Ginger Ale on a Beef Roast
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02/24/2008
First let me say that I have not made this recipe. The yeast you want to try is Champagne yeast (Red Star brand is decent as I use it in Root Beer). Beer yeast will have too many off flavors that are important for different varieties of beer but not soda. Also, be careful that you don't bottle in glass as you could create a bottle bomb depending on fermentation temp and how tight the cap/lid is. As with any fermentation with yeast and fermentables (sugar) there will always be a % of alcohol (small but still present). After 2-3 days the jug needs to be chilled and kept at fridgerator temps to force the yeast to settle and become inactive (they don't die just become inactive). Remember, yeast is a living organism and will continue to thrive when conditions are right for them which means eating the sugars and creating the by-product alcohol.
03/18/2010
This is not a review, as such, but a "helpful" hint. My brother and dad made wine several years ago and experienced a similar explosion (all over the room and one VERY happy guinea pig!) and were told to cap the bottle with a balloon. The balloon expands with the gas, which can then be vented quite easily by pulling the neck of the balloon away from the bottle's neck. No explosions and no mess!
05/08/2006
I know this recipe works because it's identical to the one that I already use! I put at LEAST 2 Tbs of ginger root in mine because I love ginger. Because it's a bit difficult to put the grated ginger into those small-mouth bottles, you can soak the grated ginger overnight in a separate container, strain it, and then pour it into the 2-ltr bottle together with the other ingredients. It works either way! Beats store-bought ginger ale by many miles and of course is much cheaper. The only(little)thing I would like to see changed is using something besides regular yeast so that it won't have that slight yeasty taste. Is there anything else that can be used to give it the needed carbonation? Does brewer's yeast have that same taste??
04/27/2009
I got this just the way I like it on my fourth try. I used 1/2 pound grated fresh ginger, juice from one lemon, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/8 tsp of yeast. I let all that ferment in the 2-liter bottle for 24 hours, during which time I let the pressure off once or twice. Next I pour it through a sieve and a funnel into 20 oz soda bottles. A 2-liter bottle will fill three soda bottles. I leave these out to ferment for at least 24 more hours, after which I refrigerate them. All this results in a ginger beer that is very carbonated but without too strong a taste of yeast (at least until you get close to the bottom of the bottle). It is not overly sweet and the ginger and lemon are both pronounced but not overpowering.
06/15/2007
I've made this 4 or 5 times now,each time I try it with more ginger.I'm trying to get it where it has just the right amount of "bite" from the ginger.The last batch I made with approximately 355 grams of ginger,a WAY lot more than 2 tablespoons.Instead of grating the ginger I run it through my juicer,made for a lot less work and it cuts down on the amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottles(I used 2-1 liter bottles).The next time I make this I think I'll cut the sugar back to 3/4 cup.The juice of one lemon is just right also,any more and it would change the balance of flavors.One other thing I found is that it's carbonated after only 12 hours on my counter,and I live in a basement suite.With my changes what I'm making is basically a ginger beer,but that's what I'm trying to achieve.
08/03/2007
I made this recipe and will never try it again. The taste is not anything like a ginger ale, tasted more like Fresca. No one mentioned that the carbonation of this particular recipe will make a super mess. Mine was also ready after 24 hours. I opened the bottle after 48 hours then spent a good part of the evening cleaning all the ginger ale from the kitchen. Ceiling to floor. I doubt I will ever try this again. Hopefully this will help another reader when they try to open the bottle!!!
04/22/2008
This is wonderful! I don't know why anyone would have such a problem with carbonation, unless they don't know how yeast works, or don't know how to open a bottle. I am going to play with the sugar, ginger and lemon amounts in the MANY batches I plan to make. This is really tasty! And easy! Mine was also ready a little sooner too.
03/02/2008
Following is a site that has further instructions in making this same recipe, but without having to clean your entire kitchen!
01/18/2011
This is a great recipe. But I STRONGLY recommend everyone to look at e-z caps. They are replacement bottle screw caps that have a hold in them to let out excess gas so no explosions and it keeps just the right amount in for carbonation. They come with a perfect champagne type yeast. Use them with this recipe and you'll never look back.
04/06/2008
This was fun and novel. It was fresh tasting and my guests liked it. Of course, everyone thinks you are a genius for making it. I added A LOT more ginger (double?) but it wasn't too much because the lemon is pretty pronounced. You have to S-L-O-W-L-Y open the cap.
07/02/2008
not bad! I used only half the yeast, which resulted in plenty of carbonation but no yeasty taste. For those who are bottle-opening-challenged, let some of the gas out during the first 24 hrs. and then take it SLOWLY. Even if the liquid doesn't rise quickly at first, IT WILL, so be at the ready. Only thing, for me, was getting past the light color. Does that mean this is ginger BEER?
11/01/2011
3 stars due to a few things. For a better ginger taste, A. use much more ginger and B. boil ingredients for a few minutes (w/out yeast of course) in 2-3 cups of water. I let that sit all day and then strain it b4 putting in 2 ltr bottle with additional water & yeast. Juice of one lemon can vary in amount depending on size/type of lemon. I juiced a normal size lemon and got a good ounce of juice. A measurement for the lemon would be nice. One C of sugar may be too sweet for some, start with 1/2 cup...you can always sweeten it more later. Please do be careful about allowing to sit with tight cap. What I do is...tighten it down, then while gently squeezing I back cap off until I hear a tiny hiss of air and leave it that way. It will still get carbonated and no blow ups. Or use the simple balloon method posted, hence no reason to buy EZ caps (although those are pretty cool). The longer this "ferments", the less sweet it becomes due to yeast consuming the sugar and producing CO2 (and minor alcohol content). Well, I found better info & instruction at 'thehowzone' for making Ginger Beer. Like Reeds brand. Explains a lot of things if you DIY like me. Hope any of my advice/thoughts helped. I'm buying Ginger extract (food grade) to use instead of futzing around grating ginger. Oh, and I do this to make "hard" ginger beer: I let it ferment for a least a week. At that time it has no sweetness at all so I sweeten to taste when consuming.
07/20/2011
I didn't read all of the comments before trying this recipe, and when I followed the instructions exactly, the bottle exploded just over 24 hours into its 2 day wait time, making a loud noise and a huge mess. The bottle landed about 15 feet away from where it started. I imagine this could have hurt someone, but fortunately no one was near it at the time. I think some more details need to be included in the actual recipe itself. We shouldn't have to read all of the comments to learn that there is a risk of explosion. I don't fault the contributor of the recipe, though; I assume this simply did not happen to her or him.
03/17/2010
I make mine with water kefir grains instead of yeast for a healthy probiotic drink with calcium, iron and magnesium. This recipe is tasty, simple and you really can't go wrong with it :-)
05/10/2012
This is an excellent recipe AND tastes just as it should so the moaners need to wake up.
08/01/2007
I have not tried this recipe yet, but one reviewer wanted to know if there is a way to have a less yeasty taste. You can find special yeasts for winemaking and brewing beer at some specialty shops that do not tast as yeasty.
12/01/2010
Great recipe! Taste very much like store brought ginger ale. I added more ginger than required (personal preference) for taste and used only 1/8 tsp of baking yeast instead of 1/4 tsp as suggested by another reviewer. More ginger flavor (better) if you let it sit longer than suggested.
08/01/2006
This does taste way better than store-bought ginger ale, but it is incredibly sweet due to all the sugar, not to mention high in calories. This was fun to try, but I doubt I'll make it again for that reason. Thanks!
01/02/2012
I admit I was skeptical about this turning out well, but it was quite refreshing! I used 2 1/2 TB. dried sliced ginger, for a taste more like Canadian Dry. Also left in dark cold corner of house for 24 hrs. and opened slowly, that way it did not explode, only light shhhh noise. It was nicely carbonated, definitely make this again and again for a special drink.
07/07/2010
It was ok. It had a bit of a bite, but it reminded me of Vernor's ginger ale. I think next time I'd add less ginger or more lemon.
03/20/2010
This tastes just like store bought when you first taste it, but then the strong ginger taste kicks in. Delicious!
04/22/2009
I liked this recipe, but next time i will triple ginger.
04/10/2009
This was SO GOOD! I love ginger, so next time I make it I'll probably add more like 3 tbsp of that, and cut down on the sugar to 3/4 cup, because I found it quite sweet. It turned out great, though, I'm so pleased!
06/24/2011
The yeasty flavor ruined the drink. Made an ok cocktail, though. Big mess opening it, too.
09/01/2010
Does yeast eat Splenda?
05/11/2012
The main by-product of yeast and sugar is not alcohol, it's CO2 and lots of it! The idea of Champagne yeast is prolly the best way to go to achieve a closer taste to Ginger Ale.
01/25/2013
This tasted really yeasty to me, but I would like to try it again to see if I can make a tastier batch. I used about 2" worth of ginger and will double it next time. I probably didn't leave it out quite long enough, but it sounds like I would want to let some air out in that case. I used an empty half-gallon milk jug, and that seemed to work well!
