Fermented Ginger Beer

A bubbly golden drink being poured into a glass with ginger beside.

One of the easiest fermenting recipes you can make, ginger beer needs just a 3-ingredient ginger bug, ginger tea, juice, lemon, and time. This recipe makes enough for one 1-litre bottle, but can be scaled up to make as much as you'd like. I usually make three bottles at a time.

Course Drinks, Fermented

Cuisine British

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Fermenting Time 5

Total Time 5 30

Servings litre

Calories 29kcal

Author Alexandra Daum

Ingredients

750 ml ( 3 cups) water
1 large piece fresh ginger root sliced (about 15cm / 6 in.)
50 ml (¼ cup) ginger bug
Juice of a lemon 3-4 tablespoons
200 ml (¾ cup) unsweetened apple juice
50 ml (¼ cup) ginger shot or extra 50 ml (¼ cup) apple juice

Metric - Cups

Instructions

First, make sure your ginger bug is ready to use. Feed it the night before you plan on making your ginger beer. Don't forget to reserve some of the ginger bug to feed again later.
Sterilise a 1-litre (2-pint) flip-top glass bottle and set aside.
Add the water and ginger to a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool fully with the lid on (this is another step that's helpful to start the night before). Once cool, strain out the solids.
750 ml ( 3 cups) water, 1 large piece fresh ginger root
Strain the ginger bug through a fine mesh sieve into the fully cooled ginger tea. Use a spoon to press on the grated ginger in the bug to release the ginger juice. Discard the solids.
50 ml (¼ cup) ginger bug
Add the lemon juice to the tea and ginger bug mixture and stir well.
Juice of a lemon
Pour the juice and ginger shot (if using) into the clean glass bottle. A bottle funnel is helpful, or use some kind of container with a spout.
200 ml (¾ cup) unsweetened apple juice, 50 ml (¼ cup) ginger shot
Top with the ginger tea mixture, filling the bottle to where the neck begins (leave about 5cm (2 in.) free).
Set the bottle in a dark place to ferment at room temperature for 3-10 days, depending on the temperature of your home. Pop the bottle - open the lid - at least once a day, and more often if your home is warm or close to the end of the fermentation period.
The ginger beer is ready when it's very active and bubbly (see step-by-step photos above). If it doesn't seem to be fermenting quickly enough, give it a gentle shake by turning the bottle upside down a couple of times.
Store your ginger beer in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Notes

Some of the ginger tea will evaporate when it's simmering, so it should come out to about a litre in total. You may end up with just slightly too much of the ginger tea but better a little too much than too little.

The recipe as outlined makes enough for a 1 litre (2 pint) bottle. Adjust the amounts as needed (there is a slider option if you click or tap the yield number at the top of the recipe card).

This isn't an alcoholic drink, but as with any naturally fermented product, it may contain small amounts of alcohol.

Nutrition