Home Made Traditional Naturally Fermented Ginger Beer

To make traditional naturally fermented ginger beer at home, you just need create a wild yeast starter called a ginger bug (we used to call them a ginger plant) using fresh organic ginger, fresh lemon juice and pulp, sugar, and filtered water. Feed it daily until bubbly, then bottle it and wait a few days to build carbonation, and chill.

I have vivid memories of sipping Mums homemade ginger beer in the summer when I was a kid in the 1960's.

Ginger and sugar attract natural yeast and micro-organisms from the surrounding air. These micro organisms feast on the sugar and turn that sugar into carbon dioxide, which is what gives the ginger beer its fizz. This process is called lacto fermentation and produces a delicious and healthy soft drink, full of probiotics.

Antique ginger beer bottle from the 1920's

Ginger Beer Recipe

This takes about three weeks. Start a bug (plant)

Day 1, in a 1 litre glass jar add:

4 sultanas (they have yeasts on their skin which will help)

The juice and some pulp from two lemons

480 ml (2 cups) filtered water

2 tablespoons of ground ginger

4 tablespoons of white sugar

Stir to combine and dissolve sugar.

Cover with cloth or paper towel and elastic band.

Leave for four days.

Day 2 - 4, stir each day.

For the next 6 days:

Day 5 add 2 tablespoons of sugar + 2 teaspoons of ground ginger

Day 6 add 2 tablespoons of sugar only.

Day 7 add 2 tablespoons of sugar + 2 teaspoons of ground ginger

Day 8 add 2 tablespoons of sugar only.

Day 9 add 2 tablespoons of sugar + 2 teaspoons of ground ginger

Day 10 add 2 tablespoons of sugar only.

Day 11, for a new bug (plant) you will need to strengthen it enough to bottle.

Filter the bug (plant) through cheesecloth and use half of the sediment to add it into your new bug (plant). You can discard the ginger liquor as it will be weak.

Day 11, in a 1 litre glass jar add:

Your saved sediment from the fist plant (bug).

4 sultanas (they have yeasts on their skin which will help)

The juice and some pulp from two lemons

480 ml (2 cups) filtered water

2 tablespoons of ground ginger

4 tablespoons of white sugar

Stir to combine and dissolve sugar.

Cover with cloth or paper towel and elastic band.

Leave for four days.

Day 12 - 14, stir each day.

For the next 6 days:

Day 15 add 2 tablespoons of sugar + 2 teaspoons of ground ginger

Day 16 add 2 tablespoons of sugar only.

Day 17 add 2 tablespoons of sugar + 2 teaspoons of ground ginger

Day 18 add 2 tablespoons of sugar only.

Day 19 add 2 tablespoons of sugar + 2 teaspoons of ground ginger

Day 20 add 2 tablespoons of sugar only.

Day 21 bottle:

Add 2 cups of white sugar to 480ml (2 cups) of boiling water.

Stir to dissolve sugar.

Add 3.3 litres (14 cups) of cold filtered water.

Add ginger liquor from your strained plant (bug).

Fill to your bottles.

You can use plastic 1 litre or 1.25 lire soft drink bottles.

In each bottle add 2 sultanas and fill with unfermented ginger beer.

Store them in a cool dark place for 5 days to activate bubbles.

Transfer to refrigerator.

Open carefully when cold.

Keeps for years, the older the drier and more flavour develops.

Remember once you have a strong plant (bug) you can repeat to make more ginger beer od store it in the refrigerator for months and activate it when you need it.

Enjoy