We're excited to share our best answers to your best ginger bug questions! Now that you're all equipped to make fermented drinks, check out these recipes! ruclips.net/p/PLKmVI5tdVVafT5WGLaJLN9FdbU6jXUCIg
I'd think refrigeration slows but not fully stops fermentation, but I keep mine on the counter, as i thought it needed that bit of warmth, up to room temp. only sometimes over to fully get going. Then I don't keep a lid on it, but instead use cheese cloth & even a nut milk bag, so to keep out fruit flies & to let in other wild native yeasts. ....Hmmm, does that create something different, maybe completely, as Monty Python used as like a mantra :-)
Yes yes! Thanks for the sharing. The fermentation process slows down in cooler temperatures, so it can take longer it colder climates. Our fermentation setup is a fairly consistent 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and sometimes warmer in summer months. Florida is quite warm!
If you REALLY want to, you can put it in the oven with the light on (oven off obviously lol). The light from the bulb and the insulated enclosed nature of the oven is enough to get it going pretty fast! Now my bug is so strong it gets fizzy within a few days even in the fridge 😅
The secret to your appeal is as much your upbeat and likable personalities together as the great information. Love it! I’m new to the whole fermenting thing (and to your channel) but you’re probably my fave so far.
Wow! Thank you SO MUCH for the love Victoryak! 💓 We try to stay positive and have a bit of fun along the way (even if we're a bit goofy sometimes 😂) We hope your ferments are coming along well!
@@FermentationAdventure you guys are just fun and seeing a couple work so well together and enjoy themselves makes it enjoyable to watch and definitely learn. Thx.
they do a good job and with out all that weighing and percentages and all that tech stuff I have seen on other channels ... they just do it and show you the process ... I'm making a bug now ... second try ...
Thanks for all the excellent information. I made a ginger bug and then made your ginger ale recipe. I used the tester bottle to gauge the pressure and put the other bottles in the refrigerator, thinking I had let the pressure build up enough for a good fizz. The tester bottle was very firm when I tried to squeeze it, so I thought the bottles were ready. But to my disappointment, the ginger ale is just OK. It's not as fizzy as I had hoped, and it tastes too sweet (I added some lemon juice to tone down the sweetness). I'd also like to confirm that the ginger bug is an ongoing ferment (from what I've read in the comments). It can be kept in the refrigerator and fed there instead of returning to room temperature to continue fermenting. My initial ginger bug was incredible. I put it in the refrigerator, but I thought I had to bring it back out to activate it again. It's a learning process. Your insights are so helpful, and I appreciate your time. Thanks
We've had that also where our tester bottle was rock solid but there was only a little fizziness. Sometimes those bottles get hard but end up leaking a tiny bit which is why the glass ones are nice. You just have to be careful not to let it build up too much in case of explosions. You have that correct about the ginger bug! You can either leave it at room temperature or just feed it and put it right back in the fridge. It should be good either way! We hope you're getting some tasty ginger ale and wish you the best on your fermentation journey! 🎉🎉🎉
My fermentation production. I make 3 gallons per week. I have 3 Ginger bug cultures, one per gallon. I add 1 cup of ginger bug per gallon. I replenish the ginger bug by adding 1 table spoon of ginger and about 7/8 table spoon white sugar back into the jar and add distilled water. I let the jar sit on the counter for 2 days and put back into the refrigerator. Awaiting next weeks gallon of awesome ferments.
I don't measure when I make soda so can't give you a recipe but a good flavor combo you may want to try is strawberry ginger lemonade I made it using using fresh strawberries from the garden It was very yummy Also I don't use a tester bottle and I make it I just burp the bottles every 24 hours and when it gets the reaction I want I throw it in the fridge... sometimes after 24 hours it's enough sometimes it's 3 or 4 days
So good!! I've been trying to start a ginger bug for a while now with mixed success; this video answered so many of my questions!! I'm so excited to get going with my new knowledge!! Thanks so much!! 🥰😊🙏
We're so happy it's working out for you DELLBIRD! We get a ton of questions all the time so we figured making a Q&A would help a bit. We hope it's going well for you! Happy fermenting!
Thanks a lot for the useful informations. I do have 2 questions: 1- what is the shelf time for the ginger bug? I did mine the last year. 2- I noticed that last time I did ginger ale it was slimy, however the ginger bug was bubbly and not slimy. Does that mean I have to start a new ginger bug?
Hello! If the conditions are right, your ginger bug can last for a very long time in the refrigerator. Ours has been going for something like 5 years! In case it's helpful, here's a quick video on how to maintain your ginger bug: ruclips.net/user/shortsDjfHqZisQRs? As for your second question, if your ginger bug is not slimy, it sounds like there may have been a contaminate with something else in your ginger ale.
You can make a Starter for Fermented Drinks without ginger by using Organic Brown Rice, About 1 or 2 cups of Organic Brown rice and about 1 cup of sugar in a half gallon jar, Fill with chlorine free water. Shake will for about 5 mins and let it set in a warm area. Feed it as you would a Ginger Bug.
Oh wow that's interesting using brown rice! We've tried it with wheat berries and made rejuvelac which sounds like the same thing but with a different grain. It didn't have much of a flavor which might be good for different types of ferments that you might not necessarily like the spiciness of ginger. Thanks for the suggestion!
