Recipe
Finally, the recipe!

03 - Ginger ale in glass-FThis will yield 5 gallons of medium-flavored alcoholic ginger ale with an ABV of 6.4%. For a lighter, crisper ginger ale (like alcoholic Canada Dry) use about 2/3 of the ginger and limes recommended below.

For a fuller “craft” ginger ale flavor, use about 1-1/2 times as much ginger and citrus.

The recipe below takes 3-4 weeks from brew day to bottle. Primary fermentation will be done long before that – properly cared-for yeast make short work of those simple sugars – but as with beer, extra time will give the yeast time to clean up after themselves.
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs peeled, diced ginger root

• 5 lbs organic cane sugar

• 5 limes (zest and juice)

• Water to make 5 gallons

• Yeast nutrient (dose per manufacturer instructions)

• 1 packet S-04 yeast

Boil 2.5 gallons of water, then remove from heat. Stir in sugar and yeast nutrient until well dissolved. 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. OG should be about 1.045. Aerate and pitch S-04 yeast. After 2 weeks, you should have reached a FG of around 0.996 and you’re ready to backsweeten. You’ll need:

• 2 cups of water

• 3 oz peeled, diced ginger root

• 4 oz diced crystallized ginger

• 3 cups 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. Then rack to a bottling bucket with priming sugar, following usual beer bottling procedures. Target 2.5 volumes of carbonation.

Give the yeast at least 3 weeks to carbonate in the bottle