20 replies to this topic

[PsyBearknot]

Howdy brew buddies

Stepping on Inn.

Got a kit got a book half way through john palmers online book

Got the itch to play around with something

OH YOU CAN BREW CARBONATED SODA



Here we have
Root Beer
Ginger ale
Lemon Lime
Orange cream
Coconut lime cream

Set for 3 days or so to ferment then into the fridge for 3 days or so and then we will taste em and see

Ill post the recipes later today.

It has begun...

[PsyBearknot]

Original Recipe #1 from Root Beer Extract
2 1/4th cup sugar
1 tablespoon Root Beer extract - liquid
Heaping 1/8th tsp of dry yeast

Sanitize your equipment
Mix yeast and luke-warm water and let sit for 5 min
In 1 gallon container mix sugar and extract
Use 3 cups of hot tap water to help dissolve the sugar
Give good shake to mix well and dissolve
Let set to cool while waiting on yeast to finish
When yeast is finished add liquid to container and mix
Add remaining water to top off to just an inch below cap
Place cap on top
Let age for 3 to 4 days
Store in cooler dark place - can refrigerate for week to 2 weeks


Original Recipe found on Internet
1 cup table sugar [sucrose] (Can be adjusted slightly for preferred sweetness)
Root Beer Extract (1 tablespoon)
Powdered baker's yeast (1/4 teaspoon)
Cold and fresh filtered water
1 two liter bottle

Sterilize anything that will touch your Root Beer
Using a clean bottle and a dry funnel, add the ingredients in sequence as stated in the steps that follow. Add a level cup of sugar or cane sugar. You can adjust the amount to achieve the desired sweetness.
Measure 1/4 teaspoon powdered baker's yeast and place in the funnel. The yeast should be fresh and active, and any brand that is available will work.


Shake well to make sure that the yeast grains are distributed evenly into the sugar.

Swirl the sugar/yeast mixture in the bottom. This is done in order to make it concave and enable it to catch the extract in the middle.

Replace the funnel and add 1 Tbsp of root beer extract on top of the dry sugar. Notice how the extract sticks to the sugar. This will help dissolve the extract.
Fill the bottle halfway with fresh, cool tap water that has little or no chlorine. Pour through the funnel. Rinse the extract stuck to the funnel and tablespoon. Swirl to dissolve the ingredients.
Fill the bottle to the neck with fresh water, leaving only about an inch of head space. Securely screw the cap so as to seal the bottle. Invert repeatedly to thoroughly dissolve the contents.
Place the sealed bottle at room temperature for about three or four days. Eventually, the bottle should feel hard to a forceful squeeze. Once that happens, move it to a cool place (below 65 F (18 C)). #Refrigerate overnight to thoroughly chill before serving. Crack the lid of the bottle just a little to release the pressure slowly.

Here's what I did
Followed the recipe from the root beer extract, figured they know their stuff

Used 3 liter water bottles I got from the store - only like 1.25 each. Figured I needed a fermentation bottle and I did not want to buy a 2 liter and toss the contents and was not gonna drink that much store bought product.

The original recipe makes a gallon, 3 liters is a little under. Figured if at worst it would make a stronger flavored soda so I just used the measurements given and the water from the bottle and bottle so I did not have to clean them.

Equipment used
Glass measure cup - 2 cup
Plastic measure cup - 4 cup
1 cup and 1/4 cup measuring cups
1/4th tsp measuring spoon (did not have 1/8th but figured a heaping 1/8 was close enough and the 2nd recipe called for 1/4)
Funnel
Fermentation bottle - 3 liter water bottles
1 empty for mixing

Microwaved 3 cups of water in plastic measure for 3 min
Poured sugar and extracts into bottle and shook
Added water and shook to mix

Microwaved 1 cup of water in glass measure for 15 sec
Added yeast
Let set for 5 min

Mixed yeast into sugar/extract solution
Shook well

Placed in closet stays around 68-70

Recipes I used

Root Beer
2 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
1 tablespoon root beer extract
1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Lemon Lime
2 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
1 tablespoon Lime Zest
1 lemon juiced
2 limes juiced
1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Ginger Ale
2 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
2 tablespoon grated ginger root
1/2 lemon juiced
1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Orange Cream
2 1/4 cup White Sugar (ran outta evap cane juice)
1 tablespoon Orange Oil extract
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 lemon juiced
1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Coconut Lime Cream
1 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
1 cup honey (mixed it well with the hot water to make sure it was melted before I poured into the sugar in the bottle)
1 tablespoon coconut extract
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon lime zest
2 limes juiced
1/4 tsp active dry yeast


I am just not sure how long to keep em in the closet fermenting. They say when the bottle is firm to touch like a fresh bottle from the store to stop fermenting and 3-4 and cooling for overnight to 2 weeks.

