I had no idea that Derica was a school teacher. But I can believe it! I’m militant about my science note taking too. I was an intelligence analyst in the military, a process control tech when working in semiconductor manufacturing and a full blown nerd in my intellectual pursuits-like home fermentation. Y’all crack me up and I dig it thoroughly! You’re educators and we’re students and I’m grooving on it big time!
The best of all hobbies, it's 99% hands off, which gives you time for other hobbies. "Hobbies cost money but interests are quite free." - George Carlin
There's is a calculator online that will adjust your abv for temperature. If it was 111° when you took the reading of 1.032 the actual reading is 1.050 calibrated at 60° so that really is a significant amount of abv. You guys are great. I just made my 2nd batch of ginger beer. It's so good.
So in 6 days I've drunk a demijohn right out the fermentation station. The flavor and viscosity on the last glass was so notable I've got to tell someone. Pasterised two weeks ago and 3 months old. It went super sweet that final glass with a BIG BODY. Pear methliGONE hiccup ❤
I made a ginger mead a couple years ago. Used 6.4 ounces of ginger (because that it weighed out to when I cut it up) and 2.7 lbs of honey. I write down the recipe when I make a brew. Final brew was almost 10% alcohol and WOW, did it have a good ginger taste.
@@bretthines6893 put 6.4 ounces of ginger in a pot and blended it to a fine pulp added 2.7 lbs honey and juice of one lemon. Put it all in a Primary fermenter and added water to make one gallon/3.8 liters. Starting specific gravity was 1.110. Don't remember what yeast I used. bottled it after about 25 days. End s.g. was 1.04
I LOVE Ginger Beer! I've been making Ginger Mead, and trying to hone my recipes. The last couple batches I have used the for processor to make Ginger juice... Seemed to work good, but is a little tedious...may try this method next time. I like mine very gingery...
Well THIS is good timing... I had already planned on making a fresh batch of ginger beer today as it was, and here you are with a new recipe and everything! I've had some issues with ginger beer carbonating in the past so last time I made a batch - and I'll prob do the same thing today as well - I used EC118 for the yeast, even though SO4 is my go-to for anything under 10% and it worked out well... clean flavour and nice and bubbly.
I liked the new format with all parts in one video.... keeps me from having to hunt down the other parts. Also, thanks for showing how you make your Whiskey Ginger. I was hoping you'd share it. Anyway, another great video... keep up the good work!
Hey Guys! My comment doesnt relate to this video, but I just wanted to thank you for all these videos you guys do, because of these vids I had the confidence try to brew my first apple cider and it was finished about a week ago, I have expereinted with it finishing it 4 differnt ways like you did in a video and the carbonated+sweet was the favorite it my family😊 And I just started my first mead today, I am really excited about that too, so I just wanted to say thank you for introducing me to a new hobby!😀
@CitySteadingBrews that's what I'm talking about when using an auto siphon with bottling wand to go into your bottles. In this video, you mentioned it was difficult to do alone. I think that might work a lot easier if you're working solo.
Thank you both! I will try to brew my first ginger beer the next week. I have one question, can I use hops for bitterness, flavor and aroma? Thanks again!
17:30 I think it’s a manufacturing issue but that’s the thing with glass it’s slightly harder to make everything the same. It’s not a bad product it’s just harder to replicate the same things with glass over and over again there will always be differences
I just made this and it turned out pretty well. I did think I had a stuck fermentation for a bit and suspected it was all the acid from the lemon juice. That made me wonder, what if the lemon juice were added during secondary? I know it will throw of gravity, but if I’m willing to accept that do you think there are any other downsides?
Hello! Love your videos, very educational. About to start my first brew! Anyways, I had a question. Is it acceptable to add a little bit of water after the first rack to avoid having a large head space? Or is that a big no no?
With something like ginger that likes to stall would amylase help breaking the ginger down? And help with even more flavor? Like you say chemicals don't know intentions so the lemon would be broken down too. I am admitting that now.
