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This post was prompted by a chat with @pennsif and @ravenruis regarding ginger beer, ginger ale and fermented ginger tea / lemonade. It also comes on the day of my birthday, so it's quite fitting! :)

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A few years ago a friend of mine and I stared making, drinking and even selling at certain events a probiotic fermented drink, which we called "Gingerela" (no relation to the Karma Cola brand, in fact back in 2012 I haven't even heard of KC).

It's a simple recipe with relatively quick results and tons of room for variation & experimentation!

Here are the four basic ingredients. You can easily scale up by multiplying for the amount you plan to make!

• 1 liter non-chlorinated water
• 100 g sugar
• 25 g grated ginger with the rind
• 25 ml lemon juice
• 250 ml pre-made ginger starter (more on that below)

(Image source)

Steps to prepare the ginger ale

1. Bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat.
2. Add the ginger + the sugar. Stir well until sugar dissolves.
3. Keep it simmering for 5-30 minutes depending on the size of the batch. Smaller batches need less time.
4. Leave to cool to room temperature.
5. Strain the resulting ginger tea into the vat you'll use for fermenting. This could be anything from a glass demijohn, to a large stainless steel cooking pot, to a large plastic water bottle.
6. Add the lemon juice + the ginger starter. Stir well. Cover the top/opening with a muslin cloth or other plain and breathable natural fabric.
7. Keep at about 20-25°C for a few days. Usually 3-5 are enough, depending on how active the yeast is, the amount and the temperature in the room. Stir once a day.
8. Bottle the liquid into sturdy bottles. Either use flip top ale bottles, or regular crown cap beer bottles, but those require a special tool to put new caps on (bottle capper). You can also use 250-500 ml soda bottles, just make sure they are from fizzy drinks so they can withstand the pressure. Always use clean bottles, as clean as possible!
9. Keep the bottles at room temperature for 3-5 days, so the fermentation inside creates enough carbon dioxide by consuming the residual sugar to make the drink fizzy.
10. Cool very well before opening. A warmer ginger ale will probably just spill out of the bottle as foam.
11. Serve with a twist of lemon and enjoy the zesty freshness of your own ginger ale!

How to prepare the ginger starter?

1. Fill 2/3 of a clean large jar (1 liter or 1 quart is perfect) with non-chlorinated water.
2. Add 1 table spoon of grated ginger + 1 spoon of sugar. Stir very well.
3. Cover the opening of the jar with a piece of muslin. Keep at room temperature, maybe on the warm side.
4. Once daily, add another spoon of grated ginger and sugar. Stir very well.

After a few days, usually 5-7, you'll start seeing bubbles forming in the jar and rising. At that time you can usually hear the characteristic shoowshing sound of a fizzy drink when you bring the jar near your ear. A bubbling starter is an active starter! The more bubbles form, the more active the starter is. It's best to use it at the peak of its potency!

Other notes

1. Always try to use organic, non-treated ginger. Some chemical treatments tend to kill the natural yeasts in the root and that may be the reason why your starter is not... well, starting!
2. Always use non-chlorinated water, as the chlorine kills the natural yeast and hampers probiotic fermentation.
3. Always use clean vessels and utensils, as any residue might introduce an unwanted strain of bacteria.
4. Never keep the capped bottles in direct sunlight or near a heat source! High temperature causes rapid fermentation. This can and will cause bottles to explode in certain conditions.

Ideas for experimentation

• Instead of lemon juice, use orange or tangerine or grapefruit or pineapple! For stronger taste, double the amount of the juice.
• Use less sugar if the resulting drink is too sweet for your taste. Keep in mind that not enough sugar will prevent it from becoming fizzy, as the yeasts won't have as much food to multiply and produce carbon dioxide.
• Add fresh mint leaves in the mixture after you take it off the stove. You can also use any other aromatic herb, like lemon balm, sage, or even cinnamon and cloves for a Christmas-themed ginger ale! If the herbs are dry, add them 5 minutes before taking the mixture off the heat.
• If the ginger taste is too strong / intense for you, cut the initial amount by half. Still, use the ginger starter.

Final thoughts

The resulting ginger ale will contain some alcohol. We tried measuring it, but to no avail. Still, drinking a few bottles of it, I can sense a slight buzz, especially in the summer heat :)

Our first batches were too sweet and too ginger-y, as well as super fizzy, they just bursted out of the bottle when opened. In time, we decreased the amount of sugar, ginger and starter. Also, we started keeping the mixture and the bottled ale in a cooler place - this allows for a slower and more thorough fermentation.

My advice is to start with small batches, maybe 2 liters (half a gallon) at the most. When you gain confidence and if you like the ale, you can up the amount.

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This will be my last post for the year, so I'd like to use the opportunity to thank all of you, my readers, for your support! Special shout out go to @goldendawne and @pennsif, who introduced me to the homesteaders' community around here!