Hi Chase24,
I brewed the ginger beer using this receipe: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A634664
The added advantage of this of course is 7 litres of slightly alcoholic ginger beer to drink!
There is definatley some flavour and warmth carried over from the ginger.
About to start a new batch of ginger beer off myself, going for a full barrel of ginger beer beer this time, it is/was that good!
All I did was made and bottled the ginger beer, keeping the sediment. Made up my Great Eastern Ale kit as per instructions and but at the point of pitching the yeast put in all of the ginger beer sediment plus a teaspoon of Safale-S04 I had spare (Just in case the yeast in the ginger beer was dead), gave it a bit of a stir and carried on fermenting as usual....
When fermentation was finished it looked a little cloudier than normal but cleared fine after a week or two in bottles...
Hope your batch goes as well as mine!
Made a mistake on my first kit!
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Chase24
Re: Made a mistake on my first kit!
Had you used beer yeast or bread yeast for the initial ginger beer?
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Stuo
Re: Made a mistake on my first kit!
It was definatley beer yeast, probably the start of the safale-sa04 I made the beer with... Was wondering about bread yeast for the next batch.......
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Stuo
Re: Made a mistake on my first kit!
I guess that means you tried it!
My ginger beer tasted really good, like good quality ginger beer but not quite so fiery or, obviously, force carbonated......
Guess that has put your attempts back another week....
Still haven't got the next batch on yet..
My ginger beer tasted really good, like good quality ginger beer but not quite so fiery or, obviously, force carbonated......
Guess that has put your attempts back another week....
Still haven't got the next batch on yet..
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colchesterhomebrewer
Re: Made a mistake on my first kit!
Perhaps I'm just an old stick in the mud, but I have to agree with Blackbag on this one in that Muntons (and lets face it they make most of the beer kits available) go to GREAT lengths to ensure that their beer kits make it easy for ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS to produce consistently drinkable beers provided they follow the instructions, so why start experimenting straight away?
The kits are designed to take away the "uncertainty" and allow users to learn the techniques and practices before they start buggering about. The ingredients are carefully blended to produce batch after batch after batch of of perfectly balanced hop and malt flavours at a known strength. OK, the make up will change slightly depending upon the quality of the year's harvest of barley and hops but in general THEY WORK, and if it ain't broke, why risk breaking it?
As to using alternative yeasts, I think the clue regarding whether or not to use bread yeast for brewing is in the name !!
If you like alcoholic ginger beer why not try the Coopers Ginger Beer kit? Whilst I've never made it myself (I prefer my ginger in my food rather than in my beer), everyone that I know has made it tells me that it is really tasty and has a fairly substantial ginger kick to it. It can be diluted to the full brewing length and fermented as is without additional sugar to make a non-alcoholic fizzy drink, or with 1kg of sugar added to produce 20ltrs of alcoholic ginger beer. The label says it comes in at around 3.5%, but I'm sure you could easily get it much higher if you ignore the instructions and just go for it....
Andy
The kits are designed to take away the "uncertainty" and allow users to learn the techniques and practices before they start buggering about. The ingredients are carefully blended to produce batch after batch after batch of of perfectly balanced hop and malt flavours at a known strength. OK, the make up will change slightly depending upon the quality of the year's harvest of barley and hops but in general THEY WORK, and if it ain't broke, why risk breaking it?
As to using alternative yeasts, I think the clue regarding whether or not to use bread yeast for brewing is in the name !!
If you like alcoholic ginger beer why not try the Coopers Ginger Beer kit? Whilst I've never made it myself (I prefer my ginger in my food rather than in my beer), everyone that I know has made it tells me that it is really tasty and has a fairly substantial ginger kick to it. It can be diluted to the full brewing length and fermented as is without additional sugar to make a non-alcoholic fizzy drink, or with 1kg of sugar added to produce 20ltrs of alcoholic ginger beer. The label says it comes in at around 3.5%, but I'm sure you could easily get it much higher if you ignore the instructions and just go for it....
Andy
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Stuo
Re: Made a mistake on my first kit!
