Gingane

Classification: ginger beer, gingane

Source: Richard Ransom (rransom@bchm1.aclcb.purdue.edu) AKA: FATHER BARLEYWINE, Issue #710, 8/27/91

If adding fruit, do so 5 minutes after you stop boil and give it 10 minutes to pastuerize a bit. Dump the whole bleeding thing into the fermenter, and strain off the fruit when passing into secondary (or just fergit the secondary and strain when bottling). I personally prefer to make a fruit extract (blend fruit and strain off juice) and add the juice to the finished product. Remember to bottle before fermentation stops, and be careful about the priming (1/2 to a maximum of 3/4 cup).

There are a couple of considerations....this stuff is high octane brew (10% alcohol and up) and it is very similar to champagne (high gas pressure) so I would ask you to be very careful with your bottles (use _only_ champagne bottles) or avoid the danger of explosion and use a Cornelius keg. Don't let this stuff ferment out completely so it has a bit of residual sweetness to mask any slight off flavours...being made of sugar and ginger, it has no body to mask imperfections. Fruit is also a nice addition, either with the pre-fermented mass or in the Dutch style as a final addition a few hours (1 day tops) before bottling.

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds, ginger (yes, pounds!)
5-7 pounds, corn sugar
1-2 pounds, sucrose (table sugar)
juice of several (3) citroids (lemon, lime, grapefruit, combination of high citric fruits like lime with oranges) various additives (fruitoids, spice thangs, herbs, hops, or whatever floats yer boat)
2 packages, champagne yeast

Procedure:

Chop ginger (leave that skin on!) in discs and blend with hot water. Use plenty of water, then filter homogenized ginger through several layers of cheesecloth. Squeeze dry, then add more water and squeeze again. Add water to make about 2 gallons, heat, and dissolve in sugars. Bring to boil, add citroid juices, and boil stirring frequently (to avoid excessive sugar carmelization) for about 30 minutes. Pour into fermenter containing 2 + gallons cold water carefully (to avoid hot stuff on cold glass) and add more water to make about 5 gallons. Pitch. Ferment. Bottle. Drink.