Thank you for all this helpful advise! I just started my first bug today. You mention that there's health risk from drinking too much ginger beer, but after searching,I only find risks from drinking too much soda. What are the risks and what is too much?
Thanks for the question John! I'm sure everyone has a different tolerance but we've heard some people if they drink too much of the actual ginger, they could end up with some gas or bloating. Not everyone has those issues but thought we'd might mention it just in case. Hope that helps!
Great video! Thanks! I'm going to start my ginger bug tomorrow. And then it's on to ginger ale! Thank you so much for this very helpful and entertaining video.
Thanks so much for sharing Jeremiah! Ginger ale has been our favorite for a while now too! Except in the summertime when pineapples are in season and then we love tepache! Happy fermenting!
Hi thank you for sharing! I have a few questions about the smell of the homemade soda. - Is is normal for the soda to smell vinegary? - What is the smell of a normal one? - How do I know this is not going wrong? Appreciate in advance
Thanks so much for the questions! For the smell of homemade sodas, they can be very different according to what ingredients you're adding. For ginger ale it should smell very pleasant and not vinegary at all, whereas we've tried apple juice and it's a little more sour or beer-like. Sometimes pineapple smell very bad depending on the type and some fruits like watermelon are awful if you ferment them too long. To know if it's gone bad is a combination of making sure there's not mold, that it doesn't smell bad, and that it doesn't taste bad but in the end you'll have to decide that since you're working with all the ingredients, methods, and initial sanitation. We hope that helps! Good luck and happy fermenting! 😊
Is the fermentation process outside of the refrigerator when you mention the amount of days? Say you fermented for two days outside of the fridge and put it in to cool down, how long does it keep to that amount of alcohol content? Love your vids thank you for the great knowledge
Thanks for the question! Yes, mostly our videos will show what to expect when you're fermenting on the counter (outside of the refrigerator). We usually ferment in approximately 72 degrees Fahrenheit, so if you're in cooler temps, it could take a few days longer, and warmer temps could ferment very quickly. Then when the ferment is at a good place (good taste, smell, alcohol level, etc), you could put it in the fridge to slow the fermentation process down to almost a halt. Although since your ferment is a living organism, it will continue to ferment every so slowly, even when it is in the fridge. Hope that helps!
I enjoyed this video. You two play well off each other. I have a question regarding the flip top brown glass bottles. If you never burp your soda, will they explode, or do the flip tops reach a point where they will push out and release the pressure?
Thank you! That's a great question! The flip top bottles are built for a limited amount of pressure, but they could definitely still explode if too much pressure builds up. We typically do a short period of 1-3 days of bottling in the secondary fermentation phase, depending on what the tester bottles shows, and then refrigerate where we continue to burp the bottles about once every 1-2 months.
Question! 💜 do you drink the stuff in the tester bottle? Or do you just dump it out? If not, why? If so, then why wouldn’t you always just use plastic bottles? Thanks for the content, I’ve been binging your videos for a couple weeks now and have my new ginger bug almost ready to start making some delicious drinks 😊
Thanks so much for the question Vikki! We usually drink the one in the plastic bottle first. Some people don't like that their ferments come into contact with plastic but if it's a bottle made for acidic sodas then it should be okay. For the short time that we're brewing sodas in the plastic tester bottle we're not worried about it. But a lot of the bottles we'll store in the fridge for months so we don't want the acidic sodas in the plastic for extended periods like that so we use glass for those. Great question! 😊
@@FermentationAdventure thank you! It all makes sense now 💜 I just tried my first one yesterday, it was an Apple/Mango I found at the outlet groceries store near me. I think I left it too long before bottling, cause it was a bit sour and I think I caught a light buzz 😂 I’ll be continuing to dial in my drinks but I couldn’t have done it without your videos. So, thanks again! 💜😊💜
Ooooh, nice! We love hearing what you all are creating out there with your ginger bugs! The peach orange sounds yummy. Are you going to try making it with fresh fruit or with a store-bought fruit punch?
I enjoyed your video very much. You both are charming and knowledgeable. I am excited to brew my very first batch of ginge beer! I would like to offer another answer to your last question. My Pop's favorite highball was Rye and ginger. There are some nice craft Rye whiskeys out there and I intend to toast my late Pop with an "artisan" version if my batch turns out well!
