Ginger Ale

Foreword

We’ve made a number of batches of ginger ale over the years; non-alcoholic and alcoholic (like this recipe), using bread yeast, champagne yeast, and ale yeast. Unsurprisingly, ale yeast ends up tasting the best for ginger ale.

Special Equipment

• 2L (~0.5 gallon) glass jug with firmly airtight cap
• Drilled #6 rubber stopper
• S-shape (or “bubble”) airlock

Ingredients

• 60g fresh ginger (after peeling)
• 340g sugar (divided)
• 0.3g (~⅛ tsp) LalBrew Nottingham Ale Yeast
• 50g freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1. Peel the fresh ginger and coarsely chop it.
2. Place the ginger in a blender and blend (you can add a small amount of water to aid in the blending).
3. Once liquefied, pour the ginger into a pot (you can use a bit more water to flush any lingering ginger out of the blender).
4. Add just enough water to the pot to cover the ginger.
5. Bring the pot to a boil, and then turn the heat down to low, cover, and allow to steep for 1 hour.
6. Funnel the ginger water into the glass jug, optionally straining out the larger ginger bits.
7. Add 170g of sugar to the jug and allow to dissolve.
8. Add lemon juice and fill the jug with cold water, stopping when the liquid is 2 to 3 inches below the top of the jug.
9. Let cool to at least 95°F, and then add the yeast (otherwise you run the risk of killing the yeast).
10. Cap the jug and shake. (Make sure that there is no yeast stuck to the inside of the glass near the spout.)
11. Add water to the airlock and insert into the stopper.
12. Remove the cap from the jug and insert the stopper with airlock.
13. Store in a dark place for 6 days at 50°F to 72°F (optimally 57°F to 70°F).
14. Remove the stopper and add another 170g of sugar to the jug.
15. Apply the cap and shake gently.
16. Return to a dark place for 2 days.
17. Carefully untwist cap just enough to outgas - as soon as the ginger ale begins to surge with bubbles, twist the cap shut again (this is why we did not fill the jug completely).
18. Store in the refrigerator. Be careful, as this will slow down the yeast but pressure will continue to build over time.

Notes

Once refrigerated be careful when opening the ginger ale, as it will still be prone to bubbling over. Note too that the yeast will still be slightly active in the refrigerator.

We’ve found that if you simply reuse a glass jug from the grocery store (e.g. from apple cider), then some of the caps don’t seal as firmly as others, resulting in loss of pressurization.

Other types of airlock can be used, but “bubble” airlocks are inexpensive and work well for this recipe.