I checked this afternoon and they all had fermentation activity in them. The root beer, ginger ale and coconut lime cream felt as if they needed some air release. So released the air on them. Within 10 min they were back to close to the same pressure just not over pressured. The bubble action in it was cool and continued till after the pressure built back up and the bubbles stopped.

The Lemon lime and orange cream are both fermenting but not as much pressure built up as the other three

[PsyBearknot]

I will see how these taste to see if I want to keep up with it. It's super easy. The recipes mentioned tasting them and adjusting. I tried the lemon lime and a little light flavored. But thought I'd let it go and do its thing. Is smell is an indication then I got a winner with the coconut lime and orange creams

And for the next step...

[Juthro]

Cool stuff Psy!

 

My grandmother used to make homemade root beer.  She would have the grandkids help her make homemade ice cream and then she would bust out some bottles and we had homemade root beer floats.  It seemed a simpler life back then.

 

Its weird how sometimes someone can send you down a worm hole to the past by just mentioning some obscure thing, or maybe it's just that my mind wonders, lol.

 

Either way, thanks friend.  I will be awaiting further results.

 

Juth

[PsyBearknot]

I came...

I saw...

I grew it...

Uh...er...I ment...I GRUIT!!!

Hopefully by seasons end i would like to grow the above herbs and produce a sage and lemon balm style gruit ale I will call...wait for it...

Sage'd Wizzzdom

Here's how it started...

Other bear who is not PsyBear - <puff puff...pass> I want to brew beer
PsyBearknot - <puff puff...pass> o.k.
Other Bear - <puff puff...pass> you could grow the hops
PBK - <puff puff...pass> o.k.
Other Bear - <puff puff...pass>
PBK - grabs phone looks on Internet <puff puff...> <puff puff...> how to grow hops... <puff puff...> <puff puff...>hummmm
Other Bear- DUDE!
PBK - OH! <puff puff...pass>
PBK - no can grow hops no space
PBK - BUT I CAN GRUIT!
Other Bear - WHUT?
PBK - Dude go to bed we will talk in the morning
Other Bear - Ima gonna get tacos....

So psybear goes and buys a brew kit for other bear and gets a smaller fermenter and accessories for psybear. I plan to assist other bear in his beer persists for the experience but those are his creations and I will not be documenting them. But the smaller set is for me to work with gruit ales from as many ingredients as I can grow.

http://gruitale.com

[PsyBearknot]

Cool stuff Psy!
 
My grandmother used to make homemade root beer.  She would have the grandkids help her make homemade ice cream and then she would bust out some bottles and we had homemade root beer floats.  It seemed a simpler life back then.
 
Its weird how sometimes someone can send you down a worm hole to the past by just mentioning some obscure thing, or maybe it's just that my mind wonders, lol.
 
Either way, thanks friend.  I will be awaiting further results.
 
Juth

Ya I get it Jethro. I was thinking of the hand cranked ice cream my pa used to do. It had the best texture. If the root beer turned out I was gonna attempt some of that next.

[PsyBearknot]

Taste test:
Root Beer
Coconut Lime Cream

Results first then details later.

Root Beer - very happy with it. Good flavor. Not anything out of the ordinary but the combo of the good flavor and extream ease and fun in this recipe has me making another batch for next weekend.

Coconut lime cream - bear is happy with it but will tweak the recipe. Mixed reactions from other taste testers from one not sure to one grabbing a fresh lime and taqulia and having a good ole time. One comment was it was a different experience from normal soda. It has exotic flavors. I don't think I could drink a lot of it. bears polite ex reply was. Well it is craft soda we are talking about.

