Cocktails/Brews Ginger Beer

ginger beer

(from Godey's Ladies Magazine, edited by L.A. Godey, Sarah J. Hale, 1860)

Ingredients:

Per gallon of water...​

1-1/2 oz. ginger well bruised​

1 oz. cream of tartar​

1 lb. loaf-sugar​

1 lemon​

1 tsp. yeast​

Instructions:

One ounce and a half of ginger well bruised, one ounce of cream of tartar, one pound of loaf-sugar, and one lemon to every gallon of water. Put these ingredients into an earthen pan, and pour upon them the water boiling; when cold, add a teaspoonful of yeast to each gallon. Let it stand for twenty-four hours, then skim it. Bottle it, and keep it in a cool place before you drink it.​

​

ginger beer

(from from Southern Federal Union newspaper, Milledgeville, Georgia, July 29, 1862)

Ingredients:

8 gallons of warm water​

1 gallon New Orleans molasses​

1 small handful of hops, boiled in 1-1/2 gallons of water​

2 large tbsp. good ginger​

4 tsp. good cream tartar​

1-1/2 gallons good yeast​

Instructions:

"I will give you my way of making small beer, that is the right kind of beer, in answer to an inquiry by a subscriber.​

​

Take 8 gallons of warm water, and one gallon of New Orleans molasses, and a small handful of hops, and boil them in a gallon and half of water, and strain them in the other warm water. Then take two large table-spoonfuls of good ginger, and put it and, mix it right well, and then put in four tea-spoonfuls of good cream tartar. Next put in 1-1/2 gallons of good yeast, and mix it well, and let it stand for six or eight hours, or rather till it has worked a good scum over the top. Take a clean cloth, and wash it in warm water, and wring the water out, and lay it in a colander, and drain carefully. Bottle and cork, and tie up, so that the strings will make a cross on the top of the cork. Set the bottles out in the sun for two hours, and then put in a good cold cellar, or spring-house, and let it get one day old, and then you will have good beer.​

​

Skim before you strain: also before put the ginger, and molasses, and make the cream tartar, and yeast in the water, make it a little cool.. a little more milk warm, but no warmer, or else you will kill your ingredients.​

Beer Photo by Larry Page, CC2.0​

 

[nitrofd]

That is a lot of yeast,that thing might blow up.

 

[kholland]

That is a lot of yeast,that thing might blow up.

Agreed! I used to make my own beer some years ago and used small dry packets of yeast. But 1 1/2 gallons!!!!

 

[Stiles/Akin]

Thirsty

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

I think the "1 1/2 gallons" of yeast makes reference to a yeast "starter", rather than that much actual Dry Yeast....
I also make homemade beer, and would be interested in making a few tweaks....Like letting it ferment longer with an air-lock.....

 

[donna]

Bringing this thread back up since mention of beer.

 

[Anna Elizabeth Henry]

I'm bumping up the ginger beer recipe since @donna posted some beer recipes today.

 

[donna]

Here is recipe for Ginger Beer. This type beer mentioned in another thread on Pop Beer.

 

[nitrofd]

Since ginger beer was mentioned on another thread i thought we should look at this one again.

 

[nitrofd]

Here is wiki's take on ginger beer.

 

[donna]

nitrofd our minds think a like. I brought this one up too.

 

[donna]

An old beer recipe for National Beer Day, April 7th.

 

[donna]

Thought bump this older thread on Ginger Beer. It goes with one on Ginger Ale just added.

 

[Fairfield]

Thought bump this older thread on Ginger Beer. It goes with one on Ginger Ale just added.

Ginger beer was a regular in Edinburgh pubs...I really like it and am going to try that recipe!