This easy-to-make starter will set you off on your ginger beer brewing journey
Root ginger has vivacious populations of yeasts and bacteria on its surface, which make for a thrilling bubbly brew. Surprisingly easy and satisfying, it takes about a week to ferment.
MAKES 6 TBSP OF STARTER
100g fresh ginger (ideally organic)
35g raw, organic caster sugar
1 Finely grate 1 tbsp fresh ginger, skin still on, into a small bowl. Add 1 tsp sugar and 1-2 tbsp filtered water and mix to a moist paste; it should not be too watery. Cover with a clean cloth and leave to ferment at room temperature for 1 day.
2 Uncover the bowl and add another 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1 tsp sugar and 1-2 tbsp water to the ginger paste.
3 Repeat for another 4-5 days, topping up your mix each day with the same ratio of ginger, sugar and water, until it starts to fizz a little – if you dip a spoon in you should hear a little snap, crackle and pop, and there will be bubbles. There should also be a ring of yeast on the base of the bowl. Once you have bubbles and yeast, your ginger bug is ready to use.
Cook’s note: It’s better to use organic ginger, as the chemicals involved in conventional farming tend to disrupt the natural balance of bacteria and yeasts on the surface of ginger.
Storing your ginger beer starter
Store your ginger bug, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks between batches. If you plan to brew ginger beer regularly, keep a little bit of your ginger starter back and store it in the fridge until you’re ready for your next brew. Top it up with a paste of 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1 tsp sugar and 2-3 tbsp water to feed it, ready for brewing. You can do this before storing in the fridge, or a few days before brewing.
Once your starter is ready to use, you can make your own homemade ginger beer with the addition of only some sugar and water. Turn to page 43 of the November issue to find the instructions on how to make your finished ginger beer.
Making it fancy
If you want to get fancy you can make your ginger beer with different flavours. Try these additions…
Apple & rosemary (good for sore throats)
Plum & wood avens (or clove)
Pear & star anise
Lemon & thyme
Cranberry (or hawthorn berry) & cinnamon
The starter above is from our November Home Economics feature, ‘Stir-up Sunday’, which includes lots of recipes to share and store. The recipes are by Rachel de Thample and the photography by
Ali Allen.
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