Home fermented Ginger Ale is very easy to make. It’s a fizzy probiotic drink that’s rich in both colour and flavour. It relies on a ginger bug to get things moving, which on it’s own is a GREAT thing to know how to make & use. It comes in handy for a variety of recipes, including fruit-based ferments, like peaches or cherries, natural fermented sodas, and fermented sweet chutneys (recipes for all coming soon!). It’s also very low maintenance. Pop it in the fridge when you don’t have a use for it and bring it back out when you do. A bit of ginger and sugar is all you need to wake it from it’s chilly slumber.
Ginger Bug
A Ginger Bug acts as a starter, and is similar in concept to whey and SCOBYs. It’s jam packed with good bacteria and yeast that will give your ferment a high quality boost - and in some cases, like with ginger ale & probiotic sodas, it’s absolutely necessary to kick off fermentation.
Equipent
1L glass jar, NO LID
coffee filter & rubber band
paring knife
vegetable peeler
vegetable grater
measuring spoon
measuring cup
cutting board
Ingredients
2 cups filtered water
2-3 TBSP ginger, grated + more for feeding
2-3 TBSP granulated sugar (you can use organic cane sugar, if you’d prefer) + more for feeding
Combine all ingredients in a 1L jar & stir with a wooden spoon.
Place the coffee filter on the top and attach with a rubber band. If you don’t have a coffee filter, a kitchen cloth or towel will do just fine. It’s important to never attach an air-tight lid while fermenting your ginger bug. A lot of CO2 builds up during the process and your glass jar WILL EXPLODE if you seal it. This has happened to me and, not only is it messy, it can be dangerous.
Leave your jar on a counter top, somewhere out of the way, to ferment.
For the next 4 - 5 days, feed your ginger bug once daily with equal parts grated ginger and sugar - about 1 - 2 TBSP each.
Every time you feed it, give it a smell & a stir and listen to it. It should sound lively - you should hear a mild fizz or hiss when you put your ear close. Small bubbles may form and it should smell quite gingery and sour. You may even notice that your coffee filter poofs up a bit at the top. This is all good!
Your ginger bug will be ready to use by day 4ish. If you’re too busy and can’t use it by day 4, just keep feeding it. If you get SUPER busy and won’t know WHEN you’ll be able to use it, cover it with a proper lid and pop it in the fridge. Fermentation will slow way down; when you’re ready to use it, simply pull it out, bring it to room temp and feed it. I like to bring it out the day before I plan to use it to get it fed, prepped and lively.
Fermented Ginger Ale
This drink is absolutely delicious. It’s mildly sweet & fizzy, powerfully gingery and reminiscent of a spicy gingerbread cookie. It’s incredible on it’s own and works wonders as a post meal tonic or a tummy soother. It’s refreshing with ice cubes and a bit of fresh mint on a hot summer day. You can add a shot of vodka and a squeeze of lime and you’ve got yourself an old fashioned Moscow Mule.
Equipment
med/large sauce pan
paring knife
cutting board
vegetable peeler
measuring cup & spoons
citrus juicer
wooden spoon
2 x 1L mason jars with lids or 1 x 2L mason jar with lid
Make the Wort
This is essentially a sweet ginger tea.
Ingredients
2 cups filtered water
2 - 3 inch piece ginger, diced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp black strap molasses
Combine in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temp.
add remaining ingredients
5 cups filtered water
juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup ginger bug
Add all of the ingredients to your wort and give it a quick stir. Transfer to a 2L mason jar (or 2 1L jars) and attach the lid. Leave at room temperature to ferment for 2 - 4 days, opening the lid daily to release CO2.
Bottle the Ginger Ale
You’ll notice that the ginger will start to accumulate at the top of your jar and there will be a hiss upon opening the lid. Bubbles will definitely form, threatening to spill over.
Go ahead and strain the solids, popping them into the compost - they do great things for the garden!
Pour the strained ginger ale into flip top bottles, or any glass bottle with a good lid (a half gallon growler will work perfectly!). Allow it to rest one more time on your countertop for about 6 hours before placing your bottles into the fridge. This will help to increase carbonation and deepen the flavour.
Home brewed fermented ginger ale will keep in the fridge for about 3 months. The longer it sits, the less sweet it will be, as bacteria and yeast slowly consume the sugar and convert it to lactic acid, leaving you with a somewhat tart drink that’s sharp with ginger. YUM!
Enjoy!