Thank you for such detailed info. Love your channel. I already have a Scoby starting in my cupboard👍 for kombucha so now I want to learn how to make some Ginger beer for Christmas😁. Cheers
Thank you so much for the love Wendy! That's fantastic about your Scoby! Woohoo! Ginger beer is so yummy during the holidays. Not only is it delicious, but the ginger helps settle our stomachs after huge meals. 😅
Hello dear ones, and thank you for such organized and easy to find Q and A! it shows all the care and work you have done. I must have watched 30 different ginger beer videos and read recipes on the internet, but I have not found some answers to some of the doubts that I still have with my ginger beer production. I am hoping perhaps you or someone from the community can shed some light over here: 🙂 1.) TIME OF FERMENTATION: The first recipe I had found when I tried my ginger beer, suggested that the ginger beer stayed fermenting for 2-4 weeks. However, every other recipe I am finding people suggest, 2, 3, 4 days and up to a week. I have not found anyone putting 4 weeks for a ginger beer. Because this was my first recipe, I have a ginger beer that is now 6 weeks and it is still burping and actually tastes pretty good. More alcoholic but still sweetish, not spoiled... Is this normal? Should this be happening? do you see any problem in having a ginger beer that is fermenting for this long? 2.) STORING DURING FERMENTATION PROCESS: Every video I saw is either using plastic bottles or glass with flip top. I want to make larger productions because I am hoping to offer people that come stay at our forest (we have a healing permaculture center in brasil). Could I use 5 liter plastic buckets with lids for the fermentation process (like some people use for large quantities of kimchi and saurkraut)? Do you see any problems with this. 3.) MAKING IT CARBONATED WHEN ITS READY TO DRINK: I keep trying to figure out, since we have to burp the bottles every day, when they are ready to drink, how do I then ensure that the drink can have a good amount of bubbles when it is ready to drink? I have seen people suggesting in putting dextrose or sucrose in the bottle right before bottling in a pressure tight container and then leaving it to ferment at room temperature for another 2 days and then adding it to the fridge. However, I have seen no recipe that gives a quantity and proportion of how much sugar per liters of ginger beer (I think this is important because if put too much sugar, it can over ferment - and my concern with leaving the bottle 2 days without burping could explode). I am wondering if you have any tips on this and any recipe that gives the timing for this last carbonation and amount of sugar added? 4.) SHELF LIFE AND STABILITY OF DRINK: My intention is to have people be able to take the ginger beer home. With all the live cultures bubbling and no stability I am wondering if there are any suggestions on how to extend and stabilize the bubbles so that people when they get home, if they forget to put it in the fridge, it doesnt explode. And also wondering for how long would these bottle last on average - in the fridge. I know there are many variables, but I have found no reference. Two of them mentioned pasteurizing to maintain it stable, but I think that would kill the purpose of having a live probiotic drink. Thank you for any clues and orientations on this! I am following your channel! 🙂
Thanks so much for the love Nicole! Here's some of our thoughts: 1) We've fermented some batches of ginger ale and they were still very good after weeks of fermentation but did start tasting a little strong of alcohol like in our alcohol test video. If you want it a bit drier then you can definitely keep it going if it tastes good to you and you don't see any mold. 2) Some people aren't comfortable with fermenting in plastic because it could leech some of the bad chemicals from the plastic. We like to use a plastic tester bottle to ferment one in to test but then transfer it afterwards. Since it's made for acidic soda we're not worried about it. You'll have to judge that one for yourself though! 3) Definitely! Like in the previous, we'll bottle the ginger ale but use a plastic bottle for one of the bottles to see how hard is becoming. It gives a good indication as to how pressurized the bottles are to avoid explosions. It's the same on that one depending how hot or cold your environment is. After it's pretty solid, we'll move the bottles to the fridge and they're usually pretty carbonated! 4) This one is a little tougher since we like to keep ours alive in the fridge and not kill the probiotics. We've seen where you can use some brewing chemicals to stop the fermentation. I definitely would NOT pasteurize a pressurized bottle with heat because it could explode. For something along the lines of that, we've read that Sandor Katz says he'll ferment something all the way out and then add maybe 1/2 tsp of sugar to "prime" the bottle. We hope that helps and hope you're enjoying the world of fermentation! Thank you so much for watching and for the questions Nicole! ❤️❤️❤️
@@FermentationAdventure thank you dear ones for the time and love to share some of your experiences. Will try to work with glass then but look for stronger glass bottles in brasil. I am from there. :-)
Hi Paul and Sarah - I am not sure if this has been asked already, but I was wondering if it is OK to keep the ginger bug in the fridge covered with a cloth. I have started on the first batch of Ginger Ale and am excited to see how it turns out. Your videos are superb!
Hi! We are so happy you found us! Yes, you can definitely use a cloth for short periods of time to cover your ginger bug in the refrigerator. Over the long term though, it's possible your ginger bug could get contaminated with something inside the refrigerator and could get funky. It could also evaporate. If you plan on storing your ginger bug long term in the fridge, we definitely recommend investing in a silicone fermentation lid that lets out the gases, but keeps out the oxygen. We've had our ginger bug in the fridge for years and it keeps very well with the fermentation lid.
Pineapple ferment is one of my favorite. Just leave the peel in water for a few days (dark place). Burp or cloth it. Then sweeten if you want. Will become alcoholic after a long time :-p
@@mgtv5482a ginger bug is made from ginger,water, and sugar. You then take that ferment and use it to make ginger beer/ale, which is a carbonate ginger- based drink. Tempache is a fermented drink based on fermenting pineapple skins and cores with brown sugar and water, and maybe some added whole spices. Kvass is a drink made of fermented rye bread and raisins. Some folks also make fermented drinks out of beets and call that kvass, but strictly speaking it’s not.
Don't see an answer to this question anywhere. I know you recommend a plastic tester bottle. But can you just bottle all of the ginger beer in plastic bottles? What's the benefit/advantage to bottling in glass bottles instead of just using all plastic? Thanks!
Thanks for the question Brennan! You can definitely use only plastic bottles if you like. The reason we try to only use glass is because we usually like to stores these sodas longer in the refrigerator. Since it's a little more acidic, we'd rather have the acid in contact with glass over the long term. But we do use the one plastic bottle and after it's done fermenting we drink that one first. Some people are pretty serious about it, but if you're comfortable with plastic, you definitely can!
