How to Make Ginger Ale [Homemade Recipe] - My Fermented Foods (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take for ginger ale to ferment? ›

Depending on the temperature of the room and the amount of yeast that made it into the bottle, your ginger beer can take up to 10 days to fully ferment and carbonate. Check on the plastic bottle after 5 days. If it is firm, the soda is likely carbonated. Open the bottle and give it a taste.

You can make homemade ginger ale with just four ingredients—including fresh ginger root—and it's much easier than you may think. Our simple homemade ginger ale recipe combines carbonated water, ginger-infused simple syrup, and citrus (we like lime juice, but lemon juice is an easy swap if preferred).

Traditionally, ginger ale was prepared from fresh ginger, boiled and cooled water, whey, and cane sugar left to ferment for about a week or two. Ginger ale thus prepared had probiotic properties that were supposed to be healthy for the gut microbiome and immunity.

It is time for “ginger bug” to have its day in the sun as a fermented tonic drink in its own right. Long considered just a starter for ginger beer, this quick to ferment beverage is low in sugar, spicy, warming and pungent. In our house, we enjoy it straight up.

Brewers would boil ginger, add sugar to the liquid, and then allow the resulting liquid to ferment, resulting in a beverage (ginger beer) with about an 11 percent alcohol content. That's high! Today's ginger beer is rarely fermented, however, so you'll note on the label that it is completely alcohol free.

PRIMARY FERMENTATION TEMPERATURES:

Ales: 62-75 °F (17-24 °C) Lagers: 46-58 °F (8-14 °C) *Note: Lager fermentations can be started warmer (~60 °F/15.5 °C) until signs of fermentation (gravity drop, CO₂ production, head formation) are evident.

Yeast. Ginger ale is a light, refreshing beverage, so neutral ale yeasts that throw off minimal esters and phenols are best. There's no need to get fancy; simple dry yeasts like S-04 and US-05 are great choices, with S-04 producing a slightly fruitier version and US-05 a little cleaner.

This Homemade Ginger Ale is the perfect alternative to a traditionally sugar-packed soda. Plus, it is good for you— ginger is an anti-inflammatory and aids in digestion! WOT we love about this recipe: It is sweetened with maple syrup, and you can control the sweetness and how strong the ginger flavor is.

Drink Reed's - Real Ginger Ale & Real Ginger Beer.

Ginger may offer benefits for heart health, headaches, and nausea, as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, varieties of ginger ale that contain more ginger may be better for your health. However, ginger ale may cause increased gassiness due to its carbonation.

Who should not drink ginger ale? ›

“Most commercial-brand ginger ales have at least 10 teaspoons of sugar,” says Dr. Goldman. “If a person has bloating, gas or indigestion, the carbonation and sugar may make it worse. Even diet ginger ale can be harmful because our bodies may not digest artificial sugars as well.”

In either case, ginger ale is still soda, and numerous studies have linked drinking soda with an increased risk of obesity. "Ginger ale is not classified as a health food and should be consumed in moderation," advises Jamie Bering, MD, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

Fermenting garlic and ginger can enhance their already numerous health benefits. As garlic and ginger go through the fermentation process, the number of probiotic bacteria in them increases. Consuming probiotic bacteria has many benefits including improving your digestive system and immune system.

The method comprises the following steps: taking brown sugar/honey, ginger and purified water as raw materials, wherein the mass ratio of brown sugar/honey to gingers to purified water is 1:3:10; placing the ginger in sweet water, fermenting for one month under the conditions of dark environment, 20-30 DEG C and ...

The typical fermentation takes two weeks when making ale and four to eight weeks when making lager. For more on the distinction between the two, see our post going over the difference between ale and lager.

You want the contents to reach up to the bottom of the bottle's neck but no higher. Close the top. Ferment for 2 to 4 days at room temperature and check the carbonation by opening the top slightly. Usually I get enough carbonation on day 3 or 4.

High Alcohol Brews

As we've mentioned several times, a long secondary fermentation will greatly improve the flavor, especially for higher gravity brews like Imperial Stouts, Strong Ales, and Barleywines. For higher gravity ales, plan on 2 weeks in the primary and 9-12+ months in the secondary.

Cover the jar with a lid with an airlock. Fill the airlock to the line with water or alcohol. Allow to ferment at room temperature until there are no more bubbles left for at least a week. This can take up to 1 to 3 months.