Call it an accoutrement to a summer day fantasy if you like; for the past three weeks, my fermenting life as revolved around ginger beer, ginger ale’s more potent and therefore more desirable brother. In fact, I’ve reached the point where my ginger bug (a starter along the lines of a sour dough starter) is thriving, and a rhythm is developing such that our small home will never be without this beverage for too long.
To make the ginger bug, start with a cup of water, two grated tablespoons of ginger and two tablespoons of sugar, and mix in a jar. Cover the jar with a clean towel secured by a rubber band, and let sit in a warm place for two days to a week. Every day or two, add two tablespoons of ginger and sugar and stir. Soon, the mixture should bubble audibly when moving the jar. It is possible to maintain this bug much like a sour dough starter (feeding it ginger and sugar), even keeping it in the refrigerator to make it dormant until it’s ready to use, and feeding it and bringing it back to room temperature the day before it is needed.
So, as for the beer, you’ll need more sugar and ginger, plus a lemon or two.
Those lemons are a little greener than usual. I like to experiment a little.
So, boil a half gallon of water, grate two to six “knuckles” of ginger, and boil it with a cup and a half of sugar for 15-20 minutes, then let cool.
When the liquid approaches room temperature, add another half gallon of water, juice the lemons into the ginger/sugar/water, and finally, the ginger bug. The ginger bug can be perpetuated by preserving a tablespoon or two, and then replenishing the ginger and sugar to its former amounts. Strain the liquid.
At this point, bottle and seal the liquid. I started off by repurposing quart-sized juice containers. Recently, in anticipation of a kombucha culture/yeast blob, I purchased some fancy swing-top bottles.
Make sure you’re observing good fermenting hygiene…clean with non-antibacterial soap, and hot water, scrubs and suds, and rise clean and let dry and cool.
Store the bottles or jars in a warm place for four days to two weeks. Really, the only way to makes sure this elixir is bubbling up right is to try a bit. Word to the wise: because the contents are under pressure, exercise care when opening. Beth almost had her head taken off by a bottle cap from my first batch. If left too long, the containers may even exploded, so mind those bottles and jars, or at least store them in a place where you don’t mind shards of glass everywhere.
Boy, I can’t wait to enjoy one of these fellows on a hot summer day.
Fermenting on the Brain 