Unrelated to ginger video, here's my update of my chamomile cider. It tastes like dry cider (currently at 1.004), without a chamomile flavor. Will probably add more chamomile later.
I just brewed a1 gallon batch of Oktoberfest from a kit and the air lock keep blowing off. My question is would it be ok to rack it over to a larger fermenter to add additional head space?
Hey! I’m sure you guys have videos on it, but how would you go about carbonating it if you wanted to sweeten it with regular sugar? I assume you have to pasteurize it before you add regular sugar to sweeten but then how would you carbonate it? Haven’t done any of this but love watching your videos!
We don’t recommend this method. Here’s how though: you sweeten and prime then bottle. Once desired carbonation is reached (you have to guess or open a bottle), you pasteurize. It can be dangerous and risky.
I don't like any bitter flavors at all. I don't like any beer if it has any hopps in it, coffee, most teas, most wines, and practically all green plants. Strangely I don't mind aged scotch. I've very fond of sour flavors, especially citrus. I like honey with ginger, so perhaps honey instead of white sugar if that would work. How would you change the recipe for someone that is hyper-sensitive to bitter flavors?
Hi guys! My first fermentation experience came with hot sauces, lacto instead of yeast. We made 3 gallons of different flavors. Cayenne, Jalapeno, Habanero mango, and yes...Scorpion, Ghost and Carolina Reaper. We watched the ChilliChump channel with Shawn from the UK. He brews as well. Our Jalapeno was green. We kickstarted them with a 3% kosher red bell ferment and used the liquid only, added the extras, a couple tablespoons of sugar...that stuff was heavenly. I noticed when I cracked it at finish there was a SLIGHT alcoholic smell.😂...I have no idea where that came from, no "aliens" or bad smells
Ok..lol Your Not done yet.. But.. I use.. "I Shall be right there, I shall give it a Once over" and others.. LOL OK get back to the Video.. ;) P.S. Could this work as a Mead?
Strange brew ideas, pt 2: Something that would probably make for a true *abomination* when fermented, but I couldn’t stop thinking about after having the idea, is anything fermented with avocado. It sounds so vile you'd probably not consider it, and if you did, it would probably get a negative score… But I’m wondering - have you ever heard of someone doing it?
Probably too much protein and fats/oils and not enough sugars - the only thing I could see is to *maybe* add some avocado into secondary to infuse some of the flavors (though why anyone would want avocado-flavored brewed anything is a little beyond me...)
So, I've noticed that you guys put all your nutrient in at once, whereas craft a brew recommends a staggered fermentation. How do you calculate how much nutrient to add each time? (You add 4.5g here, but only 2g in some of your other brews.) And what are the pros/cons of staggered vs all at once? I'm very new to brewing.
We keep it simple. We also started adding 10g of fermaid O for high abv and 5 for low. These volumes are based on success and experience of our own brews.
How long can you keep the bottle in storage before chilling I don't think I could drink 5L ish in a few weeks 😂. Also would you recipe work in a normal 5L demijohn
You guys are great - I just got a hold of your channel whilst making my first batch of mead and you were a great help! You explain things really well and are fun to watch. ...now I want to make a ginger beer too 😂
This is one of the most interesting brews you have put together yet. I think this is the first time Derica has mentioned that she was a school teacher. She must have been one of the coolest teachers ever.
I wonder if she wanted to be called by her first name like many other cool teachers. My art teacher told us to call him Pete. I couldn't do that because my parents are from the South and you must show your elders respect. So Mr. Pete it was.
I use the same fermenter you guys do - I have a backup plan in place in case it stops sealing. I have a silicone baking mat on standby. In the event one of my LBMB's stops sealing, I will, with the aid of a compass and xacto knife, cut a gasket for the lid that can restore the ability to seal. Hope that helps, guys.
Just wanted to pop on and say that I came to you channel initially from the 2018 Ginger Beer recipe so this video was a sort of homecoming for me. Cheers to the many years of great content and keep up the good work.
