Ginger Beer Plant

[Liam Callaghan]

Anyone have a good ginger beer plant that they would share?

I've been asked to make some GB for Mrs C after tasting Mikes from Brewers Coop at the xmas do.

I am putting down an alcohol free one shortly using a kit and Bryans easy carbonating method but I'd be keen to have a go at making them from scratch and having a look at them using a 'bug' or ginger beer plant.  Apparently its better to use one that is mature and tried and tested...  A bit like sourdough by the looks.

Happy to cover cost of postage and your time of course

L.

[Druid]

Is that ginger beer in the picture brewed with the english plant?  Any issues with MAF?

I can see that it would be hard to maintain it over a long period of time though.  I wonder whether you'd be able to innoculate slants with it and keep it in storage - anyone got any advice on keeping bacteria as well as yeast in a bank?

[Hillman]

No, I bought it off ebay. And I had it when I lived in the US, not in New Zealand. But the English site ships to every country in the world, so I guess MAF isn't a problem. Might pay to check though.

[Martin Bridges]

I bought GBP from the guy in the UK and it came in fine. I've only used it once, however and wasn't all that impressed with the result. If I can resurrect it I might try and have a few bashes in the run up to summer.

[Druid]

Care to describe the result?  Great arvo on Sat by the way - well done to all concerned...

[Adam Sparks]

Ive made a ginger beer plant at home using wild yeast from my lemon trees ginger water and sugar. Its really very easy, you just replace half the amount of sugar and water ah day for a week then every second day for a few weeks, pretty soon you'll have a wild culture that has all the properties of a 'GBP'

I used exactly the same method I do for sourdough cultures, and I find within three weeks things are smellign good and the culture is strong enough to do its thing. You can vary your fermentation temperatures to get varying levels of acidity Ive found.

Its really very easy, definitely helps if you start with some fresh citrus from around your area. The low ph seems to help with the wild yeasts (which I assume are all over the fruit) taking a foot hold too as they are quite happy living in that environment.

Ive never understood what the difference is between a GBP and a wild yeast/bacterial culture such as this. I don't think there is any.

I have a culture thats sat in a jar in my cupboard for nigh on 7 months now without being fed.... Id be very surprised if its still alive, but Ill start feeding it and give you a message if its still good.

[Steve Popham]

Just wondering what the benefit of the GBP is? 

I make ginger beer every week for the family from scratch, it's pretty simple and makes the best ginger beer I've had (well I think so). 

Played around with recipes but settled on this: 6L water, 2 1/2 cups sugar, 6oz peeled and sliced ginger. Boil for an hour (covered), then add 1 or 2 sliced lemons or lime (or both), skin and all, boil for 10-30 mins still covered (depending on how bitter you want). Cool and pitch yeast (I've used lager, ale, Belgian and bread yeast, seems to make no difference to the taste). Leave in pot overnight and bottle in morning, leave at room temp to bedtime and put in fridge. Works every single time. Best in a week, worst after 2-3 weeks (the citrus goes off).

So as I asked, what is the benefit of the GBP, seems like a lot of hassle. I'm keen to try it if worth it.

PS: The kits seem a rip off, all up I'm at about $2-$3 a 6L batch.

Cheers,

[Druid]

The ginger beer plants contain a bacteria as well as yeast.  The bacteria consume a portion of the alcohol that the yeast produces as it ferments resulting in a low alcohol ginger beer.

[Steve Popham]

aha, thanks. I've measured start and finish gravity on mine though and it's around half a percent so that works for me. I'm going to retract what I said about bread yeast though, it is acceptable but I find you can taste it, beer yeast is preferred.

[Steve Popham]

OK, thanks for the info, nearly a year on and I've been making GB every week with a "plant" that I've built up, seems to have all the characteristics of a true plant. But this week something very odd happened and wondering if you can shed any light on it....

I make 6L a week, I split it evenly into 2 growlers and split the plant, usually I get pretty consistent activity in each (but I blend at bottling anyway). This week, one is normal and the other is very very viscous (like egg whites) and has a different smell. 

To be clear, I use the same brew and the same bug, ripped in half, they we're left 24 hours (maybe a tad longer this time), in a dark pantry, covered loosely with tin-foil.

As an experiment I am only going to blend a few and I think I'll use the "good" plant next time.

Any thoughts, Seems like unfermented sugar or could it be a "new" bug may have gotten in there?

[Steve Popham]

just remembered one change this time... I usually dump the entire jar of bug (bug, water, ginger pieces etc) into the growler. This time I just took the slimy bug and discarded the rest.... maybe a PH change?

[Tim Moser]

ahoi,

i am new, both to the forum and to new zealand.

coming from a country that brews good beer and is surrounded by other countries that brew even better beer i tasted my fair share of delicius traditional beers. however ginger beer was completely new to me. maybe u could buy it in austria, but i have never seen it in any store.

after having tasted my first bundaberg last week i was super excited. however i find it to sweet.

spending some time on the internet i read a lot about ginger beer and decided right away that i have to try brewing some.  because many blogs and posts state that only ginger beer based on ginger beer plant is the real deal i want some gbp.

i am quite used to feeding, using and keeping sourdough for years, therefore i assume i could offer your plant a nice habitat in case you might share it with me.

tltr: someone out there who would send me (dunedin) some some ginger beer plant?

happy to cover cost of postage.

regards

tim

ps. the only source on trademe sells a whole kit which i dont want and need. also its a bit expansive( for needing only the gbp)

[Peter Smith]

I found this a while back , I am about to try to start the GBP   we will see how it goes , I cant confirm it works but I liked the sound of it so got the ginger

Ginger beer.

Bug
4 cups filtered water
8 TBS grated ginger
4 TBS sugar
Juice and rind of 1 lemon

Add 2 TBS grated ginger and 2-3 tsp sugar each day for 2 weeks to let ferment

Ginger beer
850g ginger root grated
6 cups of sugar (1.170kg)
Juice of 4 Lemons

Add the grated ginger to 5L boiling water and simmer for 20mins
Strain of ginger and add the sugar too dissolve, top up to 17L with chilled water and add the lemon juice.
Add the liquid from the bug once cooled to 22C and let ferment in keg until carbonated.
24hrs at 22 deg C then put keg in fridge for 24hrs. Done! Enjoy.