The root beer the coconut lime and the ginger ale by end of day 2 had to have the pressure released on them 4 times. So I decided it was best to go ahead and put them in the fridge to stop the fermenting process. The recipes I've read range between 2 days and a couple weeks to let the ferment run. The main goal here is to use up the sugar and make some carbonation. It's done that at 2 days. I won't be able to release the pressure at all tomorrow and I'd think twice about using the water bottles next time. I now saw why a 2 leiter is shaped the way it is.

Other Bear and I were invited to dinner tonight. Thought it would be fun to use dinner guests as taste testers. So took the root beer and coconut like and put em in a cooler and put them on ice so they would be cold and continue the process of stoping the fermentation.

I was going to take the ginger along but it had a sour smell last time the bottle was de pressured. It could have been the lemon in it and it could have been a sour smell. Not sure did not have time to see.

I also placed the lemon lime and orange cream in a diff spot that's a little warmer. But I think I must not have activated the yeast right or the batch is bad some how. I'll let em set for a bit and see.
Would also like a few more...not many...but want it a little more bubbly.

All in all I'm happy. Was fun to do and get me a starter project to get a rhythm for brew processes and see fermentation take place. I'd do these two again will attempt the other three flavors again if turn out bad.

[PsyBearknot]

Taste test lemon lime.

Tho flat, the flavor was good just a little on the sweet side.

Taste test ginger ale
Had good taste and carbonation. Liked the sweetness this time. Just would up the ginger flavor a little. Might think as well using lemon grass instead of lemon. I think the exotic flavor of the lemon grass would complement the ginger.

Taste test orange cream
Bomb. Fail. No carbonation and it was orange oil not orange extract. Flavor not good.

[PsyBearknot]

Let there be foam

Helped Other Bear with his first batch of beer.

English brown style ale

It's an unhopped extract kit.

Bottling soon...

[Juthro]

Rock on my brewing brother!

[PsyBearknot]

The power of fermenting yeast



So I liked the root beer recipe. Want to tweak it slightly flavor wise. Have a buddy who is having a birthday in a couple of months and want to give him some homemade soda. So I tried 2 more batches with some variation.

Each batch makes 1 gallon and fills 2 - 2 liter bottles.

1 bottle from each batch would be fermented for 2 days and then in fridge 1 day to be used day 4.
1 bottle from each batch would be fermented for 4 days and then in fridge 2 days to be used day 7.

Because of the known pressuree build up with root beer the 2 liter plastic soda bottles are recomended. Because I was fermenting in the closet I wanted extra protection so I placed them in a small Rubbermaid tub. The original batch was de pressured a couple times because of inadequate fermentation vessel. That also effected the quality of the carbination. I want a good fizz but not comercial soda levels and it was low to flat due to. I did not plan on letting the pressure out this time and was with in fermentation times as not to over ferment.
Edit from original attempt recipe - I combined the sugar, water and root beer extracts and brought to boil for 2 min then let cool to 80 and then add yeast and bottle into 2 liters. I also wanted to use coconut sugar as it's better on the glycemic levels then cane sugar.
This recipe was a fail 2 fold. The flavor profile of the coconut sugar is more kin to brown sugar. I was ok with that. But the flavor came out like a toasted almost burnt when bottle one was opened on day 4. It was tossed. Noticed some sedim
ent at the bottom. Was going to see if the same was true for bottle 2 but this morning...but the above pics are what happened. It's a mess. was a mess. But DAMN!

[Juthro]

Damn is right,lol.  I bet that made a mess!

 

Must have happened when you were out of the house?  I bet it made some noise.

[Spooner]

The power of fermenting yeast

image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg
 

 

 

 

Looks like an improvised explosive device to me.  Thanks for pix

[PsyBearknot]

Mmmmmm ya probably not a good idea to promote!

[PsyBearknot]

Let there be foam
Helped Other Bear with his first batch of beer.
English brown style ale
It's an unhopped extract kit.
Bottling soon...image.jpg

Fermentation complete let the conditioning begin...

[PsyBearknot]

Damn is right,lol.  I bet that made a mess!
 
Must have happened when you were out of the house?  I bet it made some noise.

No was down for a nap. Was in my closet. Thought I had enough protection with them in a tub.

