Full sugar ginger beer. Nobody fucking sells it anymore, it's all suger-free or watery lemony nothing.
I just wanted as much fermented ginger as you can cram in some water, is that a hard ask?
That being said, I've tried making it myself, and never succeeded. I can't find any good online recipes.
I make it myself all the time! Pick up some organic ginger (so it still has microbes on it) and some distilled or spring water (or leave tap water out overnight to dechlorinate). Start with 1 cup of water and grate in small piece of ginger (skin and all) and add 2 tsp sugar. Repeat once a day for 3-5 days until foamy.
Then take two quarts of water in a large pot, add 1.5 c sugar, the juice of two lemons (this is important! It doesn't work without them), and as much ginger as you want, bring to a boil, and then take off the heat and add 2 more quarts to bring it up to a gallon. Allow to cool to at least 90 degrees F, then mix in your starter and strain into bottles (I like to use plastic seltzer water bottles and strain through a fine mesh wine filter bag). Leave it in a relatively warm place for a week or so, burping the bottles occasionally as the pressure builds. Sometimes not all my bottles will take off, so I'll pour a little from one of the successful ones in to restart the fermentation.
Ooh, thanks - I may give it another try with those instructions, because I'd genuinely love to succeed. When making the starter, do I do that in a sealed bottle at room temp?
Gas exchange is important for the starter - a jar with a towel held on with a rubber band works well for me.
Duly noted, thank you! I will try this next time I get my hands on ginger and report back.
Pre covid I used to be able to buy this really spicy stuff but like you said, no one sells it anymore. I want ginger sediment and I want to feel my sinuses burning
might be a big ask depending on where you are in the world, but have you had/thoughts on Bundaberg?
like, if you're from america, it's night and day compared to something like canada dry - but it's probably weak piss to a real ginger enjoyer
I do have thoughts on Bundaberg, though I don't know if the UK version is different to others.
We have a sugar tax, and since then Bundaberg has been half-sugar, half-sweeteners, which is still just, blegh for me. Also, xanthan gum for some reason?? It's above average in terms of flavour, but as I say, I do consider that a low bar.
Bleh, I think it's still all cane sugar here still. There's another smaller ginger company, Buderim, that does ginger beer and a ginger cordial, but I haven't had it in years
I have many preferred beverages, both alcoholic and sober but uhhh...
On the day to day, I drink coffee more than I do water, but I absolutely have to give a huge shoutout to horchata. Mana of the fucking gods right there
Haven't made horchata in ages, that sounds really fuckin' good rn
Putting tea and coffee aside, for sober events it has to be a lemon, lime and bitters or its low-sugar sensible cousin, the soda, lime and bitters.
If just beverages in general it has to be black tea. If money weren't an issue I'd drink exclusively watermelon juice or grapefruit juice or a blend, or avacado smoothies.
In terms of soft drinks I think a spicy ginger beer is my favorite, but its rough to find non alcoholic beverages that arent either coffee/tea or sugar drinks for big babies.
i'm a bit of a wanker, so i have a Moccamaster classic now
i previously just had a pourover setup - hand grinder, cheap kitchen scales, knockoff Chemex pourover flask (Bodum i think) and some reusable fabric filters. 16:1 ratio with good beans.
Currently on a kick of non-alcoholic spirits with good tonic. Seedlip is nice. Lyre's Italian orange is too. Going to see if I can find and try Monday Gin as it's apparently more juniper-y but, not holding my breath as it turns out that the flavor compounds in juniper just don't like most human-safe solvents and most non-alcoholic spirits that I've tried don't have nearly enough bitter. May need to go for "very low alcohol" rather than zero for a satisfying character.
Also, I've been enjoying honeybush tea. I'm making blends myself that are turning out rather well. Raspberry leaf helps add tannins that it is missing for a more tea-like flavor and mouth feel. I'm still tuning the recipe but, found that I get a nice Earl-y Grey with 4g honeybush, 1g raspberry leaf, 0.5g lavender flowers (food grade), 2-4 drops bergamot oil (food grade) for a 200-250mL cup.
As for why I'm "teatotalling" these days (not that you asked but the question seems inevitable), ethanol doesn't seem to agree with my nervous system anymore. So, rather than have hang-xiety and other downsides, I've decided to cut it, maybe take up brewing milds again at some point because I enjoy the flavors And caffeine has been getting its effects unpleasantly amplified lately so, same deal, reducing it significantly.
This user salutes those that choose to not drink and those who choose to as well 🫡
Agreed! My biggest issue is that I have enjoyed the flavor more than the intoxication for over a decade. And some flavors are hard or impossible to obtain without the ethanol (and generally just plain impossible if at a pub).
Cream soda is underrated as hell and I will die on that hill.
Don't drink soda much though, usually go for water, green tea, coffee with some creamer of some sort, or a flavored lemonade
Anijsmelk
It's warm milk (oat is best obv), sweetened and w/ anise
v good sleepy time drink too
Should be!
Here in the Netherlands it's usually just made from like a powder bag thingy, but you can make it yourself by basically infusing like it's tea but with anise seeds instead
idk what good ratios would be but you should be able to find recipes online
Right so a bit like chai masala, you can buy premix or DIY. I guess where I am it'll be hard to find the bagged stuff so making it from scratch could be fun! Thanks
Oh, another fun thing if you grow any herbs, throw a little fresh herbs in a soda. Like fresh basil in orange soda, rosemary in pineapple, mint in lime, etc.
