Brew day 23rd Oct.
Only had 800g ginger after peeling 907g. Steeped for 45mins.
Pitched Nottingham yeast at 22c at 5pm.
Wonder if I should have left ginger in the ferment.
OG 1.051 with 18.5L wort. Will deliver 6.66% ABV - needs to be lower. Air temp 23c. Pressure by temp black mark. Spunding valve closed.
3am alarm is going off, it's at 35c! Weird.
Ferment underway, by 11am Day 1, PSI beyond 15. Opened spunding to 15PSI. Keeping pressure high to minimise off flavours.
Wort temp - 25c in a 21c air temp.
May finish in 3-5 days?
Wort vol 18.5L.
FOLLOW-UP
2nd Nov (Day 10) still spunding, still fermenting. Long brew. Spunding at c 10PSI (after correction)
Refractometer 1.020 uncorrected; correct 1.002 = 6.44%
Taste - has some bite, much less sweet than originally, decent alcohl whack. Colour cloudy grey, not the yellow expected. V close to complete ferment but impatient so...
Topped up to 24.5L to take it to SG1.028 and final target ABV of 4.8%
Backsweetened with adjusted recipe:
( https://brewtogether.com/2020/02/01/calculate-abv/ )
https://homebrewacademy.com/dilution-boil-off-calculator/
Targets:
OG =
FG =
IBU = XX
SRM: X
ABV = 6.4%
Original source: https://www.morebeer.com/questions/202
Ingredients:
• 0.907 kg peeled, diced ginger root
• 2.27kg organic cane/raw sugar
• 5 limes (zest and juice)
• Water to make 19L
• Yeast nutrient (dose per manufacturer instructions)
• 1 packet S-04 yeast (have S-05)
Method
Boil 9.5L water, then remove from heat.
Stir in sugar and yeast nutrient until well dissolved (The recommended dosage is 40ppm (5g:25L). It should be slurried in a few liters of liquid and added to the kettle about 15 minutes before the end of the boil.)
Once the sugar is dissolved add the ginger root, lime zest, and lime juice.
Steep for 15 minutes.
Strain and pour the mixture into primary fermenter and top off to 5 gallons // 19L. OG should be about 1.045.
Aerate and pitch S-04/5 yeast.
After 2 weeks, you should have reached a FG of around 0.996 and you’re ready to backsweeten.
You’ll need:
• Potassium sorbate
2 cups (473g) of water
• 85g (3 oz) peeled, diced ginger root
• 113g (4 oz) diced crystallized ginger
• 600g (3 cups) sugar (not granulated Splenda (for baking))
Boil the water, then remove from heat.
Stir in sweetener until dissolved, then add both forms of ginger and steep for 5 minutes.
Strain and add directly to the fermenter, or to a sanitized carboy and then rack the ginger ale onto it.
Let the ginger ale rest for 1-2 more weeks for the flavors to marry and mellow.
Keg it and dispense from your fridge.
Target 10 to 12 PSI when kegging).
Give the yeast at least 3 weeks to carbonate in the bottle or keg
When carbonated, chill and serve for a refreshing ginger ale that is sure to please all your friends!