Thank you for the helpful information. I do have 2 questions, though. 1. I made ginger ale from my 1st bug, following your recipes for both the bug and the ale. The ale bubbled progressively at room temp covered with a coffee filter within 2 days. By day 3, the top was covered in a good froth. I let it relax a bit, and then tasted it on day 4. It was fantastically delicious! As I have no bottles, I just put the whole jar in the fridge then, covered tightly, and burped it every few hours. That was last night. I drank a glass before going to bed, and then rooty-toot-tooted profusely all night! Today, I opened my jar of ale and it smells like toots. I see a lot of info online about this being a common occurrence, but I have not been able to ascertain if it is safe to drink or not. Also, is it possible to get rid of the smell, or do I have to just dump it all? 2. About my ginger bug: After making my ale and some other sodas, I only had about a half cup of bug left. So I added water to the jar and started feeding it again. Day 1 at room temp with coffee filter cover, I did 3 T each of ginger and sugar, just like I had when the bug was originally begun. Day 2, it got 1 T each. By day 3, it was a gross, slimy, thick syrup. So, I added a bunch more water at the next feeding to the it down and fed it 1 T each. It sat over night, and next day is thickening again. So, I just covered loosely and put in fridge. Is this fixable, or do I need to dump it and start over? What did I do wrong? Thank you kindly for any advice you can offer. Much appreciated!
As you use the liquid from your Ginger Bug...you feed it 1 tsp ginger and 1 tsp sugar and place it back into fridge....do you replace the amount of liquud you used wirh some filtered water...or you will run out of liquid? Regards from Sunny South Africa🌞
Thanks for the question! Once you add a bit of sugar and a bit of ginger, feel free the top up the jar with fresh non-chlorinated water. The starter culture will fill the jar so you'll have more liquid to use for next time. Happy fermenting!
Should you burp your finished soda directly before putting it in the fridge or let carbonation build up again before? How often do you need to burp your soda when it's in the fridge?
Would you recommend using airlocks on the individual bottles while letting the carbonation build before refrigerating or would that actually defeat the purpose and prevent the carbonation from building?
Hi there...a pleasant morning to you 🙋🏾♀️🙋🏾♀️🙋🏾♀️ I am not sure what I did wrong but my ginger bug went bad on day 4. I will try again. I have a question though, do I have to wait for 7 days of feeding it regularly before keeping the ginger bug in the fridge?
Hello! How do you know it went "bad"? As for the numbers of days, it's more about how it looks. You may have already seen this, but here's our video on how to make a ginger bug: ruclips.net/video/wtb1BvRUWmI/видео.html. In this video, we show what it should look like and behave like at the time it's ready to use (or ready to be stored in the fridge). Once yours is similar to this, you can go ahead and refrigerate it. 😃
@@FermentationAdventure it’s amazing. I used it to make sparkling apple cider. Low alcohol of course. Taste is sweet even though I used Granny Smith apples.
Hi Paul and Sarah: Brilliant videos and well on my ginger beer journey. 3 Questions then... 1) As Sarah knows we have incredible maple syrup in Canada. I have purely organic maple syrup with 53% sugar, 4% potassium, 6% Calcium , and 2% iron. Could this be considered a basis for my "Canadian" ginger bug and a special Canuck Ginger Beer?? 2) Does periodic shaking the fermenting ginger beer (not the bug) oxygenate it for quicker results? It certainly froths up nicely after 3 days. 3) Would increasing ambient temperature around the fermenting beer speed up the process? Seems obvious to me but i would like your confirmation! Meanwhile..keep up the great work..love the energy and fun you put into your videos along with super easy to follow instructions. Love from Canada
That's a great idea Paul! Your Canuck Ginger Beer sounds good! You should be able to use maple syrup the same way as you would sugar. It could possibly change how long it takes to ferment but should still work great. We've also liked to stir or shake it up. Whether it makes it work faster is iffy but we like making sure nothing is floating on top too long so the shaking covers anything and prevents mold. Making the ambient temperature hotter would definitely speed up the process in case your house is very cold. Some people use heating mats but be careful how hot so you don't kill it. Thanks so much for the love and we hope you get some tasty ginger beer! 🍺❤️😊
Hi! I love your videos. My children and I watch your videos all the time. They love fermenting with me. I have a question. We started a ginger bug 4 days ago. It is nice and bubbly but it’s slimy and thick. Is it normal?
Thanks for the comment Edith! Great to hear you are creating fermentation projects to do with your kids. Very cool. So, ginger bugs shouldn't really be slimy or thick, so it sounds like a different bacteria took hold as well. You may want to give the bottles and all equipment a good sterilization by putting them through the dishwasher or pouring boiling water on them, or both. You are also welcome to check out this video we made on sanitization: ruclips.net/video/5SgIi2XGIvg/видео.html. We'd recommend starting over on your ginger bug, but you might as well keep the first one going to see how it looks in about a week. It's possible that it would thin if the "good" bacteria takes back over, but most likely it won't be usable. Still a good experiment!
I've started my GB from ginger powder yesterday. On 1 small jar I used about a teaspoon powdered ginger with same amount sugar, this morning it was bubbly and foaming. On the other Jar a sprinkle less than half a teaspoon ginger powder plus sprinkle of sugar then closed jar tightly. This morning it had lots of bubbles streaming to the top released the pressure and closed it not too tight. We'll update it this works because fresh ginger is hard to get where I am and quite really expensive. I'll be happy if this works 😅
Wow, this is fantastic! Great experiment! It does sound reasonable that it would work - if the ginger powder is fresh, there are no other added ingredients (likes preservatives) in the ginger powder, and if it has been kept in cooler temperatures. High heat and over long periods of time will kill the good bacteria and yeast on the ginger. We can't wait to hear how it goes!
