This recipe below is for a classic Ginger Beer approx. 4-5% alcohol, you can make a kid-friendly version.

This recipe makes quite a spicy ginger beer, by reducing the amount of ginger will reduce to amount of bite.

KITCHEN BASICS

Stockpot (around 8L in volume for a 4.5L batch)
Grater or blender
Peeler or zester
Kitchen scales
Thermometer
Funnel

BREWING SUPPLIES

Non-Rinse Sanitiser
Fermenter + Airlock
Empty Bottles, Caps and Capper

*A Brewing Starter Kit may be the cheapest option for bigger brews, or a 5lt Demijohn with a Airlock for smaller batch brewing.

INGREDIENTS

Small Batch 4.5lt

280g Ginger
225g Raw Sugar
280g Light Dry Malt Extract (store any excess malt extract in an airtight container)
1/2 Sachet Ale Yeast
1 Pack Carbonation Drops
Optional: Small piece of a cinnamon stick or cassia bark, zest of 1 lemon.

Large Batch 20lt

1.25kg Ginger
1kg Raw Sugar
1 x 1.5kg Can of Light Liquid Malt Extract
1 Sachet Ale Yeast
1 Pack Carbonation Drops
Optional: A cinnamon stick or cassia bark, zest of 4 lemons.

PROCESS

1. Sanitise your fermenter
2. Wash the ginger under cold water, then use a grater or food processor to finely grate or blend. Zest lemons if using zest.
3. Add grated ginger and malt extract to your stockpot and as much water as the pot allows without exceeding the batch size (leaving room so it doesn’t boil over).
4. Bring the pot to a simmer, and cook for at least 10-20 mins, add lemon zest to the boil.
5. In the last minute or so of the boil, add the raw sugar. We add the sugar late to reduce the chance of boiling over.
6. Cool the mix down – you can just put a lid on the pot and allow to stand for a few hours, or place the pot into a cold-water bath. Remember that as the mix cools, we need to avoid contamination of any kind so nothing should come into contact with the liquid once it’s stopped boiling.
7. Once the mix is below 30°C (ideally around 20°c), transfer it into your fermenter and add the yeast. Seal up the fermenter with some water in the airlock. It’s best to keep the fermenter in a cool dark place (around 18-20°c) for the duration of fermentation.
8. Allow the mix to ferment for at least 7 to 10.
9. Once the fermentation is complete, it’s time to bottle up the ginger beer.
10. Sanitise your bottles.
11. Sugar your bottles
12. Bottle Condition for at least 4 weeks

*ALCOHOL FREE VERSION

You can make an alcohol-free version of this ginger beer (actually a very low alcohol version at less than 0.5%). Just omit the malt extract and raw sugar added to the boil. Once the mixture is cooled, add the yeast and stir and allow to sit for just 30 minutes before bottling with carbonation drops as usual.

*GLUTEN FREE VERSION

Replace the dry or liquid malt extract with other sugar sources such as honey, additional raw sugar, agave syrup, brown rice syrup, sorghum syrup, etc.

Additional Flavours

Chillies – 4 jalapenos
Orange Peel
Lime Peel

Mint