Never buy ginger beer again. Ginger beer is inexpensive, easy to make, and a perfect pet project for beginners. The sweet and peppery fermented drink is exceptional for mixing with cocktails or drinking on its own.

Ginger beer is a naturally fermented beverage made with only 3 ingredients, ginger, water, and sugar. The fermentation occurs from the bacteria and yeast found in ginger. Lactobacillus is found on all types of food as is the same bacteria that gave us the ability to make tepache. While most supermarket ginger beers are nonalcoholic, the version we are making today has a tiny bit of alcohol. Just under 1%. For another interesting and easy fermentation recipe try How To Make Pineapple Tepache.

Start with a ginger bug

The first step in making a ginger beer is to make what is called a ginger bug. We use it to build up the yeast and bacteria colonies. So that we can ferment the ginger liquid into ginger beer. For making ginger bug you will need a clean mason jar and some roughly chopped ginger including the skin.

It’s a good idea to use organic ginger so you can ensure there are no pesticides on it. Next, add 10 grams of any sugar. We are using table sugar and lastly add 250 ml of water to the jar. Give it a good shake and mix everything up. Cover it with a napkin and a rubber band.

Set the jar on your counter at room temperature for 1 day. And then just keep repeating the process for the next 3 or 4 days. Same amounts as before until the ginger bug starts to foam up. That foam is a sign that the yeast is doing its job. Once the ginger bug is foamed up we can prepare the ginger beer.

Making the ginger beer

In a small stockpot add 1 liter of water and turn on the heat. Once the water is almost to a simmer add 100 grams of sugar and 30 grams of chopped ginger. Bring to a simmer again and set the timer for 5 minutes to infuse everything well. After 5 minutes strain out the ginger and let the liquid cool down to room temperature.

Once it’s cooled down you can strain 50 grams of the ginger bug and combine the two. Pour everything into a fermenter-grade bottle. By putting the ginger beer into a bottle the ginger will continue to ferment and it will build up carbonation. Close it or cap it and set it aside for 3 days to build up pressure and then place it in the fridge to chill.

If you want to make more ginger beer in the next couple of days just keep feeding your ginger bug until it foams up and it’s ready to make more drinks. For long-term storage, you can put it in your fridge and it will last indefinitely. When you want to make more ginger beer take it out of the fridge and feed it for a few days. Until it starts to foam up again. So you have your personal ginger beer starter anytime you need it. Cheers.