Loud POP.....sends Other Bear running for the carboy with Kermit the frog arms yelling in a high pitch shrill..."nnnnooooooo my BBBBBEEERRR!" (Not his most masculine of moments). I just got up and opened the closet, shut the closet and went to get a bucket with soap and checked out the status of the laundry room!

[PsyBearknot]

So the second batch of root beer, the non exploding batch, was also an edit of the original.

I followed the same set of directions as the original however using a full gallon of water and 1/4th cup less sugar. Also used white sugar instead of evap cane juice.

The original recipe I made fit into a 3 liter water bottle. But was short on liquid so that contributed to the sweetness. It was on the syrupy side not the sweet refreshing crisp side that I wanted.

First bottle cracked open Friday night.
VERY happy with the flavor. Sweet but refreshing. Good carbonated fizz to it. I say success! Probably won't change too much or play around with it too much. Make this my standard recipe.

Would like to try evap came juice and honey as well. But have a feeling that the flavor they will add will also reduce the crispness of the flavor.

I also think it's time to lower the yeast amount down to the recipe suggestion of a heaping 1/8th teaspoon instead of the 1/4th teaspoon other recipe suggestion.

[PsyBearknot]

I would like to try making the rootbeer with ingredients and not the liquid extract as well. I like the look of the non extract root beers. So many extracts have a Carmel coloring.

Found this recipe from nourished kitchen web site

nourishedkitchen.com/homemade-root-beer-recipe/

Ingredients

1/4 cup sassafras root bark
1/4 cup winter green leaf
2 tablespoons sarsaparilla root
1 tablespoon licorice root
1 tablespoon ginger root
1 tablespoon dandelion root
1 tablespoon hops flowers
1 tablespoon birch bark
1 tablespoon wild cherry tree bark
1 teaspoon juniper berries
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup unrefined cane sugar
1/2 cup ginger bug (get the tutorial), fresh whey or 1 packet kefir starter culture (available here)
Instructions

Bring two and one-half quarts filtered water to a boil and stir in sassafras, sarsaparilla, wintergreen, licorice, ginger, hops, juniper, birch and wild cherry bark. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer and simmer the roots, berries, barks, leaves and flowers for twenty minutes.
After twenty minutes, turn off the heat and strain the infusion through a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth into a pitcher. Stir unrefined cane sugar into the hot infusion until it dissolves and allow it to cool until it reaches blood temperature. Once the sweetened infusion has cooled to blood temperature, stir in the ginger bug or fresh whey and pour into individual bottles (preferably flip-top bottles which are easy enough to find online, leaving at least one inch head space in each bottle.
Allow the root beer to ferment for three to four days at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator for an additional two days to age. When you’re ready to serve the root beer, be careful as it, like any other fermented beverage, is under pressure due to the accumulation of carbon-dioxide, a byproduct of fermentation. Open it over a sink and note that homemade sodas, like this one, have been known to explode under pressure. Serve over ice

[PsyBearknot]

Ginger Bug

Never had herd of this till reading the recipe for root beer anove. Check it out...no yeast for your homade rootbeer. Make a ginger bug

http://nourishedkitc...com/ginger-bug/

A little jar of ginger bug, a slurry of ginger and sugar, sits on my countertop next to my sourdough starter, where, fed daily, it bubbles and foams. I remove a little bit at a time, no more than 1/4 cup, to make old-fashioned sodas like homemade root beer, ginger mint soda, rhubarb soda and others more familiar to those subscribe to the Nourished Kitchen meal plans who find a new recipe for fermented foods tucked into their meal plans each week.

What is a Ginger Bug and What Does It Do

A slurry of fermented yeast and sugar water, Ginger Bug captures beneficial microorganisms like wild yeasts and bacteria in the same way that sourdough starter does. The wild microorganisms, eat away at the sugar in the Ginger Bug, and produce carbon dioxide as a result. When mixed with a flavored sweet tea, fruit juice or other base, the microorganisms in the ginger bug begin to consume the sugar in the tea or juice, and, as they do, they reproduce and emit carbon dioxide. The result is a fizzy and effervescent, naturally fermented soda that is rich in beneficial bacteria – critical to gut health and immune system function.

