Monday 18 June 2012

Lashings of Ginger Beer


I was always impressed at Julian, Dick, Anne and George's success at procuring ginger beer from random farmhouses on their adventures and this probably influenced my decision to get brewing.  I now have lashings of the stuff in my fridge. My first attempt using dried ginger resulted in a very refreshing brew.  Not really ginger beer but a zesty ginger and lemon drink with a light fizz that was perfect for sipping in the pool when the temperature hit 40 degrees yesterday. I'll definitely make it again. The second attempt has turned out closer to the original I remember from my childhood.

100g grated ginger root
4 lemons 
400g sugar
1 tsp yeast
4 litres water

Put the ginger, lemon juice, slivers of lemon peel, sugar and 1 litre of water into a large pan and bring to the boil for 5 minutes. Add the remaining 3 litres of water and test the temperature. It should be around 25 degrees.  Sprinkle the yeast on to the top of the liquid and leave for 5 minutes, then stir in.  You can either pour this liquid into a bucket, cover with a cloth and leave for 24 hours to ferment or pour into a 5 litre bottle with an air lock on top as I did.  I left mine for 48 hours and then bottled it in plastic screw top bottles. It's very important to sterilize everything that touches the liquid and use plastic bottles rather than glass as the mixture can get quite explosive. I left the bottles at room temperature (i.e. very warm) for 6 hours then put in the fridge to stop fermentation.  

This second batch has quite a kick and is much more fizzy. If I'm using the hydrometer properly, the brew is about 4% proof.  With the amount of ginger beer the Famous Five consumed, they must have been constantly sozzled. Does this explain why George was always such a grouch: she must have had a sore head every morning. 

16 comments:

  1. yummy :) well done to you! love a good ginger beer and I bet yours taste lovely.

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  2. . . now this I am going to try - raki in the afternoon is just too dangerous!!!

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    1. Ginger beer cocktails at 4pm on the agenda

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  3. Your post has introduced us to two heretofore (by us) unknown things - ginger beer and "lashings." We had to go to an online dictionary to find out what "lashings" are - "a lot of (something)" - and as for the beer, this is something we will approach gingerly.

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    1. Have you met the Famous Five? Every Brit over the age of 40 will have been brought up on these intrepid crime fighters.

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  4. Great idea! I've made homemade ginger ale here at home, but haven't messed with the yeast version yet. Sometimes, you just have to make it yourself to get what you're craving! Afiyet olsun!

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    1. I tried your ginger cordial recipe a few months back. It was delicious.

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  5. Annie wonderful - dried yeast, right?

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    1. Yes dried yeast. If you use fresh your are meant to float it on a piece of toast!!

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  6. I'm simply going to have to try this ginger beer recipe...I love ginger ale...been drinking it as long as I can remember! assembling the equipment will take some doing...I'll see what I can do!

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    1. You can make it in a bucket and then bottle it.

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  7. Dear Bodrum, I've never heard of "The Famous Five." I wonder if it was published in the United States. I need to check on Amazon. As to the ginger beer, it sounds delicious! I bet it tastes the same! Peace.

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  8. The Famous Five have fallen out of favour these days as they are not very politically correct. When I went back to read the books with my daughter I was shocked at how badly written they were. But at 9 years old, they were my life.

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  9. I always savor drinking ginger ale in the US, but now I can cheat and have some here too!

    Also, we're off for Bodrum on Sunday, any suggestions? Restaurants, bars, best beaches and places to visit? Our hotel is near the marina, so we're very central. Thank you!

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  10. Hi Moe, I was trying to find an email address on your page to send you some suggestions but coudn;t find one. I suggest Mustos, Korfez, and Gemi basi restaurants along the front. And Helva bar, run by Helva Mehmet and Hadi Gari . Email me on BacktoBodrum@gmail.com if you want to meet up.

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