@@FermentationAdventureThis worked out great the starter is still going strong. And yes I am using just dried ginger with no preservertives. On the packaging it reads Ginger and nothing else. To keep it fresh after each use I just feet it a tsp or Tbsp of sugar, depending on the intervals of usage between each batch I'll also add the ginger powder when it starts tasting weak. I've been basically treating this starter it as you would any other starter from dried fruits. You don't necessarily need to keep feeding it the ginger powder every time you use it sugar is just fine. Where I am it's quite hot most days it's between 27°C-40°C, so at times I don't actually use the starter I'll mix whatever recipe I'll be making soda with (mostly orange juice or soft citrus since it gives the best fizz) then add the ginger powder and let it ferment. Usually I do bulk fermantation for 24 - 48 h Longer on cooler days. Then I'll bottle it for ~ 24h (till there bottle feel tight apon squeezing, I am using PET bottles) then pop them in the fridge. In the fridge they last a couple of days with 0 vinegary taste. My sweet spot is not to do more than 4 days on the counter or it quickly turns vinegary.
This is a lovely video, so helpful, but I have a question. You said that it is okay to make a ginger bug in a bottle with alot of space but what about making the actual soda in a bottle that is only half/two thirds full of liquid.
Thanks for the question Byron! It's okay to make your ginger ale with a bottle that still has air left in it. We've made batches where only 2/3 of the jar is full and the rest is air and it still turns out great. Hope that helps and happy fermenting!
Hey guys, thanks for all your videos. I have two questions: 1. What’s the best way to store fresh ginger? Any tricks? Or just chunk it in the fridge? 2. My ginger bug has a white layer in the bottom of the jar. Is that the yeast? Or is that a bad sign? Thanks anyway!
Hi! We're happy to hear you're trying the ginger bug! Most ferments will have white sediment at the bottom as it's a bi-product of the fermentation process, so it sounds like your ginger bug has worked. We store our ginger completely in tact in the fridge until we need to use it. It's also possible to cut up and freeze your ginger if you want to store it for a long time (say, over a week). When you're ready to feed your ginger bug or use it to make ginger ale, you'll be able to substitute your frozen ginger just the same as fresh ginger. Good luck!
Hi guys! Love the video and information, congrats! I have a question. Can I second ferment on glass bottles with a normal metal cap? Or do I need to ferment on the brown glass bottles that you show on the video? Thank you!
Thank you so much for your question! You can definitely ferment with a regular glass bottle and use the metal caps. Make sure not to tighten them though because you don't want to build up pressure. We also stopped fermenting with the metal lids since they kept rusting. We hope that helps! 😊
Hey I made a ginger bug and yesterday was its 3rd day..2 days it had bubbles but 3rd day after feeding the bubbles dissapeared....so I was actually checking if it could still work without bubbles and then I saw ur video (which gave realllyyyy helpful informations ) so yesterday I made my ginger beer adding the same ginger bug....Hope it works !! Thank you so much....
Interesting... It sounds like it may have turned out right, but sometimes there's a stronger smell, even similar to sulphur. It tastes like good ginger ale though? And there are no ginger pieces in your drink? If some had been left in, it's possible the pieces of ginger could start to go bad.
Hello! We're not surprised to hear that this mixture has become very active. Adding yeast to an already fermented ginger ale would be introducing yet another active starter culture (you have the ginger bug starter culture in your ginger ale, and then the yeast). As long as it still smells pleasantly yeasty and doesn't have anything growing on the top of the liquid, then it should be like a very active ginger ale. You can let it ferment for a few days without a top on it to let all the excess gases safely escape, before trying to recap it with a closed top. But be sure to use pressure-safe bottles, meaning that they're made strongly to be able to handle extra pressure (unlike simply a mason jar which is not pressure-safe). Hope that helps!
Hi, thank you for your videos. I started a ginger bug. But I heard you say on the video that you can make ginger soda/beer and jump right in to that recipe without the ginger bug. I was wondering if you could explain that process.
Hello! Absolutely! Your ginger bug is essentially ginger beer already, so you could just use the process of creating a ginger bug, and then drink the ginger bug as your ginger beer. Pretty cool, but there is a downside to drinking all of your ginger bug. The point of the ginger bug is to have a starter culture ready to go. Then it's easy to make all your fermented drinks when you have a ginger bug already waiting to be used.
My wife and I are just starting out and we’re on our second bottling. The first bottling didn’t carbonate as much as we were hoping. Our second bottling tasted a little like vinegar. I believe that’s because we had too much bacteria versus the yeast, but we have no idea how to prevent it.
Just discovered ginger growing in my yard. So then found you. Have made BUG. Now on the ginger ale before bottling and have a question. It doesn’t have bubbles, yet, but does have the sediment you mentioned. You said to mix when you bottle. Can I mix before that to get the culture to bubble up?