Why are Internet Forums always SO negative, it's a wonder that anyone uses them!
Did you actually read all the posts and check out the provided link??
Yes I modified my first kit, Yes I went against other peoples advice and YES I produced a beer that for my palette, and the palettes of everyone else, about 6 people(Male, Female, lager drinkers, ale drinkers), that have tried it, is a really nice, refreshing, tasty, interesting pint.... It may not be for everyone.... I aimed for something similar to Blandford Fly and produced a beer that is similar to Blandford Fly, I know some people don't like Badger Brewery beers, they dare to add extra flavours.... I understand that traditionalists may not enjoy this, after all it isn't just malt, hops and water, BUT I DO AND MY FRIENDS DO!
On to the ginger beer...... Why would I spend £12 on a ginger beer kit when I can produce the same thing for about £3?|? If I want to make it more firey then I will next time by adding, prepare yourself for this, some chilli powder! I know it should never go near a homebrewed beverage but thats all it needs.... Or I could make it more gingery by adding a bit more ginger..... That is 3 batches so far and only £9 spent..... Or do a half sized batches and only £4.50 spent......
On the topic of yeast, I hope you have the decency to read all of my rant, I read all of yours...... If you read the recipe on the provided link it only specifies "Yeast", why not assume you can use bakers yeast?? I'll make the assumption that you have never heard of and certainly never made Turbo Cider.... The original recipe used bakers yeast... I have made it, many others have made it, it works! Initial taste was a little odd but with a bit of age it was fine, probably once everything had fallen out of suspension..... Or should we all be spending £20 on a cider kit and never move from that?
Why can't is just be accepted that someone has had some success, maybe luck? Not looking for applause but to respond by telling me that I am wrong is ridiculous!
Maybe I won't bother bringing up any other mods that I make, keep them to myself....
Right, rant over , I fancy a Ginger Beer Beer.....
Did you actually read all the posts and check out the provided link??
Yes I modified my first kit, Yes I went against other peoples advice and YES I produced a beer that for my palette, and the palettes of everyone else, about 6 people(Male, Female, lager drinkers, ale drinkers), that have tried it, is a really nice, refreshing, tasty, interesting pint.... It may not be for everyone.... I aimed for something similar to Blandford Fly and produced a beer that is similar to Blandford Fly, I know some people don't like Badger Brewery beers, they dare to add extra flavours.... I understand that traditionalists may not enjoy this, after all it isn't just malt, hops and water, BUT I DO AND MY FRIENDS DO!
On to the ginger beer...... Why would I spend £12 on a ginger beer kit when I can produce the same thing for about £3?|? If I want to make it more firey then I will next time by adding, prepare yourself for this, some chilli powder! I know it should never go near a homebrewed beverage but thats all it needs.... Or I could make it more gingery by adding a bit more ginger..... That is 3 batches so far and only £9 spent..... Or do a half sized batches and only £4.50 spent......
On the topic of yeast, I hope you have the decency to read all of my rant, I read all of yours...... If you read the recipe on the provided link it only specifies "Yeast", why not assume you can use bakers yeast?? I'll make the assumption that you have never heard of and certainly never made Turbo Cider.... The original recipe used bakers yeast... I have made it, many others have made it, it works! Initial taste was a little odd but with a bit of age it was fine, probably once everything had fallen out of suspension..... Or should we all be spending £20 on a cider kit and never move from that?
Why can't is just be accepted that someone has had some success, maybe luck? Not looking for applause but to respond by telling me that I am wrong is ridiculous!
Maybe I won't bother bringing up any other mods that I make, keep them to myself....
Right, rant over , I fancy a Ginger Beer Beer.....
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colchesterhomebrewer
Re: Made a mistake on my first kit!
Hi Stuo
I didn't say you were wrong to experiment, just that I agreed that it might be better to know what you were brewing and get the techniques spot on before you started changing things. If you don't have a benchmark (ie the way Muntons design the kits to taste) you can't absolutely know for sure that what you have created is any better or worse. If it had gone horribly wrong, how would you know what had caused the problem if you had changed so many variables that it was impossible to pin down the cause. The fact that it has succeeded to your tastes just goes to show what wonderfully resilient and adaptable stuff coloured sugar water and yeast is and just how much variety it is possible to introduce without encountering problems.
