml lime juice
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

Utensils

• 2 x 1 L plastic soda bottles with screw-down tops (this can be a well-washed soda bottle, do not use a plastic water bottle or glass).
• A funnel 

Instructions

1. 1. Place the grated ginger and 1 L of water in a large pot and bring it to a boil. 
   2. Once boiling turn the heat down to medium and let it simmer for 15 min.
   3. Add the sugar and stir it until all the sugar is dissolved.

• Take the pot off the stove and add the other 1 L of water. Let the mixture cool until it is at room temperature (20–22 °C). 

1.  Strain the liquid into a large bowl or pitcher removing all the grated ginger.
2. Add the lime juice and stir.
3. Add the yeast and stir until it is completely dissolved.

If you do not let the liquid cool to room temperature, it will be too hot and it will kill the yeast.

1. Pour the liquid into two 1 L plastic soda bottles using the funnel or any combination of plastic screw-top soda bottles you have available. Make sure to leave roughly two thumbs space at the top of each bottle as the fermentation process will produce CO2 gases. 
2. Place the bottles somewhere out of direct sunlight at room temperature for 2-3 days. 
3. Each day “burp” each bottle by gently loosening the cap of the bottle to let out some of the gases. 
4. Once the ginger beer has reached your desired fermentation and sweetness move the bottles to the refrigerator, where the fermentation process will be reduced, and it can be kept for 1-2 weeks. 
5. Enjoy it by itself or mix it with rum, mint leaf, or any other beverage to spice up its taste!

 

How alcoholic is homemade ginger beer?

Alcohol is one of the products of the fermentation process. If you want a low-alcohol fermented ginger beer, we recommend a short fermentation time. However, if you cannot consume any alcohol, it’s safer to stick with a completely non-alcoholic ginger beer.

Which yeast to use for ginger beer?

The most widely available active dry yeast is perfectly suitable. This yeast is also used to make homemade bread.

How to make ginger beer ferment?

The fermentation process for ginger beer is achieved through two means:

1. The active dry yeast, which is added, 
2. The natural wild yeasts that are present on the skin of the ginger.

This is why we recommend using organic ginger and not peeling it to ensure that you also get the wild yeasts present in the ginger, which facilitates the fermentation process.

We hope you enjoy this easy-to-make healthy ginger beer recipe and if you like it don’t forget to share it with your friends!