Thanks so much for the question! And that's awesome that you have ginger growing right in your yard. Very cool. If you stir the ginger bug up before bottling it gets all the yeast and microbes evenly distributed but won't necessarily make it bubble up again. You might have to feed it or make a soda to see how active it is. We stir to make sure we get about the same amount of life and sediment in all our bottles. Also if you get a lot of sediment at once it doesn't taste as good. Happy fermenting!
I need some clarification. After making the ginger bug. You said to add a starter and the mixture of the ginger bug???? I am somewhat confused. To make the ginger beer?
Sure thing! To make ginger ale, you first make the ginger bug starter. That gets very active and is your starter culture. Then you make the sweet soda syrup. Once it cools you can add your ginger bug starter to the soda syrup and after some fermenting - yummy ginger ale. Hope that helps! 🍻
Thanks and Blessings. Honey have probiotics, you can do wine with honey. You can use honey directly with ginger, or fruits and NO WATER, you can get an exellent wine of any fruit. Just cover the chopped fruit with honey and let it ferment. Try with blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, pineapple, etc. Successes
Thanks so much for all the info Pedro! That all sounds so tasty! We love all the different kinds of honey for all the great flavors they add. Happy fermenting!
Hello! The length of time it takes to ferment a fruity drink using a ginger bug will depend on the type of fruit (due to how much sugar is in the fruit) and the temperature where you're fermenting (warmer climates ferment more quickly). You may be interested in this video (ruclips.net/video/6pTF5d0I_qg/видео.html) where we make a fermented drink using blueberries. This will help give you an idea of how it will ferment over time. Also, alcohol is a natural biproduct of all fermented drinks that use a ginger bug to kick off the fermentation process. However the less time it is fermenting, the less alcohol it will have. You may also be interested in this video where we measure how much alcohol is created over time in homemade fermented ginger ale (ruclips.net/video/86SwZyUbtF0/видео.html).
I started a ginger bug from a different channel a few days ago. They use only a little water. Should I be using more water? I don't see how it's going to make enough liquid at the end of the fermentation process with the amount of liquid I'm currently adding. I'm definitely going to try making another one with your instructions.
We like to add enough water to give it a chance to have enough liquid to multiply and spread throughout the jar. It's worked very well for us when we want to make a soda is very active! But yeah the less water you add the less you'll have to work with. We hope that helps!
@@FermentationAdventure Actually I'm almost at day 5 of my fermentation using your method and I saw fizz after only 2 days. It's working just like you said it would. I can hardly wait to make my first batch of ginger ale!
Yes, feel free to try it out! We've actually had some issues with keeping our turmeric bug going here in Florida. We're still trying to figure out why. Might be our turmeric source here. But our same ginger bug has been alive for years! What out though, turmeric stains! 😅
1) Will cane sugar/any other form of sugar work as good as refined sugar? 2) Does it matter what kind of sugar we use? ( Because I do my best to stay away from refined sugar) 3)can we just taste the ginger bug as it is ? Also mine tastes bitter, is that a problem?
Thanks for the questions! Really any sugar works great and some even say that refined sugar works best because it's purely fuel. We like raw cane sugar though because of the extra minerals in it. Honey might possibly give you issues since it's slightly anti-microbial but you can always experiment. You can definitely try your ginger bug as is to see what it tastes like! Depending on how old it is, it might start to taste a little bitter if it's super active as the sugar is converted to alcohol. We've also had a less active ginger bug that got oversaturated with sugar and of course tasted sugary. As long as it lets you make your sodas it should be good. Good luck and happy fermenting! 😊🍺
That would be delicious! Usually when we've made any fermented drink with a ginger bug it ends up being a little more sour since that's what the ginger bug creates. You can make wines that are crisp and clear with strains of yeast made for wine making that's also delicious!
You can definitely you honey as a sweetener. When you use honey it is no longer ginger beer or ginger ale. When you sweeten with honey it is now the close cousin ginger mead.
We like to put a solid lid on our ginger bug loosely to make sure no pressure builds up. If we put some kind of cloth on it, we didn't want any bad bacteria to start building up on it. You could also use a fermentation lid if you like. Good luck!
Here's a question! Isn't gingerale basically just fizzy ginger bug? Since its still alive, couldn't you theoretically use a bit of the ginger ale you made using ginger bug, let it go flat, and continue feeding it with sugar and water and make like a baby ginger bug off of it? (Kind of like if you gave some sourdough discard away, and if its fed it becomes a new mother starter?)
Yes, that should work! You are correct that the ginger bug is very similar to a homemade fermented ginger ale. Both could be used as a starter culture.
We add as much water as we need to fill the jar back up. Once you add sugar and ginger, all of the bacteria and yeast will multiply again in the newly added water. Good luck!
Just accidentally discovered you guys! I love ginger ale and buy from stores. Interested a lot to get started and give it a try to make it myself. Sub'd to your Channel 🙂
During the process of making ginger bug, I did not fully sterilize the ginger before adding it, which resulted in the growth of many white bubbly bacteria on the ginger bug. However, after two days, these bacteria disappeared. Can I still use my ginger bug?
Hello! Have you checked out our Ginger Bug video? (ruclips.net/video/wtb1BvRUWmI/видео.html) Maybe this one will help because we show you what it should look like during fermentation. When the fermentation process gets going, you'll get lots of bubbles, which creates what looks like some white foam on top. Could this be the bubbly white stuff you're referring to? And then as the bubbles slow down naturally and just become a steady flow of bubbles, the foaminess usually goes away. Hopefully our ginger bug video will be helpful. Happy fermenting!
