Homemade GINGER BEER with a KICK - 7% ABV!

fresh ginger

🥗Healthier: ginger powder

💰Cheaper: ginger syrup

Ginger powder is more accessible and easier to store.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey adds flavor while reducing refined sugar.

lemon juice

🥗Healthier: lime juice

💰Cheaper: citric acid

Lime juice provides a similar tartness.

yeast

🥗Healthier: kombucha starter

💰Cheaper: sourdough starter

Kombucha starter can add probiotics.

Make a gingerbug by mixing chopped ginger, sugar, and water in a mason jar.

Feed the gingerbug with more sugar and ginger over a few days until it becomes active and foamy.

Prepare a fermentation vessel, ideally a food-safe 2-gallon bucket with a lid.

Add the entire gingerbug to the fermentation vessel.

Add 100 g chopped fresh ginger to the vessel.

Pour in 32 oz of sugar and about 2 gallons of filtered water.

Mix everything together to dissolve the sugar.

Seal the vessel with a lid, using an airlock or a shot glass over the hole to allow CO2 to escape.

Let the mixture sit overnight and check for bubbling activity the next day.

Ferment for a week, checking the gravity with a hydrometer to measure sugar content.

After a week, if the alcohol level is low, add 6 g of beer yeast to the mixture.

Close the vessel and let it ferment for another week until the gravity reading indicates fermentation is complete.

Bottle the ginger beer using plastic bottles for safety during carbonation.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: