Ginger beer

[Guest]

Good morning peeps.when i was a kid me mum used to make luvly ginger beer and use the fresh root ,she's lost the recipe,and can't remember how she made it.any one of you luvly people know how?personaly all i can remember was it blowing the lids off the alpine lemo bottles she used to put it in,and the out house smelling of the stuff

[The Grock in the Frock]

its me ,the grock, and i know the brains a bit frazzled at the moment but i deffo logged on Stupid computer

[pigletwillie]

Grock,

a blast from my childhood as well, we had alpine pop as well, the nuclear green stuff was best.

Recipes please good people

[Tigger]

I think I've still got my gran's recipe. I'll search it out for you.

[Allan]

If Tigger can't find it I'll dig it out.
As I remember you can start with ordinary yeast in water add some sugar, then every day for a fortnight you put in 1 tsp ground ginger and same of sugar. After 7 days drain off the liquid using a fine muslin cloth. and add 1&3/4 lbs sugat, 1&1/2 pt boiling water, juice of 2 lemons, mix until dissolved, add 4&1/2 pints cold water, mix well and bottle (about 1 gallon). Leave at least 1 week before drinking.
Retain half of strained sediment to jar plus 1 cup of water for next process.
Allan

[Allan]

That was from our recipe book, not memory.
What's it doing here, should be in recipes.
Allan

[The Grock in the Frock]

i know ,i know, it should have been in recipies ,but the soddon thing wouldnt even let me log on ,and it was the morning,any how fanks for the recipe,your the best

[The Grock in the Frock]

did you have the green stuff with vannila ice creem?mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!we did

[Sue]

This is a ginger beer I've made before which is an adult version with around 5% alchol. It's a really good summer drink served cold either on it's own or as a shandy.

2oz root ginger
2 lemons
1lb sugar
1/2oz cream of tartar
1 teaspoon dried yeast
1 gallon water

Grate the ginger and pare the outer zest off the lemons. Put both in a container with the sugar & cream of tartar. Pour on 2 pints of boiling water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Leave to cool then squeeze in the lemon juice, add the yeast and top up to 1 gallon. Cover and ferment for 7 days until nearly finished bubbling. Strain and bottle, adding 1/2 teaspoon sugar per pint. Store 2-3 days in a warm place then keep cool.

This is for green ginger wine which if made now will be ready for this Christmas.

3oz root ginger
18oz raisins
4 ripe bananas
2lb light brown sugar
1 lemon
pinch cayenne pepper
7 pints boiling water
sachet all purpose wine yeast
2 capden tablets
green food colour - optional if you are a traditionalist

Grate the ginger, chop the raisins and peel and mash the nanas. Chuck the whole lot in a fermenting bin with the pepper and the thinly pared lemon zest. Pour on the boiling water and leave to cool. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the yeast. Ferment for around 10 days and stir the mix twice a day.

Strain the liquid into a demijohn and stir in the sugar. Ferment until bubbling stops then move to a cool place to clear for a few days. Siphon into a clean demijohn and taste to see if sweet enough - add sugar if you need it. Add the crushed campden tablets and colour the wine if you want (will be a perfectly acceptable light golden brown if you don't). Store 2 months, then bottle and keep until Christmas when it will be perfickly matured. I recommend you try this one Grock - it is streets ahead of anything you can buy and is very nice to sip on front of the fire on a chill winter's eve.

Sue

[The Grock in the Frock]

thats the one sue me mum used to make(1st one)i'll be making that this week,thanks.2nd one sounds great,ill also be giving that a go.me mums made up as she had her mums recipe for years and then lost it.once again ,thanks chuck

[Sue]

My pleasure Grock - let us know how you get on. The ginger beer is as strong as lager so go easy on feeding it to the kids - unless you want some peace I'm sure my mum brewed something similar to shut us up, but then she has confessed recently to feeding me poppy syrup she got from an old lady down the road when I was teething. Come to think about it that does explain a lot...

Aaahhh - the sound of exploding pop bottles. Takes you back.

Sue

[Guest]

thinking about things mother used to give us reminded me of me mum making us swallow a tea spoon of vicks vapour rub covered in sugar,do ye think she was tryin to do me in

[The Grock in the Frock]

thats me and i DID log in

[Chez]

Yes. I was given malt and cod liver oil (separately).

[Chantal]

My dad used to make the strongest home brew in the county and when I was little (about 7 I think), he'd give me a small glass. If I didn't fall asleep within half an hour he'd add more sugar to the brew.

When you think about it, the things our parents did to us they'd be busted for child cruelty today but it didn't do US any harm, did it? I wouldn't have changed things for the world.

Aaah, nostalgia