Ginger beer Help

OldEvan · Post by **OldEvan** » Monday May 22, 2006 11:14 pm

Hi,
Ive got a coopers ginger beer with 1kg dextrose that has been sitting in my fermenter for 2 weeks now, it should be ready to bottle in the next few days.

I have tasted one of my gravity samples, and it seems to be a bit watery and weak for my liking. I would like to have an end product that tastes similar to Bundaberg Ginger Beer (except alcoholic).

I am considering adding ground ginger and lactose to each bottle, perhaps one priming-sugar scoop of each per bottle (ie. add equal parts priming dextrose, lactose and ground ginger). Can anyone see any problems with this, or does it sound like it is worth a go?

Cheers!

Post by **Oliver** » Monday May 22, 2006 11:32 pm

Hi,

This may well do the trick, however I'd be wary of the ginger powder being fermentable.

Could you mix the powder and the lactose then add it to the fermenter, mix gently and leave for a few days just to be sure you aren't going to end up with hand grenades?

Cheers,

Oliver

OldEvan · Post by **OldEvan** » Tuesday May 23, 2006 9:37 am

yeah, I had a feeling that the ginger might ferment. I'll go add it to the fermenter now. I don't have any lactose on me, should that be ok adding at bottling?

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Tuesday May 23, 2006 10:52 am

I wouldn't think that you would even need lactose. Why are you adding it?

OldEvan · Post by **OldEvan** » Tuesday May 23, 2006 1:15 pm

because at the moment it is tasting very watery and not very sweet (however low ginger taste could result in this I guess)

My plan:

Add a cup of ground ginger tonight upon it's next stirring (as yeast seems to sink to the bototm in GB)

Taste before bottling to see if it has sweetened up a bit (or if my last taste was a fluke). Possibly add lactose before bottling

Thanks for the help guys:)

OldEvan · Post by **OldEvan** » Tuesday May 23, 2006 5:24 pm

gave the 20L brew a cup of ground ginger...tastes alot better now

Tomorrow I am going to taste test (as ginger will have sunk to bottom) and then probabbly bottle in PET (normally I would use glass, but I have PETs to use and the whole ginger fermenting thing might be an issue). Lactose probabbly wont be needed

Keleidoscope · Post by **Keleidoscope** » Wednesday May 24, 2006 2:31 pm

My friends ginger beer always tastes weak and watery at first, but after it ages in the bottles the flavour seems to improve.

I'd add the lactose to the entire thing them let it settle again before bottleing.

Ginger in bottles is a bad idea, it would create really gross sediment. When my friend bottled too early the sediment was really yuck, when we cleaned the empty bottles they were stinky