It’s probably Kahm yeast, and I had the same problem. I fed a TBSP of ginger daily for a week, as well as a TBSP of sugar. House temp 73* No bubbles. Not fizzy after 10 days. 😕
I just found your channel while looking for homemade ginger ale. Thank you for all the wealth of info. You guys are a perfect Duo ☺️ Quick question not addressed in this Q&A. If I'm going to use a beer bottle with the crimp caps (to share with others, instead of the swing top bottles) how would you address the bottling since you can't burp after capping?
Great question Matthew! We haven't use the capping method since you can't burp it, but from what we've read by Sandor Katz, he says that you can do a really long ferment to make sure all the sugar is used up. Then he adds maybe 1/4 to 1/2 tsp sugar to the bottle before capping to give the bacteria and yeast a little to eat which will "prime" the bottle. You definitely would want to make sure there's no activity since you wouldn't be able to release the pressure. Some have asked about putting the bottle in boiling water or the oven to kill the ferment but that would be way too dangerous to heat a bottle that's under pressure. Definitely some things to think about so be careful! Happy fermenting!
Thanks so much for your question! We actually haven't seen store bought crushed ginger except for the powdered kind. It's always possible it could work if they're not pasteurized but we're guessing they probably would kill everything to keep it from going bad. You'd have to test that one out. Let us know how it goes if you do! 😊
Ooo that doesn't sound good. If you're definitely getting mold we always throw it out and start over. It might possibly be kahm yeast so you'll have to Google pictures of white kahm yeast and decide for yourself. You could also try a different source for your ginger just in case. Good luck!
Since gingerbugs use lacto fermentation similar to kombucha honey won't have a negative impact on the brew. Mead is heavy on the honey and has no issue brewing either.
Definitely! Honey in the fermentation process works well. We actually just did a video testing a bunch of different sugars and honey was one of our favorites! 🍺 ruclips.net/video/TTHom2VY2R4/видео.html
Oh no! We've had batches where it's gotten thick or slimy before. It's annoying but the only thing we've found that helps is throwing everything out, sanitizing everything, using non-chlorinated water, and the freshest batch of ginger from a different source. Once a bad bacteria gets in there it seems to keep happening. We hope that helps!
Darn. What a bummer! I had a ginger bug that was good and normal. I used it, added and refilled it and when I went to make a second batch with it it was slightly thick. 😢
Oh no! Had you put it back in the refrigerator after you used it and filled it back up with water? That helps slow the fermentation process. Also just make sure you always use non-chlorinated water. And lastly, you could try to let it ferment a few days longer on the counter to see if the thickness will go away. It could be that it got too much sugar content.
Hi! It's a personal preference because plastics can leech into your ferment, especially if used over longer periods of time. For us, we feel comfortable drinking it out of our tester bottle under a few conditions. We always use #1 food grade quality plastic so that it's stronger and should hold up better than other plastics. We always remove it from the plastic as soon as possible and transfer to a glass bottle. And, we don't reuse the plastic bottles too many times. So ultimately up to you!
Hello! Yes, the warmer the temperature of the environment, the more things ferment. Not too hot though (or direct sunlight) because it could kill your ferment! We like to ferment at 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Thanks for the question Kate! When we feed the ginger bug, we top it right back up with non-chlorinated water so it's ready to go for next time. The only time we start over is if something bad has happened to it which is pretty rare.
We're excited to share our best answers to your best ginger bug questions! Now that you're all equipped to make fermented drinks, check out these recipes! ruclips.net/p/PLKmVI5tdVVafT5WGLaJLN9FdbU6jXUCIg
I'd think refrigeration slows but not fully stops fermentation, but I keep mine on the counter, as i thought it needed that bit of warmth, up to room temp. only sometimes over to fully get going. Then I don't keep a lid on it, but instead use cheese cloth & even a nut milk bag, so to keep out fruit flies & to let in other wild native yeasts. ....Hmmm, does that create something different, maybe completely, as Monty Python used as like a mantra :-)
Ginger bug 2wks old very little and no fizz. I think refrigerating Ginger prior to adding is slow activating?. No longer put Ginger in veg bend.
@@caryonkirkland-nelson1227 Are you stirring and adding more grated ginger & a little sugar too, either daily or almost daily?
@@reforest4fertility yes , it is foaming a little now.
Not sure if you still check, here, but I was wondering how alcoholic the ginger bug gets after a while.
A note for folks in cold areas. I keep my house around 70F during the day or 68F at night, took mine ~6 days to ferment and get bubbles
Yes yes! Thanks for the sharing. The fermentation process slows down in cooler temperatures, so it can take longer it colder climates. Our fermentation setup is a fairly consistent 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and sometimes warmer in summer months. Florida is quite warm!
I have something I bottled 3 days ago and still no action. My ginger bug was very active. It is about 68 degrees. I'll be patient.
If you REALLY want to, you can put it in the oven with the light on (oven off obviously lol). The light from the bulb and the insulated enclosed nature of the oven is enough to get it going pretty fast! Now my bug is so strong it gets fizzy within a few days even in the fridge 😅
The secret to your appeal is as much your upbeat and likable personalities together as the great information. Love it! I’m new to the whole fermenting thing (and to your channel) but you’re probably my fave so far.
