I love a zesty beverage. And by that I mean a beverage that is cold, carbonated, and incredibly refreshing! My husband and I have been searching for the ultimate zesty bev for years now, but it wasn’t until we started making this homemade ginger beer recipe that we found it.
Not only is it made with a few simple ingredients, but this fermented ginger beer is rich in probiotics and aids digestion. I like to enjoy it as a little after dinner digestif or mix up a delicious homemade moscow mule (vodka optional!). This recipe is also so easy to make and very customizable. Once you’ve mastered the ginger bug piece, the ginger beer comes together with ease.
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Start with mastering the ginger bug
Making and maintaining a ginger bug isn’t as hard as you might think. I’ve already published a blog post for this method and recipe, so make sure you have an active, bubbly ginger bug before making the ginger beer.
Learn how to make an active, fizzy, and probiotic rich ginger bug
Customizing your ginger beer recipe
The thing I love about this way of making ginger beer is that it’s entirely to taste. I like mine to be very spicy and lemony, but that may not be the case for you and that’s okay. As you brew the ginger juice, try it to see if you like the sweet/sour/bitter ratio and adjust as needed!
How this Ginger Beer Recipe works
Step one: make sure you have an active, bubbly ginger bug ready to use
Step two: make the ginger juice. I will give you ratios for a base ginger juice, but you will want to taste and adjust as needed
Step three: add a few tablespoons of the ginger bug liquid and the cooled ginger juice to a swing top bottle. Be sure to leave some head space at the top!
Step four: leave on the counter for a few days until fizzy
Step five: refrigerate until you are ready to drink
Sample ginger beer recipe schedule
Day 1 AM: Make the ginger juice in the morning and allow it to cool throughout the day
Day 1 PM: Add juice and bug liquid to bottles
Day 2-5: Rest bottles at room temperature until fizzy, I like to check once a day. This may take anywhere from 2-6 days depending on how strong your bug is
~after carbonating, refrigerate until ready to drink~
Supplies and Ingredients you will need for this ginger beer recipe
- 4-6 16 oz fermentation pop-top bottles
- A fine mesh sieve
- These funnels for pouring and filtering the ginger juice and bug
- Fresh ginger
- Organic cane sugar
- Filtered water
Ginger Beer Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-2 cups of active bubbly ginger bug liquid
- Base ginger juice recipe
- 8 cups water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large ginger root shaved or grated
- Juice of 3 lemons
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for the base ginger juice in a heavy bottomed sauce pan on low heat.
- When the sugar has dissolved, taste the juice and adjust as needed-I usually end up adding a little more ginger and lemon, but trust your own taste buds!
- Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature
- Meanwhile, prepare your sanitized swing top bottles and a funnel with a filter
- To each swing top bottle, add the cooled ginger juice, leaving about 5 inches of space at the top
- Add 2 tablespoons of ginger bug liquid to the bottle, leaving a few inches of head space at the top
- Repeat until you run out of juice or bottles
- Rest on the counter for a few days until fizzy-I like the check every day for carbonation. This will take 1-3 days
- Once fizzy, place in the fridge until ready to drink
- Enjoy with a slice of lime, in a mocktail, or simply over ice
GINGER BEER RECIPE TIPS
Always sanitize your containers and tools
- This prevents the introduction of bacteria to the fermentation process. You can boil jars before using them for your ginger bug, and always use very clean spoons.
Be careful when opening your pop-top bottles for the first time
- Always open them over the sink and cover them with a towel
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