Home-Brewed, Jamaican Ginger Beer

Artist-in-residence Brad Smith helps out with ginger beer bottling.

With the over-21-ers enjoying beer in the house, I figured I'd make a lil' something for the kids. Ginger beer has the carbonation and sweetness of soda without all the preservatives and processed ingredients.

Sustainability intern Jacob Firman bottles ginger beer.

All you need is ginger root, lemon, and sugar. No commercial yeasts necessary-- this process utilizes omnipresent free-floating yeasts and bacteria, a process called wild fermentation.

This recipe is from Chelsea Green:

TIMEFRAME: 2 to 3 weeks
INGREDIENTS (for 1 gallon/4 liters):

• 3 inches/8 centimeters or more fresh gingerroot
• 2 cups/500 milliliters sugar
• 2 lemons
• Water
  

TIMEFRAME: 2 to 3 weeks
INGREDIENTS (for 1 gallon/4 liters):

• 3 inches/8 centimeters or more fresh gingerroot
• 2 cups/500 milliliters sugar
• 2 lemons
• Water

PROCESS:

1. Start the “ginger bug”: Add 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) grated ginger (skin and all) and 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) sugar to 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water. Stir well and leave in a warm spot, covered with cheesecloth to allow free circulation of air while keeping flies out. Add this amount of ginger and sugar every day or two and stir, until the bug starts bubbling, in 2 days to about a week.
2. Make the ginger beer any time after the bug becomes active. (If you wait more than a couple of days, keep feeding the bug fresh ginger and sugar every 2 days.) Boil 2 quarts (2 liters) of water. Add about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of gingerroot, grated, for a mild ginger flavor (up to 6 inches/15 centimeters for an intense ginger flavor) and 11/2 cups (375 milliliters) sugar. Boil this mixture for about 15 minutes. Cool.
3. Once the ginger-sugar-water mixture has cooled, strain the ginger out and add the juice of the lemons and the strained ginger bug. (If you intend to make this process an ongoing rhythm, reserve a few tablespoons of the active bug as a starter and replenish it with additional water, grated ginger, and sugar.) Add enough water to make 1 gallon (4 liters).
4. Bottle in sealable bottles: Recycle plastic soda bottles with screw tops; rubber gasket “bail-top” bottles that Grolsch and some other premium beers use; sealable juice jugs; or capped beer bottles, as described in chapter 11. Leave bottles to ferment in a warm spot for about 2 weeks.
5. Cool before opening. When you open ginger beer, be prepared with a glass, since carbonation can be strong and force liquid rushing out of the bottle.

- See more at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/recipe-ginger-beer/#sthash.61GhEqXl.dpuf

Recipe: Ginger Beer

Categories: Food & Health

Posted on Thursday, October 18th, 2012 at 9:00 am by jmccharen

Ginger is a spice perfect for fall weather. Its fragrance can perk up everything from chai tea to apple pie. This humble root can also add a gentle kick of heat to stir fries or soups.
The natural yeasts in the root can also be used to kick start a bubbly ginger beer. Give it a try!
The following recipe is from Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods, by Sandor Katz.
This Caribbean-style soft drink uses a “ginger bug” to start the fermentation. I got this idea from Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions. The ginger bug is simply water, sugar, and grated ginger, which starts actively fermenting within a couple of days. This easy starter can be used as yeast in any alcohol ferment, or to start a sourdough.
This ginger beer is a soft drink, fermented just enough to create carbonation but not enough to contribute any appreciable level of alcohol. If the ginger is mild, kids love it.
TIMEFRAME: 2 to 3 weeks
INGREDIENTS (for 1 gallon/4 liters):

• 3 inches/8 centimeters or more fresh gingerroot
• 2 cups/500 milliliters sugar
• 2 lemons
• Water

PROCESS:

1. Start the “ginger bug”: Add 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) grated ginger (skin and all) and 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) sugar to 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water. Stir well and leave in a warm spot, covered with cheesecloth to allow free circulation of air while keeping flies out. Add this amount of ginger and sugar every day or two and stir, until the bug starts bubbling, in 2 days to about a week.
2. Make the ginger beer any time after the bug becomes active. (If you wait more than a couple of days, keep feeding the bug fresh ginger and sugar every 2 days.) Boil 2 quarts (2 liters) of water. Add about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of gingerroot, grated, for a mild ginger flavor (up to 6 inches/15 centimeters for an intense ginger flavor) and 11/2 cups (375 milliliters) sugar. Boil this mixture for about 15 minutes. Cool.
3. Once the ginger-sugar-water mixture has cooled, strain the ginger out and add the juice of the lemons and the strained ginger bug. (If you intend to make this process an ongoing rhythm, reserve a few tablespoons of the active bug as a starter and replenish it with additional water, grated ginger, and sugar.) Add enough water to make 1 gallon (4 liters).
4. Bottle in sealable bottles: Recycle plastic soda bottles with screw tops; rubber gasket “bail-top” bottles that Grolsch and some other premium beers use; sealable juice jugs; or capped beer bottles, as described in chapter 11. Leave bottles to ferment in a warm spot for about 2 weeks.
5. Cool before opening. When you open ginger beer, be prepared with a glass, since carbonation can be strong and force liquid rushing out of the bottle.

- See more at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/recipe-ginger-beer/#sthash.61GhEqXl.dpuf 

PROCESS:

1. Start the “ginger bug”: Add 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) grated ginger (skin and all) and 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) sugar to 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water. Stir well and leave in a warm spot, covered with cheesecloth to allow free circulation of air while keeping flies out. Add this amount of ginger and sugar every day or two and stir, until the bug starts bubbling, in 2 days to about a week.
2. Make the ginger beer any time after the bug becomes active. (If you wait more than a couple of days, keep feeding the bug fresh ginger and sugar every 2 days.) Boil 2 quarts (2 liters) of water. Add about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of gingerroot, grated, for a mild ginger flavor (up to 6 inches/15 centimeters for an intense ginger flavor) and 11/2 cups (375 milliliters) sugar. Boil this mixture for about 15 minutes. Cool.
3. Once the ginger-sugar-water mixture has cooled, strain the ginger out and add the juice of the lemons and the strained ginger bug. (If you intend to make this process an ongoing rhythm, reserve a few tablespoons of the active bug as a starter and replenish it with additional water, grated ginger, and sugar.) Add enough water to make 1 gallon (4 liters).
4. Bottle in sealable bottles: Recycle plastic soda bottles with screw tops; rubber gasket “bail-top” bottles that Grolsch and some other premium beers use; sealable juice jugs; or capped beer bottles, as described in chapter 11. Leave bottles to ferment in a warm spot for about 2 weeks.
5. Cool before opening. When you open ginger beer, be prepared with a glass, since carbonation can be strong and force liquid rushing out of the bottle.
   

TIMEFRAME: 2 to 3 weeks
INGREDIENTS (for 1 gallon/4 liters):

• 3 inches/8 centimeters or more fresh gingerroot
• 2 cups/500 milliliters sugar
• 2 lemons
• Water

- See more at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/recipe-ginger-beer/#sthash.61GhEqXl.dpuf

Recipe: Ginger Beer

Categories: Food & Health

Posted on Thursday, October 18th, 2012 at 9:00 am by jmccharen

Ginger is a spice perfect for fall weather. Its fragrance can perk up everything from chai tea to apple pie. This humble root can also add a gentle kick of heat to stir fries or soups.
The natural yeasts in the root can also be used to kick start a bubbly ginger beer. Give it a try!
The following recipe is from Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods, by Sandor Katz.
This Caribbean-style soft drink uses a “ginger bug” to start the fermentation. I got this idea from Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions. The ginger bug is simply water, sugar, and grated ginger, which starts actively fermenting within a couple of days. This easy starter can be used as yeast in any alcohol ferment, or to start a sourdough.
This ginger beer is a soft drink, fermented just enough to create carbonation but not enough to contribute any appreciable level of alcohol. If the ginger is mild, kids love it.
TIMEFRAME: 2 to 3 weeks
INGREDIENTS (for 1 gallon/4 liters):

• 3 inches/8 centimeters or more fresh gingerroot
• 2 cups/500 milliliters sugar
• 2 lemons
• Water

PROCESS:

1. Start the “ginger bug”: Add 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) grated ginger (skin and all) and 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) sugar to 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water. Stir well and leave in a warm spot, covered with cheesecloth to allow free circulation of air while keeping flies out. Add this amount of ginger and sugar every day or two and stir, until the bug starts bubbling, in 2 days to about a week.
2. Make the ginger beer any time after the bug becomes active. (If you wait more than a couple of days, keep feeding the bug fresh ginger and sugar every 2 days.) Boil 2 quarts (2 liters) of water. Add about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of gingerroot, grated, for a mild ginger flavor (up to 6 inches/15 centimeters for an intense ginger flavor) and 11/2 cups (375 milliliters) sugar. Boil this mixture for about 15 minutes. Cool.
3. Once the ginger-sugar-water mixture has cooled, strain the ginger out and add the juice of the lemons and the strained ginger bug. (If you intend to make this process an ongoing rhythm, reserve a few tablespoons of the active bug as a starter and replenish it with additional water, grated ginger, and sugar.) Add enough water to make 1 gallon (4 liters).
4. Bottle in sealable bottles: Recycle plastic soda bottles with screw tops; rubber gasket “bail-top” bottles that Grolsch and some other premium beers use; sealable juice jugs; or capped beer bottles, as described in chapter 11. Leave bottles to ferment in a warm spot for about 2 weeks.
5. Cool before opening. When you open ginger beer, be prepared with a glass, since carbonation can be strong and force liquid rushing out of the bottle.

- See more at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/recipe-ginger-beer/#sthash.61GhEqXl.dpuf

Some notes on what I learned from this experience:

• Make sure the bottle caps are compatible with the bottles.

I mistakenly used european bottles (stella artois) with American style bottle caps which are not compatible.

Flip top bottles or Grolsch bottles are great because they are glass and the seal is reusable and easy to apply.

Be sure to leave plenty of space (two inches or more) in the neck because I had one bottle blow up. Fortunately, the bottom of the bottle blew off so I didn’t have to mop up the walls and ceiling. Which brings me to another lesson— be sure to put the bottles in a bucket or box so that in case they do explode, the mess is contained.

 

Old plastic bottles with twist tops work for bottling but I prefer glass for the taste.

  Get a friend to help you with bottling. It takes two to tango.

Some of the best things in life require a little patience. In two weeks you'll be in a gingery heaven.

Firman's Fermentation Adventures: Sauerkraut

Jacob Firman makes sauerkraut.

To ferment means ‘to bubble’ or excite; and boy have I become fermented about fermentation—mostly thanks to the guru of fermentation Sandor Katz, author of Wild Fermentation and The Art of Fermentation. I intend this summer to ferment a variety of things. Last week I did sourdough and this week, I ventured into the world of vegetable ferments with sauerkraut.

My biggest challenge in making sauerkraut was finding the right container. You need a cylindrical container such as crock or a jar and something flat like a plate that fits snug into the container to keep the vegetables submerged. Ideally you would use a ceramic crock like the recipe suggests but I couldn’t find one so I used a mason jar, a smaller jar lid that fit inside and a glass to push it down.

I took the most basic route to make sauerkraut, using just cabbage and salt. It tasted wonderful! Sour, tangy, and alive with bacteria. Judging by how fast we went through the jar, the rest of the house must have thought so too. Next time I make kraut I'll be sure to use a larger container.

Here's a simple recipe for making your own sauerkraut: 

From Wild Fermentation:
Timeframe: 1-4 weeks
Special Equipment: ceramic crock or food-grade plastic bucket, one gallon capacity or greater; plate to fit inside crock or bucket; gallon jug filled with water; cloth cover (dish towel will work)

Ingredients:
5 pounds cabbage
3 Tbsp. sea salt

Instructions:
Chop or grate cabbage, finely or coarsely, with or without hearts, however you like it. Place cabbage in a large bowl as you chop it. Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go. The salt pulls water out of the cabbage (through osmosis), and this creates the brine in which the cabbage can ferment and sour without rotting. The salt also has the effect of keeping the cabbage crunchy, by inhibiting organisms and enzymes that soften it. 3 tablespoons of salt is a rough guideline for 5 pounds of cabbage. I never measure the salt; I just shake some on after I chop up each cabbage. I use more salt in summer, less in winter.

Add other vegetables. Grate carrots for a coleslaw-like kraut. Other vegetables I’ve added include onions, garlic, seaweed, greens, Brussels sprouts, small whole heads of cabbage, turnips, beets, and burdock roots. You can also add fruits (apples, whole or sliced, are classic), and herbs and spices (caraway seeds, dill seeds, celery seeds, and juniper berries are classic, but anything you like will work). Experiment.

Mix ingredients together and pack into crock. Pack just a bit into the crock at a time and tamp it down hard using your fists or any (other) sturdy kitchen implement. The tamping packs the kraut tight in the crock and helps force water out of the cabbage.

Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fits snugly inside the crock. Place a clean weight (a glass jug filled with water) on the cover. This weight is to force water out of the cabbage and then keep the cabbage submerged under the brine. Cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep dust and flies out.

Press down on the weight to add pressure to the cabbage and help force water out of it. Continue doing this periodically (as often as you think of it, every few hours), until the brine rises above the cover. This can take up to about 24 hours, as the salt draws water out of the cabbage slowly. Some cabbage, particularly if it is old, simply contains less water. If the brine does not rise above the plate level by the next day, add enough salt water to bring the brine level above the plate. Add about a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water and stir until it’s completely dissolved.

Leave the crock to ferment. I generally store the crock in an unobtrusive corner of the kitchen where I won’t forget about it, but where it won’t be in anybody’s way. You could also store it in a cool basement if you want a slower fermentation that will preserve for longer.

Check the kraut every day or two. The volume reduces as the fermentation proceeds. Sometimes mold appears on the surface. Many books refer to this mold as “scum,” but I prefer to think of it as a bloom. Skim what you can off of the surface; it will break up and you will probably not be able to remove all of it. Don’t worry about this. It’s just a surface phenomenon, a result of contact with the air. The kraut itself is under the anaerobic protection of the brine. Rinse off the plate and the weight. Taste the kraut. Generally it starts to be tangy after a few days, and the taste gets stronger as time passes. In the cool temperatures of a cellar in winter, kraut can keep improving for months and months. In the summer or in a heated room, its life cycle is more rapid. Eventually it becomes soft and the flavor turns less pleasant.

Enjoy! I generally scoop out a bowl- or jarful at a time and keep it in the fridge. I start when the kraut is young and enjoy its evolving flavor over the course of a few weeks. Try the sauerkraut juice that will be left in the bowl after the kraut is eaten. Sauerkraut juice is a rare delicacy and unparalleled digestive tonic. Each time you scoop some kraut out of the crock, you have to repack it carefully. Make sure the kraut is packed tight in the crock, the surface is level, and the cover and weight are clean. Sometimes brine evaporates, so if the kraut is not submerged below brine just add salted water as necessary. Some people preserve kraut by canning and heat-processing it. This can be done; but so much of the power of sauerkraut is its aliveness that I wonder: Why kill it?

Develop a rhythm. I try to start a new batch before the previous batch runs out. I remove the remaining kraut from the crock, repack it with fresh salted cabbage, then pour the old kraut and its juices over the new kraut. This gives the new batch a boost with an active culture starter.

Beer Brewing 101: Oatmeal Stout

Students at Saturday oatmeal stout brewing workshop add molasses to the mix.

Our workshop season kicked off Saturday with a beer-brewing workshop taught by Master Brewer Paul Jennings. This was part one of a three-part brewing series Paul is offering at Better Farm this summer (wine making is slated for July 13—you don't want to miss it!), and the focus was on getting a batch of oatmeal stout started.


We used a basic stout recipe for this, and got the first steps completed in one morning. We added yeast the following day, and are now enjoying the process of watching the mixture ferment. We'll be able to carbonate the beer in a few weeks. Here's the recipe we followed:

Ingredients
1 pound dry light malt extract
1 pound oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups molasses
2 oz. Keng Golding hops
1 packet Lallemand Windsor yeast
1 1/4 cups priming sugar or cane sugar
1 hops bag for oatmeal

Directions
Bring 2 gallons of water to a boil.
Turn off burner and add bagged oatmeal to the water.
Let sit for 1 hour.
Remove oatmeal from the water.
Add all other ingredients to the water.
Heat the mixture (wort) almost to boiling and simmer for 1 hour.
Bring the mixture to a boil and let wort boil for 1/2 hour.
Add wort to primary fermenter and top off to the 5-gallon mark with boiled water.
Add yeast when cooled. (Temperature should be down to 70 degrees—click here to learn how to make your own wort chiller, which will cool the wort quickly. The faster you can cool the wort, the better the beer's clarity and flavor, and reduces the risk of contamination).
At bottling time, add priming sugar 3 hours prior.

Some photos of the process:

Primary fermenter, left, and at plastic bin with other supplies like thermometers.

Pouring the wort into a primary fermenter.

We'll check back in a few weeks to show you the carbonation and bottling process! If you plan to be in the North Country this Saturday, be sure to sign up for our sauna-building workshop!

To find out more about upcoming fermentation workshops and other educational opportunities at Better Farm this summer, click here.