ginger ale

This is a project started five days ago. I mentioned the website that says ginger ale begins with a starter (like sourdough), that in the ginger ale business is called a "ginger bug." Frustrating. You take two cups of water in a 1 quart Mason jar and add a tablespoon grated ginger and a tablespoon of sugar and stir. Then that same thing again the next day. Again, Again, and Again. Boom it's ready.

So you can't have ginger ale NOW! Not by this method.

Then you boil water for your desired amount, say a gallon, with more ginger, and more sugar, and lemon peel, and molasses, I suppose for minerals and depth and more flavor. 

But I got no molasses around here. 

So I used brown sugar that has molasses added to it. 

My liquid tasted distressingly weak. So I jazzed it up with a LOT more lemon and a few oranges and all of their peels sliced off separately. Cinnamon and exceedingly scant clove. And now it tastes muy fantastico!

The videos are all over the place. Everyone has their own conceptualization. One followed the recipe that I read. So I trusted that video. But the guy talks like a chipmunk. Honestly. Who can even listen that fast? In comments he says, "I get excited." He gets a solid response and much appreciation. He says it's not anything like the stuff that you buy. It's not all that carbonated. He does not show a close up of the result. Just him chillaxing drinking some and admonishing again that it's different. 

Another woman uses her Soda Stream. 

Another woman adds baking soda for bubbles.

Another person adds cider vinegar.

Another guy uses champaign yeast and express concern for bottles breaking so he uses plastic bottles and when they get hard it means the pressure is tight. Then at the end his wife comes on for testimonial and, "Hello." Let's party.

I like this couple. They seem nice. He calls it ginger beer. (I want to take the contrast knob and turn it to 11. But there is no contrast knob.)

[Once you've done this first step then you can keep it alive and never have to do it again.] But keeping it alive is doing it again. And again, And again. For the rest of your life. Just like sourdough. It's a new pet. One that needs your constant and reliable attention. Who is he kidding?

My ginger bug is like everybody's ginger bug. Opaque liquid with layer of floating shredded ginger. Except I strained mine today, used it down to 1/2 cup, replenished it to 2 cups of water and re-fed it with ginger and sugar. But why? Am I going to actually do this again? 

I don't know.

Since everybody is doing their own thing from natural fermentation, to Soda Stream to baking soda, to champaign yeast, even cider vinegar, then I can do whatever the heck I want. 

I have brewer's yeast that I bought downstairs to experiment with bread. It failed. Too slow. W-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-y too slow. Yet it's named Turbo. What a fake out. 

It's turbo for beer but slowbo for bread. It's slower than sourdough starter. By far. So I put 1/4 teaspoon of that in each jar, not expecting much immediate action. Because I want a lot of bubbles. 

I bought a 12-pack of the wrong jars. This was an online order and I didn't know they'd deliver non-wide mouth jars, the type that I wanted. I cannot stick my hand inside these jars. When I unscrew the lid from the brand new jar it pops in my hand like a balloon bursting. Each one is under a LOT of pressure. Surprisingly high pressure. My arms literally blew in separate directions. So I think that they're sturdy enough to take the pressure of beer yeast. 

I tested a few hours after production. The yeast was already working, already producing fizz. When I unscrewed each lid it popped slightly and fizzed a lot inside the jars. How fun! And this is going a lot faster than I imagined judging by everything that preceded. My ginger ale has a lot more sugar.

A LOT of sugar. You wouldn't like it.

But I figure the yeast will eat most of the sugar.

Kind of dark, huh? 

It smells a little bit like Christmas.