What You Need for Ginger Bug (and homemade sodas)

To make Ginger Bug, you need only fresh ginger, a caloric sweetener to feed the microorganisms, filtered or dechlorinated water and a container to hold the bug. To make fermented sodas, you’ll further need flavorings – whether that’s fresh herbs, fruit juice or a concoction of herbs, flowers, roots and bark like I use in my homemade root beer. While Ginger Bug itself benefits from a loosely lidded environment, homemade fermented sodas benefit from a tightly capped environment which disallows the escape of carbon dioxide produced during fermentation. This gas, a natural byproduct of fermentation, helps to ensure that the resulting homemade soda is fizzy, bubbly and pleasantly effervescent when opened.

Fresh Ginger can be found in any well-stocked grocery store, and organic ginger can be found in any well-stocked health food store.
Unrefined Cane Sugar feeds the beneficial bacteria and wild yeasts in the Ginger Bug. I typically use a whole, unrefined cane sugar (like this one), but have recently made the switch to Jaggery (available here) – a traditional Indian sweetener of completley unrefined cane sugar.
Mason Jars hold your ginger bug, and you can find them in grocery stores, hardware stores and online.
Flip-top Bottles allow you to tightly, and safely, cap your homemade sodas as they ferment. The tight cap ensures that carbon dioxide remains in the bottle, effectively carbonating your homemade sodas. You can find flip-top bottles in homebrewing supply stores, though I purchase mine online.
The Sugar Isn’t for You

When I approach fermented tonics, whether it’s Continuous Brew Kombucha or Water Kefir, readers often wonder at the addition of sugar – seeking to circumvent its use. When I read these questions, I am often reminded of my friend Hannah’s response, “The sugar isn’t for you. It’s not for you.” Hannah runs Kombucha Kamp, a site devoted to kombucha’s benefits and uses. Her statement holds true for Ginger Bug, too; that is, sugar feeds beneficial bacteria and wild yeasts. Without a caloric sweetener, the bacteria and yeast have nothing to eat, and cannot proliferate. Much of the sugar in fermented tonics is consumed by beneficial microorganisms who then transform it.

How to Use Your Ginger Bug

To use your ginger bug in preparing homemade sodas, simply strain off 1/4 cup of the liquid and add it to 1 quart of a sweetened herbal infusion, to fruit juice, or to a combination of the two. Mix it well, and transfer it to a flip-top bottle where you can allow it to ferment about 3 days. Transfer it to the refrigerator, and allow it chill before opening.



Print
Ginger Bug
Yield: about 1 pint

Ginger bug, a slurry of fermented ginger and sugar, forms the basis for homemade, traditionally fermented sodas including root beer, mint sodas, or fruit-based sodas that are rich in beneficial bacteria.

Ingredients

Fresh Ginger
Whole Unrefined Cane Sugar (find it here), or substitute jaggery (available here)
Instructions

Break off a knob from your hand of ginger, peel away its papery skin and grate it until you have 2 heaping tablespoons. Place the grated ginger in a small jar, whisk in 2 tablespoons unrefined cane sugar and 2 tablespoons filtered water. Cover the jar loosely and allow it to ferment in a warm spot in your kitchen.
Every day for at least 5 days, mix an additional 2 tablespoons grated ginger, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons water into your jar. The ginger will begin to foam and bubble at its top, and will take on the yeasty fragrance of beer. After 5 days, it is ready to use. You can also store it in the refrigerator, and feed it 2 tablespoons grated ginger, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons water once a week.
To use the ginger bug to make homemade sodas, prepare 1 quart of herbal tea sweetened with a caloric sweetener like sugar (or substitute 1 scoop Body Ecology's Ecobloom). Strain off 1/4 cup of the ginger bug's liquid and whisk it into the sweetened tea. Replace the 1/4 cup ginger bug you've removed with 1/4 cup sugar dissolved into 1/4 cup water. Transfer the sweetened tea and ginger bug to flip-top bottles (available here), and allow it to ferment at room temperature for 3 days. Transfer to the fridge or drink straight away.



I love that it uses the wild yeast in the air. That wil give each recipe different yeast depending on where it's made. Sam reason sanfrancisco sourdough tastes the way it does is because of the yeast in the San Francisco area.

[PsyBearknot]

Over at Other Bear's place today. We added the gelatin for clarification and took the gravity reading.

Other Bear let me take the first sip. I almost cried it was soooo good.