Homemade Welsh Ginger Beer Recipes

Steps:

• Put the ginger in a saucepan set over a low heat with the lemon peel, sugars and 500ml water and stir until the sugars have dissolved. Increase the heat to medium, then simmer for 15-20 mins, or until reduced and syrupy. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.
• Strain the syrup into a jug through a sieve lined with muslin. At this stage, you can transfer the syrup to a small sterilised bottle or jar and keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.
• Pour the ginger syrup into a large serving jug. Tip in the lemon juice, fill with ice and top up with the soda water. Serve garnished with a few mint sprigs.

Steps:

• Place ginger in the bowl of a food processor, and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large pot or bowl, and add the boiling water. Allow to standfor 1 hour. Drain through a fine sieve lined with a double thickness of damp cheesecloth. Discard solids. Add lime juice and sugar, and stir to dissolve.

Steps:

• Take a 1.5-liter plastic bottle of spring water and empty it into a clean pitcher. Use some of it to make simple syrup by stirring 1/2 pound sugar into 1 cup hot water until fully dissolved.
• In a large measuring cup, mix all ingredients and stir well. Funnel back into the plastic bottle and cap tightly. Store in a warm, dark place for 24 to 48 hours. (I put mine inside a box, to contain it if it should blow.) The top of the bottle will expand and become tight. Check it and very slowly release the pressure if it's looking groaningly tight. Some people ferment it with no top, or with the top on loosely, to allow gas to escape. I suppose if you wanted to get fancy you could spend $1.50 on a fermentation lock and stop worrying about it. If the temperature is quite warm, above 80F, a single day may be sufficient. The longer you let it ferment, the drier the final mix will be.
• After 48 hours, refrigerate it to stop the fermentation. Once chilled, you can strain out the pulp and dead yeast, which will have made a sediment on the bottom. Makes 1 liter and will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Grate enough ginger using Microplane to measure 3 1/2 tablespoons, then put in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl to collect juice, pressing on solids and then discarding.
• Place funnel in neck of bottle and pour in 3 tablespoons ginger juice (reserve any remaining for another use). Add sugar, lemon juice, yeast, and a pinch of salt.
• Fill bottle with water, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of space at top. Remove funnel and screw cap on tightly. Gently shake bottle to dissolve sugar.
• Let stand at room temperature until plastic feels hard and no longer indents when squeezed, 24 to 36 hours.
• Chill ginger beer until very cold.

Steps:

• Firstly, make the yeast 'plant' or starter: mix the yeast with the warm water, add 2 teaspoons ground ginger and 2 teaspoons sugar. Stir well. Make that mix in an opaque jar or jug, or keep it in the dark for 24 hours.
• Feed this starter with 1 teaspoon ground ginger and one teaspoon of sugar every day for the next six days. In total, you will use 8 teaspoons of ginger and 8 teaspoons of sugar for the starter.
• After the full week it took to make this, strain this starter through a cheesecloth, or use a fine sieve.
• Dissolve the 1 1/2 lbs of sugar with 2 pints of water.
• Juice the 2 lemons, and add the juice to the sugar water.
• Add the sugar water with lemon juice to the strained starter.
• Add the resulting mix to the 5 pints of water.
• Mix well.
• Bottle in sterilized bottles or screw-topped jars.
• Keep for seven days to mature, then it's ready.