I love this recipe I have made it like 6 times and I have watched this episode like 8 times … this was my first video I ever saw of you guys and I got hooked… love you guys
That was interesting 😁👍. I personally don't care for the taste of ginger, but since I've been watching you, I've laert never to say never 😅. I recently decided that I needed more bottles for my next brew so I rounded up All my partially full bottles and started "quantifying" the leftovers. Gotta say, mixing a bunch of old wine, when done right, tastes awesome 👍❤️. Guess I'll have to add ginger wine to my list just to include in the fun of mixing😁. Thanks again for the video 👍❤️.
Super video thanks guys, I’m in the process of making this ginger beer following your instructions, I’m at bottling stage now and want a bit more of a ginger kick to the final taste, do you have any advice on how to add this flavour prior to adding the sweetener and secondary yeast then bottling?
I recently made several fruit ciders that would normally need a brew bag, but I agree with you that the ballooning can cause issues. I found this on Amazon and I've used it 5 times with success and no perceptible downside. (Yardwe Stainless Steel Spice Ball, Fine Mesh Tea Strainer, Stainless Steel Tea Infuser with Extended Chain Hook for Loose Leaf Tea Spice Seasonings (4.9 x 5.1 Inch))
A pH of 6.6 is practically neutral. After some googling, it would appear the ginger neutralized the acids in the lemon peel. The pH scale is logarithmic ( as you likely know ) going from 6.6 to 4 is a more than a 100x change in acidity. My ginger mead stalled: could have been the pH could have been the 15.5 ABV ;). All I know is I'm going to try again ! and I will be using some lemon !
I love ginger lemonade! Same prep for the ginger, including the hot water, then add lemon juice and honey. Let it cool and put it in the fridge. Its awesome! I think I am going to try alcoholic ginger beer now!
a "Dark and Stormy" perhaps? So great!!! Thank your for the Ginger Beer, I am literally drinking my first Basic mead based on your Honey/Raisins/Black tea/Orange rind/fermaid-o/D47 Yeast....which apparently wanted to do 18-19% ABV???....Either way, so delicious....6 more gallons on the go (one per week is the new household rule lol...my husband is half viking apparently). For the record, I wish we knew you both in person, you are our kind of people I feel like we would be friends IRL but ya know :D. Love from Canada friends
Hey there! Love your episodes but just wanted to share that I cracked my big mouth bubbler all the way around the base by adding sub-boiling water to it for a brew. The glass isn't tempered, so everyone just be cautious about it and aware it could crack or shatter. Appreciate the recipe, been looking for a way to make a dark and stormy without some of the conventionally available ginger beers 😊
Erm, you could make something in alcoholic blackout, take no notes whatsoever, & STILL extract an accurate recipe from... THE VIDEO FOOTAGE DURING THE EDIT! (As long as you'd announced the quantities to camera, of course.)
I've bought cheap ginger and found even adding 1-2 pounds (peeled, chopped fine) does not give much flavour. My latest batch, I've boiled the ginger to see if that works better. I use more sugar though, two pounds. Hoping this next batch comes out better! Will have to try a lower ABV one like this next. I've yet to get really good carbonisation, even when I added way more sugar than seems to be recommended, but I do pasteurize for safety. Everything has gone dry too, and still not been carbonated enough.
Bottle carbonating, just trying to use a coke bottle to check for pressure, then pasturising once I hit that point to avoid bottle bombs. Using the sugar recommendation for beer I was getting almost no carbonation, and even doubling it, it barely improved. I'll be keeping an eye on what else you try for forced carbonation though, as that kit test you did was interesting.@@CitySteadingBrews
I make my ginger beer with 1.5lbs of ginger in 3 gallons done almost like you are going. I also add sorghum syrup and a bit of cascade hops instead of the citrus peel. I'll have to try the citrus instead of the hops!!
I propose a toast! Seriously though, add a toast before whatever is your first on camera tasting. But can be simple, complex, basic, or in depth. But a toast is proper. Also, a toast you you and the amazing things you've accomplished. May you continue unto eternity and may they ripple upon the world even moreso.
