[Ginger is one of the herbs that I love to
use.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[Depending on the amount it is always fresh but also warm to
hot.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[I drink almost no alcohol so ginger beer is a tasty alternative to have
with a curry or in a cocktail.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[So we’re going to make ginger ale or ginger lemonade because depending
on the method this contains no or very little
alcohol.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[The basic recipe is very easy to adapt to different flavours of
lemonade.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[Adding bubbles can be done in a relatively modern way with a siphon or
SodaStream.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[By adding yeast, which has been used for brewing of beer and wine a
little over one hundred
years,
or the traditional way by making use of natural
fermentation.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[Natural fermentation is a topic that continues to intrigue
me.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[These are techniques that have been used for a long time, but almost
disappeared from our kitchens in recent years or have been nicely
packaged and sold in shops.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[Natural fermentation is, according to most books, free probiotics
without needing to buy expensive yoghurts or pills.
You can also store fermented food for longer without a refrigerator or
freezer.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[Sometimes fermentation specific “microbes” degraded certain components
in food that are not good for us or cause other nutrients to be better
absorbed.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[In short, worth experimenting with!]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[Two very interesting books I got to know during a “raw” food workshop,
where we made dishes such
as Kimchi(the
Korean version of sauerkraut), are ‘Wild Fermentation’: ‘The Flavor,
Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture
Foods
and The Art of Fermentation’: ‘An In-depth Exploration of Essential
Concepts and Processes from Around the
World’
by Sandor Ellix
Katz.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[Both books are packed with recipes from virtually all corners of the
world, but also contain a more scientific explanation of the effects and
possible risks or problems.
You will discover tons of recipes to make your own yogurt, kefir,
sauerkraut, pickles, wine, beer, fermented meat / fish to your own soy
sauce or miso :-)]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[A disadvantage of the traditional recipes are the relatively large
amounts of sugar. After some searching, I discovered ‘True Brews’: How
to Craft Fermented Cider, Beer, Wine, Sake, Soda, Kefir, Kombucha at
Home,
and found out that you only need 1 tablespoon of sugar for every two
litres in order to have enough CO2 to make lemonade! The fermentation is
just slightly slower.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[The basic process is very simple. We make a strong tea or syrup
from water and ginger. Then add water / sugar / sweetener and lemon to
taste.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[If we add the CO2 with the help of a siphon or SodaStream we let the
mixture cool down completely and leave it in the refrigerator
for several hours because cold liquids absorb more
CO2.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[For today’s brewer’s version we let the mixture cool down to body
temperature and then add the yeast.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[We let this sit in a plastic bottle or fermenting jar with an airlock
until the bottle is either hard or the CO2 bubbles are
visible.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[Glass is risky, because depending on the amount of sugar and
temperature the pressure can rise rapidly!]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[We stop the fermentation by placing the bottle in the refrigerator and
/ or pouring it over in another bottle without
sediment.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[
For the natural way, we need a natural (yeast) culture.
I made a “ginger beer bug” by following the recipe in ‘Wild
Fermentation’.
This is a similar
recipe.
The ginger beer bug is a combination of the yeasts present in ginger
(organic of course) and air. In the beer world, this is more or less the
way they make the legendary
Lambiek.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[Ginger-Bug alternatives include adding water kefir or whey.
]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[For other flavours … just experiment!]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[Green tea / lime is quite delicious. Or substitute water with fruit
juice.
Because of the higher sugar content, the fermentation is faster and the
end product will contain some alcohol. Or you could combine herbs for a
specific effect.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[The yeast will convert a portion of the sugar into alcohol and CO2
(should be <1% ), so when you use very little sugar and sweetener the
end product will be very “dry”.]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[Sometimes the first mix is filtered well to get a clear result.
A few days chilling also ensures a clear result.
Usually I just leave the ginger pulp in because my aim is not to have an
equally clear end product
as Fentimans,
just one that tastes as good or even better
:-)]{style=“color: #000000;“}
[ultimate-recipe id=“576” template=“default”][wpurp-searchable-recipe]3 ways to make ginger beer - - Ginger ((washed and grated or juiced)), sugar, lemon ((juice and zest )), water, water, sweetener ((choice your favourite, I use stevia)), C02 ((siphon or sodastream)), champagne yeast ((or use bread yeast for a slightly more yeasty result)), ginger bug, Simmer the ginger, 250ml of water and 1 tbsp of sugar for a few minutes.; Cool for about 30 minutes - 1 hour till it is at room temperature.; Add about 1750 ml of water and adjust the recipe to your own taste by adding more lemon and sugar or a sweetener. Make it slightly more sweet if you are using yeast or a ginger bug. The fermentation will reduce the sweetness. ; If you are using a siphon or Sodastream : cool in the fridge and add the C02.; For the yeast version or ginger bug version : fill a plastic bottle with the mixture (filter if you want a clear end result), add the yeast or ginger bug and shake for a few seconds.; Ferment at room temperature till the bottle feels solid.; Transfer to your fridge to avoid explosions. ; - [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]