I appreciate that we all have different tastes, if we didn't, there wouldn't be quite so much variety available in both the commercial market or in the homebrew market and I'm really glad you have had the success you have had in making something that suits YOUR palette and those of your friends.
Personally, I don't drink the beers that contain the "various additives" and flavourings that you mention, but then I don't drink cocktails or alcoshots either but I am perfectly happy for anybody that does drink them to do so if it suits them. I would say though that you have obviously been lucky to have been born with such a varied and experimental palette and more than your fair share of good luck as normally asking advice from the very experienced brewers on here (and no, I don't count myself amongst them), and then ignoring that advice, doesn't generally produce the best of results.
I don't drink cider either so, no, I haven't made turbo cider, but I still probably wouldn't want to make beer with baking yeast as it would seem to me to be completely incompatible as it would seem specifically to suggest its use is for baking rather than brewing and may well either not work or possibly produce strange tastes - if yours cleared and produced cider that suits your taste, congratulations and obviously it does work.
When brewing, I tend to stick to instruction and err on the side of caution having grown up in an era when it was still the accepted course of things to rely on the accumulated wisdom of those more experienced than ourselves and when it was still preferable to learn to walk before learning to run - it would seem that these traits are out of date in the modern world. (And yes, I did read the rest of the postings on the thread, every single one of them, though I have to admit that I didn't follow the links to read the side topics as I don't like to get too distracted)
My comments weren't an attack on your pioneering spirit, just a suggestion to proceed slightly more slowly and find out by a more measured approach whther your experiments make the base brew any better or worse. If I have offended your sensibilities and pride, I apologise that you feel so aggrieved.
I didn't say you were wrong to experiment, just that I agreed that it might be better to know what you were brewing and get the techniques spot on before you started changing things. If you don't have a benchmark (ie the way Muntons design the kits to taste) you can't absolutely know for sure that what you have created is any better or worse. If it had gone horribly wrong, how would you know what had caused the problem if you had changed so many variables that it was impossible to pin down the cause. The fact that it has succeeded to your tastes just goes to show what wonderfully resilient and adaptable stuff coloured sugar water and yeast is and just how much variety it is possible to introduce without encountering problems.
I appreciate that we all have different tastes, if we didn't, there wouldn't be quite so much variety available in both the commercial market or in the homebrew market and I'm really glad you have had the success you have had in making something that suits YOUR palette and those of your friends.
Personally, I don't drink the beers that contain the "various additives" and flavourings that you mention, but then I don't drink cocktails or alcoshots either but I am perfectly happy for anybody that does drink them to do so if it suits them. I would say though that you have obviously been lucky to have been born with such a varied and experimental palette and more than your fair share of good luck as normally asking advice from the very experienced brewers on here (and no, I don't count myself amongst them), and then ignoring that advice, doesn't generally produce the best of results.
I don't drink cider either so, no, I haven't made turbo cider, but I still probably wouldn't want to make beer with baking yeast as it would seem to me to be completely incompatible as it would seem specifically to suggest its use is for baking rather than brewing and may well either not work or possibly produce strange tastes - if yours cleared and produced cider that suits your taste, congratulations and obviously it does work.
When brewing, I tend to stick to instruction and err on the side of caution having grown up in an era when it was still the accepted course of things to rely on the accumulated wisdom of those more experienced than ourselves and when it was still preferable to learn to walk before learning to run - it would seem that these traits are out of date in the modern world. (And yes, I did read the rest of the postings on the thread, every single one of them, though I have to admit that I didn't follow the links to read the side topics as I don't like to get too distracted)
My comments weren't an attack on your pioneering spirit, just a suggestion to proceed slightly more slowly and find out by a more measured approach whther your experiments make the base brew any better or worse. If I have offended your sensibilities and pride, I apologise that you feel so aggrieved.