Ginger Beer Recipe

Ginger Beer

Bug Warm water
2 tsp active dried yeast
2 tsp raw sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1. Fill a large glass jar (I used an Agee preserving jar), ¾ full with warm water. Add the yeast, sugar and ginger. Cover loosely with a lid or tea-towel – do not screw tight or it won’t be able to breathe. Sit in a warm place, such as the kitchen table or similar.
2. Feed your bug every day for seven days with 1 tsp raw sugar and 1 tsp ground ginger.
3. After a week, you are ready to make your first batch of beer.

Ginger beer
3 cups raw sugar
2 tsp cream of tartar
1L boiling water and
5L cold water

Juice of 2 lemons, strained
1. In a large bowl or bucket, put the sugar and cream of tartar, then add the boiling water. Stir to dissolve the sugar before adding the cold water. Get your bug and pour all the liquid (not the sludge in the bottom) into a bucket and add the lemon juice.
2. Stir well and then pour into your clean bottles – it makes six 750ml bottles.
3. Store in a cool, dark place for two weeks before drinking. Make sure you open the bottle in the kitchen sink as it might overflow. Open the cap bit by
bit to allow the air to escape.

RESTORE AND REUSE
Take the jar with the sludge in it and fill with water to the top. Tip out half or give to a friend so that they can make their own bug. Fill back up to ¾ and feed for another week.

DON’T NEGLECT IT
If you are too busy to make a batch of ginger beer one week, don’t just keep feeding and hope for the best, as your bug won’t survive. Pour it out after a week – as you would if you were making some ginger beer – and follow the above instructions for restoring your bug all over again. Beer-y nice