Ingredients
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) pure cane sugar - amended above
1 tablespoon (15 mL) molasses
½ tsp. yeast nutrient
8 oz. (226 mL) lemon or lime (juiced)
8 oz. (226 mL) ginger root (juiced)
Clean fermenting ale yeast (Champagne works well also)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) sugar to backsweeten (added to cold keg)
Step by step
Bring sugar, molasses and water to a boil for 15 minutes. At flame out add yeast nutrient. Once cooled to yeast pitching temperature, add the yeast and allow the temperature to rise naturally to the upper limit of the yeast’s range; you want a good and fast ferment. After 10 days or so, cool to near freezing to drop out as much yeast you can. Transfer the clear finished ginger beer into an empty Corny keg and add the ginger juice, lemon (or lime) juice, and sugar (dissolved in 2 cups/500 mL boiling water) to backsweeten. Mix all this very well or the dense sugar syrup will drop to the bottom. Follow the same carbonation advice as the hard root beer recipe.