OK, bragging moment and time for a proud mama and Papa for you guys! I have developed my own recipe based on your information previous videos, and just all of the help you’ve given it is a hot toddy made with honey, lemon, peel, and juice (later after the first racking), clove and I will be fortifying it with a fantastic Cinnamon Whisky our local distillery makes. Thanks for helping give me the information to confidently step into making my own recipe. Also, I picked up some ginger today and going to give this one a shot.
if you don't want to use StarSan to sanitize the outside of the ginger because you're worried about absorption, you could just chunk up the ginger into small pieces, boil it in water for a couple minutes to make a ginger tea, and then dump all of it into the fermenter. Don't strain out the ginger chunks.
A classic way to make a really great lemonade is to cover shaved lemon rind in sugar for a few hours or days. I imagine doing that, but also covering the macerated ginger in the sugar too could create a strong flavor extraction.
Beer readings are the most annoying. I made an IPA and Bavarian . The companys reading had IPA % lower than Bavarian. IPA ( O.G. 1048 F.G. 1012 ) Bavarian ( O.G. 1045 F.G. 1015 ) the difference was roughly 5.5% IPA vs 5.7% Bavarian. Long story short even with 2 cups of sugar both beers readings were similar as the companys. ( 5.5 ) and ( 6.5 ) That alone drove me nuts because I added extra sugar an the IPA was still 5.5%? So fast forward to drinking the brews 6 weeks later, Bavarian had a higher reading than IPA yet the IPA sent me flying where the Bavarian was a moderate buzz . Make it make sense lol . "Yeast dont read "
For the fermenter problem, run a piece of tape around the threads to take up up bit of space. Try the lid and use another piece of tape if necessary. No biggy.
Had the same issue with two of my little big mouth bubblers - would get almost perfectly tight then pop off. I added an additional foam sealing ring to each and that fixed it - I think adding the additional height made it so the top never got to the end of the threading, and thus stayed on.
You were saying that you disturbed the beer and got whispies, then you let it sit another week before racking. You can try cold crashing in your fridge. In a couple of hours every thing should have drop out of solution and then you can continue racking. I cold crash to 40 deg before my pressure transfers into kegs. Try it out. Great recipe, can't wait to try it. 👍
- Shall: used for future actions that are certain to happen (ex: "I shall be there by noon.") - Will: used for future actions that are less certain or more voluntary (ex: "I will try to be there by noon.") "shall" is more formal than "will," and is used more often in legal or business contexts.
21:13 not vinegar???? Why? Any weird reactions with fermentation products??? I know vinegar is definitely NOT toxic. In my country it's used for salads in cheap restaurant. YES!!! WHITE DISTILLED VINEGAR
A more serious thought about the carbonation inconsistencies: Your rule of thumb is "1 ounce (28g) per gallon", but you rarely have exactly a gallon. Is it time to leverage your fancy shmancy pitcher with the raised numbering on the sides to do a more exact sugar addition? 1 ounce per gallon is 7.49g grams per litre, and you could round that up to 7.5 or 8g/l, but that gives you a slightly complicated to do in your head conversion. So I'm thinking that "1 gram of sugar per 4 ounces of brew" would be a calculation that's easier to use, easier to measure (you can do half grams if you want to), and is also a slightly higher amount of sugar (8.45g/l).
You are correct but we rarely have more than a gallon. Usually less. Some suggested we need more sugar and after looking into it, we are going to use more. We also might just need to leave them longer.
Thank you for the recipe. I tried to make it, but when I tasted it, it had an aftertaste of soap. And, the obvious questions would be, "What did you clean your equipment with?" and "Did you rinse everything thoroughly?" To those questions, I'd say that I'm pretty sure that didn't have anything to do with it, but maybe it did. I guess I can be more careful next time. That notwithstanding, I was wondering if there is anything else that could cause the soap aftertaste that I should be aware of. Thanks so much in advance for your response.
Sorry to bug you again, but I made the ginger beer again, and this time, everything seemed fine until after I bottled it. It's been a couple of weeks since then. When I opened one of the bottles, the ginger beer had a pinkish hue. Not sure what that is, if anything. My wife said that she smelled sulfur, although I didn't. Any thoughts?
