I recently talked about some ginger beer I made and how it was great (considering it's ginger beer!) The recipe is British and from 1861 (Mrs. Beaton's book of Household Management) . It is as follows and for only 3 gallons:
2.5 lbs of loaf sugar
1.5 oz bruised ginger
1 oz cream of tarter
rind and juice of 2 lemons
3 gallons of boiling water
2 large tablespoonfuls of thick and fresh brewer's yeast
Peel the lemons, squeeze the juice, strain it, and put peel and juice into a large earthen pan, with the bruised ginger, cream of tartar, and loaf sugar. Pour over these ingredients 3 gallons of boiling water; let stand until just warm, then add the yeast, which should be thick and perfectly fresh. Stir the contents of the pan well, and let them remain near the fire all night, covering the pan over with a cloth. The next day skim off the yeast , and pour the liquor carefully into another vessel, leaving the sediment; then bottle immediately, and tie the corks down, and in 3 days the ginger beer will be fit for use. For some tastes, the above proportion of sugar may be found rather too large, when it may be diminished; but the beer will not keep so long good.
Okay......what I did:
Took the ingredients and boiled it in 3 gallons of water. I did NOT add the cream of tartar . (just didn't have it in the cupboard at the time)
Increased the amount of ginger to 2 ounces
boiled for about 20 minutes
cooled and pitched dry pack of ale yeast (Safale) Pitch High…..Pitch Low…..you decide !
single fermentation for about 14 days
prime with 3 ounces of dextrose and bottle
Notes:
"Loaf Sugar" is white cane sugar. Although beet sugar is popular in Europe now, I believe that by calling it "loaf sugar" it would indicate that it was cane based. ( Beet sugar molasses is not as common and a "sugar loaf" was turbinado like cfane sugar that had been put in a cone and drizzled with water until the surface coating of molasses had been washed away)
The original recipe calls for bottling after 3 days....it was often reported that bottles exploded.....uhhhhh.....duuuhhhhh....no crap! Old recipes often tell to bottle quickly and drink within a few days. I decided to let the stuff ferment out and then add a controlled amount of priming sugar. Worked nicely.
At first it was thin in body not too good. I actually thought it was crap. I'm guessing this is why they would add the cream of tartar....to add some body. Any way..... I put it away and came back to it a month later and.....wow.... it had come to life! A nice dry drink. Like a spicy lemonade.....kinda.
By the way, never got a OG and FG....Partying the night I made it! Calculator says the OG should be about 1.038 and FG 1.010. I might crank the batch up next time!
Parker
Olde Tyme New England Brewin'