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I'm about to bottle my first ginger beer, made with a ginger bug, and I've heard a lot about the danger of exploding bottles. I do plan to sweeten it with honey which I hear slows fermentation (though I used white sugar for the bug) and I was wondering if anyone has experience or insights on this. The thought of an exploding bottle makes me nervous. I am following the NT recipe except for using honey.
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Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Fri, September 14, 2007 - 5:03 PMI don't think it will ferment that much slower with honey. You will probably get a much sweeter result - only 90%(?) of the sugar will convert to alcohol instead of 98%. What kind of yeast are you using? baking yeast? brewing yeast will eat every grain of cane sugar until you have a very very very dry result.
Most of the recipes I've seen are of the type - bottle and ferment for three(?) days, then refrigerate. Then pray. If you let the fermentation run any longer than that you get too much CO2 and the bottles explode. The refrigeration stops the yeast while there is a ton of food left in each bottle. Some folks recommend you use the 2 liter plastic screw top soda bottles cause they'll take a much higher pressure, and split rather than shatter.
The way you'd make beer is boil ingredients, cool, add yeast, ferment to completion - until all sugar is "eaten" by the yeast, then add a carefully measured amount for additional carbonation for bottling. You could do exactly the same for ginger beer. -
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Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Sat, September 15, 2007 - 8:18 PMI'm using a ginger 'bug' instead of yeast, which means I've been feeding 1 tsp. sugar and 1 tsp. ground ginger to about a cup and a half of water for almost 7 days. It is covered with just a paper towel and it is now bubbling. This recipe is from Nourishing Traditions, and the next step is to pour the liquid off the bug (leaving the sediment behind) into the water and sweetner mixture that has been boiled and cooled, cover tightly and leave set for 7 days. The last step is to transfer to bottles and leave again for 14 days before refrigerating and drinking.
I've heard about using plastic bottles but I can't bear to do it. I am not fond of plastic. I purchased a handheld bottle capper and am using old beer bottles. So the 'beer' will be sitting at room temp. bottled in glass for 14 days, untless I decide it is safer to do something different. But I was hoping someone had done this ginger bug into beer routine and I might get some tips. Thanks for the info about not all the honey being eaten up so the beer may be sweeter. Tomorrow or the next day I will put the beer together into a gallon jar to let set for 7 days. Maybe before I bottle someone else here has made ginger beer from a bug and can reassure me. In any case I will post on how this turns out. -
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Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Sat, September 22, 2007 - 2:26 PMWell, of course,, it has been drank by now...
If it was still bubbling pretty good, you definitely did not want to bottle it. You can buy a 2 part bubbler really cheap at a brew shop. I've used 1 gal cier jugs, that were also very inexpensive. If you wait until the bubbler is just barely going, then you can probably safely bottle (if it's still a bit sweet) That would mean that the yeast had hit their maximum alcohol level and extra honey or sugar would just add sweetness.
The small extra fermentation in the bottle can make very nice carbonated bevs. -
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Unsu...
Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Sun, September 23, 2007 - 6:49 PMI did bottle today and there was just a tiny amount of live activity going on in the brew. Tasted good and gingery with just a hint of carbonation, I'm actually more concerned now about there being any real carbonation in the finished product, which was hoped for. I probably could have added more honey as it wasn't very sweet. They will sit now for 2 more weeks before into the frig and then drinking, though I will chill and bottle one after one week just to check up on things.
What is a 2 part bubbler? I am just using a wide mouth gallon jar, which had the lid put on for the 7 day duration.
I have kept my 'ginger bug' alive and today made up a new brew, this time with some sassafras, allspice, coriander and additional ginger root. I sweetened it with some molasses and honey. Tastes really really good so it will be exciting to let it ferment into something even nicer. It will be ready for bottling in about 7 days. -
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Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Tue, September 25, 2007 - 10:59 AMhi! i'm starting with this and i have one question: how you know if the bug is alive or not? I have been adding ginger and sugar for 4 days but im not sure.
gabriela -
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Unsu...
Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Fri, September 28, 2007 - 10:57 PMWith my bug by about the 6th day or so there were small bubbles laying on the surface of the liquid. And even when there was not a layer of bubbles on top I have watched very slow bubbling movements. I am new at this too, but by the 7th day my bug was clearly alive. I used it and then kept feeding it for another 7 days and used it again. After that I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep it alive (didn't want to make another jug of brew just yet) so skipped one day of feeding and after that the bubbling has seemed to stop. I think my bug might have died.
I hear that sometimes it takes a few times to get one going and that if there isn't a layer of bubbles after about 7 days it may be best to toss it and start over. Good luck with your bug.
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Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Sun, September 16, 2007 - 7:31 PMI had a glass bottle explode in my kitchen once while making water kefir. I was certain that someone had entered my house and I had just been shot and was dead. -
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Unsu...
Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Tue, September 18, 2007 - 3:17 PMThank you. I am now reassured! LOL
I've decided to chill and open one bottle at the half way mark to check the carbonation level.
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Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Tue, October 2, 2007 - 11:41 AMWhat happened when the bottle exploded?
Was it covered or in a solid cardboard case?
Did shrapnel fly everywhere?
Trolling minds want to know! -
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Unsu...
Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Wed, October 3, 2007 - 4:41 PMI would like to know the answer to this also and what kind of jar or bottle was used. I am using beer bottles that I am capping. I did open one at the 8 day mark (recipe says to let sit in bottles 14 days before putting in fridge) and it took a least five minutes of slow opening to let the pressure out as it was gushing. I had a friend at my side with paper towels and I managed to keep most of it. Very delicious. Today at the 10 day mark I put all but 2 in the fridge and will try one later. I am mostly wanting a root beer and not much alcohol anyway and will check the last 2 at the full 14 days.
I am putting the bottles in a heavy plastic bag and with a cardboard box over top as my friend says if they blow it will be the lid most likely poping as oppossed to the bottle breaking. Again I am using bottles meant to take some pressure.
So this is my update. I used no yeast at all just a 'ginger bug' made from powdered ginger root and white sugar and they are powerfully bubbly. -
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Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Sat, December 1, 2007 - 1:17 PMSo, did you have any glass grenades?
Was the ginger beer good?
I hadn't mentioned it in my earlier post, but I suspect you folks all know about hydrometers, right? There not that expensive and it's the only truly reliable way that I know of, to tell what the alcohol/sugar level is (this, if you have taken notest and recorded starting levels and what you've put in there). Generally, with experience one can tell from the action of the bubbler what's happening with a given brew. -
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Unsu...
Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Wed, December 5, 2007 - 1:09 PMI did have 3 or 4 bottles explode or maybe it was just one that broke the others. The ginger beer is good and I have learned that I can release some of the pressure with a bottle opener by just barely lifting the cap and letting it hiss and then retightening the cap with my hand held capper. I'm not a big drinker so I have stopped making ginger beer for now and will probably make more in the spring or early summer. Thanks for mentioning the hydrometer. I don't have one but did read some detailed info on the internet about using one and it seemed to complicated to me.
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Unsu...
Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Sat, December 15, 2007 - 5:54 PMI heard a good troubleshooting method at a workshop led by Sandor Katz, author of Wild Fermentation and The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved. (Check him out at wildfermentation.com.)
In addition to the bottles you plan on drinking, put some of the brew in a plastic soda bottle. You can gauge how bubbly the brew is by squeezing the plastic bottle and seeing how firm it is. -
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Re: ginger beer and exploding bottles?
Sat, December 15, 2007 - 6:24 PMThat is exactly what I do and it works great. Just a little in small plastic bottle, as a tester. You can even see the bottle expand and then I put my drink in the refrigerator.
Blessings
Linda
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