Hi I have question about using Carbonation Drops, I am only asking, because we already have a bag, and thinking of use them with latest method? Love your videos!!!
I've made this twice, the wife loved it. the 1st time it had an intense ginger taste. It would warm you up. just made it again. My wife informed me a couple weeks ago she was down to her last bottle. This time around the ginger is not as intense. I can only think of a couple possible differences. The 1st time it was on primary ferment almost 4 weeks. I didn't have time to rack and bottle it tight when it was done. This time I was able to get it racked and bottled in 2 weeks time. She likes the more intense ginger better. I'm wondering does the more intense flavor come from being on the primary longer or was it a larger hand of ginger. I didn't weigh either so I'm not sure, any thoughts? Love your videos, Both of you are what got me into homebrewing Thank you.
Derica and Brian. Have been watching you guys you guys for several years. Enjoy it, learn from it etc. Currently have 5 wines/meads at various stages of fermentation. I am a retired veterinarian with a fair knowledge of microbiology. When you talk about antibacterial properties of various spices it has nothing to do with yeast-- a fungus. These spices when used in connection with wine and mead are antimicrobial. Yeast of course is a microbe. About clarity--- we judge our food and beverages based upon taste, aroma and appearance. To me, clarity cannot be minimized. Keep up the good work. I watch you every day. With respect, Doc.
I recently looked into this and a lot of the spices and herbs that are antimicrobial are also antifungal. Clarity means nothing really. We are only trained to believe clear means better but in reality is is meaningless :)
So,.. question. Now that i have been bing watching your videos, could a person make a brew out of jam? Legit. I do a lot of canning every year and some years its not all used up and you have 2 jars of such and such from 2 years ago,… and no one wants to touch it because its 2 years they want to use this years batch first. Perfectly sealed no mold etc just 2 years for example. To reduce food wastage could that be used as a brew must? It got me thinking about the lemon ginger marmalade i made years ago,.. its all used up now but it was strong lemony spicy goodness no one else wanted because it was strong ginger. Took me 3 years to eat it all. I had actual lemon peel ad ginger slices (super thin) in it. It had bite and sugar. That could have been fermented into a cider right? Do the gravity testing etc that could be used correct? Thanks. Seriously a legit question.
Hi all I’ll weigh in with my thoughts, under carbonation should drop the PRR score a lot more than .5 or 1 point, imo should drop it to maybe a seven. Very curious to hear if I’m overly carbonation sensitive but “relatively flat” is a major issue to me. What does everyone else think?
The only time i got problemes with carbonating, was when using safale S-04, i got the feeling it needs high amounts of nitrogen and doesn't like acidic brews. It was kind of slow... And carbonation takes.... Month. Just a first obervation, no evidence.
I'm having a thought. Just got my first rumble jar... Would there be a downside to using that to hold the ginger bits? It's not going to float like bag... Just curious if there's something I haven't considered because we don't really see you use it very much and I would think it'd be a good alternative to using bags for smaller amounts of added solids.
Hi. I plan to make a ginger beer and carbonate it in a keg. Do you guys think I could add all the sugar at once and then add a stabilizer to kill the yeast when I reach the right FG? Or is there going to be a problem that there is still plenty of unfermented sugars left in the brew? I plan to add the stabilizer a tad in advance since it might take a day or two for the yeast to die, and the OG will drop during that time? The reason I want to add all the sugar in the start is to further avoid unnecessary oxidation…
Never use a bag. Bags suck. I made ginger beer with the skin on, once. The product ended up smelling like hair perm product. Had to pour out 5 gallons of junk. Ever since then, I use the edge of a spoon to skin the ginger and no more problems. Now that I see you do it with the skin, I won't be so freaked out next time.
I didnt hear you mention it, but I have sampled a few ginger beers with different levels of "ginger heat". Any chance you could let me/us know how spicy this came out?
Your big mouth fermentor from northern brewing, I live in Canada and is not available on Amazon Canada do you know any other supplier that has that exact same fermenter.