01/26/2012
Excelent!! It also is very good to settle an upset stomach.
05/10/2012
I have not tried this yet, but have a question. I love ginger ale but can't drink carbonation. Would it work if you made it without the yeast or would it be better if you used yeast but let it sit open for a while after it was done?
12/06/2011
Amazing. I have made this 3 times since finding this recipe and each time it just gets better and better. I am tweaking the steps each time to make it just perfect. My husband is thrilled because he loves ginger ale.
04/02/2012
We've made this several times, it's awesome. Just let it sit a longer than the recipe so the carbonation and ginger can take affect.
06/03/2012
2 comments - try this recipe with the juice of one lime rather than line lemon....it is a more interesting flavor combination, as it is not as sharply acidic as the lemon. You can easily cut back on the sugar and still get the necessary carbonation.... Wish I had access to the champagne yeast, I'm sure the flavors would be even better but it isn't too "bready" with the regular yeast as far as I'm concrned.
05/02/2013
I didn't realize that we could make ginger ale but I'm glad we tried this recipe! It's very good and I've been asked several times to make this again - it's a lot of fun and very good.
09/22/2012
I thought this was delicious! I might use less sugar next time around, and maybe more ginger, but this recipe makes a very refreshing and tasty drink! My husband, my in-laws, and I all were really surprised by how good it turned out to be. Having read other reviews mentioning explosions, I did open the bottle veeeeeery slowly when it came time to pour it out and strain it, and I had absolutely no problem with explosions. I also didn't have any problems with the bottle blowing up while it fermented. Great, easy recipe with a delicious result!
07/18/2012
Easy to make, but didn't like it at all.
06/13/2012
Excellent taste and easy to make
05/07/2013
I just let mine set for 18 hours and it was delicious! However I gave only four stars because it was not quite right the first time, it tasted a little yeasty, so like a few other people i cut the yeast in half.
05/25/2013
This is quite delicious. I had to try it twice, as I did not let it ferment long enough the first time. I put it in the fridge immediately after the bottle started to feel hard rather than waiting a full 24 hours. I strongly encourage you to make sure you do wait the full amount of time, as it will give you the good fizz. I did not have any yeasty taste in mine, as other cooks have commented upon. I did use 1/4tsp of bakers yeast rather than a package of Fleschmans. I also used considerably more ginger. This is extremely sweet. I am going to experiment and see if the fermentation process happens properly with a bit less sugar. But it's the real thing and really tasty.
01/22/2019
I love it. Several things I wanted to say. 1. Don't ferment it longer than you should, or it'll make alcohol. When I mean that, I mean don't ferment it longer than the two days. 2. Don't put 1/4 cup of yeast in. Or you'll make beer. (I did this on accident with orange instead of ginger [I was making orange soda] ).
06/28/2012
Surprisingly good! I'm not sure if it is any cheaper than buying soda but would make a fun project to do with children.
06/28/2015
I was surprised how much my family liked this recipe. I only upped the ginger based on the other reviews (and a bit less sugar). Used regular yeast reduced until I found champagne yeast. Either way the family loved it. If you want less of a Fresca taste then use less lemon. If you don't have a tea strainer pour it through a coffee filter in the basket.
05/27/2016
I am still cleaning it off the floor, walls, and ceiling of my kitchen. I followed the directions to the letter but when I opened the bottle it exploded EVERYWHERE. We tasted some of what was left in the bottle but didn't care for the flavor. I usually try a recipe a couple of times to tweak it but will leave this one alone. Don't want to risk another ginger ale shower!!
02/17/2019
Yes, i'll make it again as it keeps sore throat at bay.
08/25/2018
Everyone was really impressed with it! I will make it again but next time I will add more ginger as I wanted a stronger ginger taste- like the commercial ones you buy.
01/07/2016
One might try adding a chemical to STOP the fermentation after it is done. I left a sealed bottle in the basement (luckily) and it exploded. It shattered a glass gallon jug sitting next to it. This chemical can be had at your local wine and beer brewing supply house or online.It was put into a 2 litre pop bottle. Soda for all you Southerners out there.
08/09/2021
I skipped the yeast and sugar since I am diabetic I used stevia extract extra ginger and raspberry then I put it in to my carbonation machine.good stuff!!
09/04/2017
1. I bought a ceramic ginger grater, and it made this so much easier to make.
02/09/2016
Easy!! My go to recipe. Thanks!!!
Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/87793/homemade-ginger-ale/