This is an excellent non-alcoholic thirst quencher for both young and old in the summer. For those of us who grew up in New Zealand with home-brewed ginger beer in the garden shed and got our kicks from the adventure and risk of opening a bottle left open for a little bit too long, it might bring back some memories. How times have changed! Take caution when opening it because it will become fizzier with time.
| Prep Time: | 40 mins |
| Additional Time: | 14 days |
| Total Time: | 14 days 40 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 16 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 ½ tablespoons water
- 9 teaspoons white sugar, divided
- 9 teaspoons ground ginger, divided
- 1 ¾ teaspoons brewers’ yeast
- ⅛ teaspoon brewers’ yeast
- 3 quarts cold water
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 3 ¼ cups white sugar
- 2 ¼ tablespoons white sugar
- 1 quart boiling water
- 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
Instructions
- Combine 1 1/2 cups plus 2 1/2 tablespoons water, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, and 1 3/4 plus 1/8 teaspoons yeast in a container. Mix together to make the bug. Cover loosely and let stand in a warm place for 24 hours.
- “Feed” the bug daily for 7 days by adding 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon ground ginger.
- Strain the bug through muslin cloth, pouring the liquid into a separate large container.
- Mix the strained liquid with 3 quarts cold water. Add lemon juice to the brew.
- Dissolve 3 1/4 cups plus 2 1/4 tablespoons sugar in boiling water; add to the brew. Mix in grated ginger. Bottle the ginger beer. Let stand until fizzy, at least 1 week. Refrigerate before drinking.
- Brewer’s yeast is available from home brewing stores. Don’t use bread yeast with added dough enhancers.
- If you want to keep the bug going for further brews, halve the solid, add 1 1/2 cups plus 2 1/2 tablespoons (400 ml) water and start again. Keep the bug loosely covered in a warm place.
Reviews
I used more ginger and more sugar, personal taste.
Great recipe!
Just bottled out first batch and smells amazing! Hoping to find out if we continue the bug do we need to add any brewers yeast to it? Also, can it sit in the bottle for longer then a week without turning alcoholic and just refrigerate when we are ready to drink? Will update results in a week when we open our first bottle.
I may have read the recipe as 2 1/4 cups sugar but other than that it smells great and will be perfect as I love the drink and didn’t want it to be alcoholic