[Tastebridge] Fwd: [Noisebridge-discuss] Ginger Beer Plant

Sat Dec 10 11:18:41 UTC 2011

Hello,
I wonder if you could specify the "spicy" which you mention as a flavor for the ginger beer. I've done the cold infusion of ginger before separate to fermentation however it took way to much ginger to be commercially viable and it was also time intensive (and temperature - I did it at cold because of the worry of the contamination at room t). During the last year I started to add the ginger (raw-grinded) to the fermentation vessel directly and if you do around 2%(w/v) you have light ginger flavor with a bit of "spicy tale" (you know the feeling kind of in your throat after the ginger intake), I do not peel the ginger, just cut out bad parts and wash it. I've increased  the concentration to 4%(w/v) of ginger that one was quite spicy. It is important to note that: I used kefir/yogurt life cultures to do the fermentation, the temperature would be ranging from 20-30C (around 25C I would say optimal, but please oscillate the temperature), the length of
 fermentation would be around 4-7 days, secondary fermentation in sealed container included. I do recommend to let the drink to mature at least a week at cold after the secondary fermentation is done. Below is the link to the most up to date ginger ale recipe which we developed with 091 brew masters. Please note that this fermentation goes mostly non alcoholic, just residual amounts of alcohol are presented due to the lactic and other acids residues which are generally produced by bacterias in yogurt and kefir (in kefir yeast is also present, you can taste it :-)).

https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Ginger_ale_recipe

I think it would be really interesting to select one type of culture and do an experiment to compare cold infusion of ginger during the fermentation versus hot ginger flavor extraction (slow cooker worked for me great in the past). For the start I would say the same concentration would be good idea for both. I do expect that the flavor of the hot infusion would be kind of stronger = more spicy and bitter, at least that is how I remember it from the past - we experimented with that quite a bit in Three Stone Hearth kitchen.

I'd love to do these experiments by myself but I should be on the road for the next half year or so, touring Japan and learning their ways of fermenting, especially of soy beans.

Frantisek Apfelbeck

biotechnologist&kvasir

http://www.frantisekapfelbeck.org

"There is no way to piece, piece is the way." Ghandi

________________________________
 From: Matthew Downs <downs.matt at gmail.com>
To: Felix Sargent <felix.sargent at gmail.com> 
Cc: Frantisek Apfelbeck <algoldor at yahoo.com>; tastebridge tastebridge <tastebridge at lists.noisebridge.net> 
Sent: Saturday, December 10, 2011 12:13 AM
Subject: Re: [Tastebridge] Fwd: [Noisebridge-discuss] Ginger Beer Plant

Wild Fermentation has a great recipe for ginger champagne, as well as ginger beer fermented with wild yeast.
http://books.google.com/books?id=qCMmXAp237cC&pg=PR10&lpg=PR10&dq=ginger+champagne+wild+fermentation&source=bl&ots=vAFWpaCatb&sig=wkG2Uc08_-so82KUIBF7U3ZlLAI&hl=en&ei=daLiTsX7AsSE2wXLutTDBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CFIQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=ginger%20champagne%20wild%20fermentation&f=false

Sandor also gives a method for starting the "ginger plant" you mentioned, which is really a wild yeast/bacteria cultivation...similar to kombucha.

definitely need to grate and boil the ginger if you want it to be spicy.  The more the better!  i also like making tinctures from spices...coriander and clove work really well for adding zest and bite.  you can usually get ginger for $1-2 per pound at the heart of the city farmers market on Weds and Sunday's.

Rainbow might have champagne yeast, other than that SF brewcraft.
Cheers,
~md

On Friday, December 9, 2011, Felix Sargent  wrote:

Yeah, I've used basic yeast before, but only in sealed plastic bottles, which means at most a two day fermentation. It never really got that nice "spicyness" that I like in Ginger Beer like Reed's. Was wondering if the yeast would have anything to do with it. I probably under extracted the ginger in the plant (I didn't boil it). 
>
>
>Know any good places to get champagne yeast other than Brewcraft?Felix Sargent
>felix.sargent at gmail.com
>www.felixsargent.com
>
>
>
>On Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 2:45 PM, Matthew Downs <downs.matt at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>I've had success using basic dry brewers yeast.  I suggest Safale 05 or Cote de blanc (a champagne yeast).  These will both work with honey or sugar.
>>
>>
>>On Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 12:26 PM, Frantisek Apfelbeck <algoldor at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>Hi Felix,
>>>I do not have it unfortunately. I've done various ginger based non alcoholic drinks using yogurt/yogurt whey/kefir/kefir whey/kombucha and water kefir. My best results were with kefir whey, honey and cold infusion of graded ginger during the whole fermentation. I'd be interested in the differences of the product if the "Ginger beer plant" is used. I also wonder how much is it reliable that this culture is the "true one" or the one which has been used for long period of time/historically. Do you have some info about the culture in general? I've heard about it before but I've never experimented with it and I'd like to give it a go. I love both ginger beer and ginger ale.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Sincerely,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Frantisek
>>>
>>>PS
 I'm now in England and I'll be going for 28c3 in Berlin where several Noisebridge members are coming too. We may try to discuss how to get the ginger plant and from somewhere in England to USA.
>>>
>>> 
>>>
>>>Frantisek Apfelbeck
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>biotechnologist&kvasir
>>>
>>>http://www.frantisekapfelbeck.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>"There is no way to piece, piece is the way." Ghandi
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>________________________________
>>> From: Felix Sargent <felix.sargent at gmail.com>
>>>To: NoiseBridge Discuss <noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net> 
>>>Sent: Friday, December 9, 2011 1:45 AM
>>>
>>>Subject: [Noisebridge-discuss] Ginger Beer Plant
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Hi Noisebridge, specifically BioBridge,
>>>
>>>
>>>Does anyone have Ginger Beer Plant or know where to source it in the area?
>>>
>>>
>>>I'm looking to make some /real/ ginger beer. 
>>>If nobody has any, I'd be really happy to culture some for sharing.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Felix Sargent
>>>(415) 935-3354
>>>felix.sargent at gmail.com
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
>>>Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
>>>https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>Tastebridge mailing list
>>>Tastebridge at lists.noisebridge.net
>>>https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/tastebridge
>>>
>>>
>>
>
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