Wow! Thank you SO MUCH for the love Victoryak! 💓 We try to stay positive and have a bit of fun along the way (even if we're a bit goofy sometimes 😂) We hope your ferments are coming along well!
@@FermentationAdventure you guys are just fun and seeing a couple work so well together and enjoy themselves makes it enjoyable to watch and definitely learn. Thx.
they do a good job and with out all that weighing and percentages and all that tech stuff I have seen on other channels ... they just do it and show you the process ... I'm making a bug now ... second try ...
One of the best channels on fermentation. I love the tiny details & actual testing videos. Thank you! 🫶🏼
Thank you so much! 💓😄
Thanks for all the excellent information. I made a ginger bug and then made your ginger ale recipe. I used the tester bottle to gauge the pressure and put the other bottles in the refrigerator, thinking I had let the pressure build up enough for a good fizz. The tester bottle was very firm when I tried to squeeze it, so I thought the bottles were ready. But to my disappointment, the ginger ale is just OK. It's not as fizzy as I had hoped, and it tastes too sweet (I added some lemon juice to tone down the sweetness). I'd also like to confirm that the ginger bug is an ongoing ferment (from what I've read in the comments). It can be kept in the refrigerator and fed there instead of returning to room temperature to continue fermenting. My initial ginger bug was incredible. I put it in the refrigerator, but I thought I had to bring it back out to activate it again. It's a learning process. Your insights are so helpful, and I appreciate your time. Thanks
We've had that also where our tester bottle was rock solid but there was only a little fizziness. Sometimes those bottles get hard but end up leaking a tiny bit which is why the glass ones are nice. You just have to be careful not to let it build up too much in case of explosions. You have that correct about the ginger bug! You can either leave it at room temperature or just feed it and put it right back in the fridge. It should be good either way! We hope you're getting some tasty ginger ale and wish you the best on your fermentation journey! 🎉🎉🎉
One of my favorite videos you have done so far. You covered it all and made it very simple to understand.
Thank you! We're so happy it's been helpful!
Oh, you are literally answered all my questions 😂❤good video, I would say the best!
Awesome! We're glad it was helpful! 😄❤️
My fermentation production. I make 3 gallons per week. I have 3 Ginger bug cultures, one per gallon. I add 1 cup of ginger bug per gallon. I replenish the ginger bug by adding 1 table spoon of ginger and about 7/8 table spoon white sugar back into the jar and add distilled water. I let the jar sit on the counter for 2 days and put back into the refrigerator. Awaiting next weeks gallon of awesome ferments.
Nice! You are quite the fermenter! Love it. 💗🤗
I don't measure when I make soda so can't give you a recipe but a good flavor combo you may want to try is strawberry ginger lemonade
I made it using using fresh strawberries from the garden
It was very yummy
Also I don't use a tester bottle and I make it I just burp the bottles every 24 hours and when it gets the reaction I want I throw it in the fridge... sometimes after 24 hours it's enough sometimes it's 3 or 4 days
Oh! Strawberry sounds delicious! Do you just use a good amount of lemon juice to make it more of a lemonade?
Thank you, you answered all my questions. Bless you.
We're happy to be of help to you Patricia! We hope you're getting some nice ferments! 😊
Just found your channel researching how to make ginger ale/beer. Great post. It answered a lot of my questions. Making my first batch now. Thank you.
That's wonderful to hear! We're glad you found us! Thank you for reaching out and happy fermenting!
You both are so nice! I'm just starting my own fermentation adventures and you've got yourself another subscriber :)
Thank you! We're excited to hear you've started your own fermentation adventure and that you've joined our culture!
I have made ginger beer using honey +lemon ,but 3 days has no bubble is it okay ??
@@meitywitedja4780 how did you do that? Did you make ginger bug using honey?
Thank you for your help with the ginger bug. I’ll definitely revisit this video often. 😊
Awesome! We're so happy to hear this video was helpful! 😄
So good!! I've been trying to start a ginger bug for a while now with mixed success; this video answered so many of my questions!! I'm so excited to get going with my new knowledge!! Thanks so much!! 🥰😊🙏
We're so happy it's working out for you DELLBIRD! We get a ton of questions all the time so we figured making a Q&A would help a bit. We hope it's going well for you! Happy fermenting!
Thanks a lot for the useful informations. I do have 2 questions: 1- what is the shelf time for the ginger bug? I did mine the last year. 2- I noticed that last time I did ginger ale it was slimy, however the ginger bug was bubbly and not slimy. Does that mean I have to start a new ginger bug?
Hello! If the conditions are right, your ginger bug can last for a very long time in the refrigerator. Ours has been going for something like 5 years! In case it's helpful, here's a quick video on how to maintain your ginger bug: ruclips.net/user/shortsDjfHqZisQRs? As for your second question, if your ginger bug is not slimy, it sounds like there may have been a contaminate with something else in your ginger ale.
You can make a Starter for Fermented Drinks without ginger by using Organic Brown Rice, About 1 or 2 cups of Organic Brown rice and about 1 cup of sugar in a half gallon jar, Fill with chlorine free water. Shake will for about 5 mins and let it set in a warm area. Feed it as you would a Ginger Bug.
Oh wow that's interesting using brown rice! We've tried it with wheat berries and made rejuvelac which sounds like the same thing but with a different grain. It didn't have much of a flavor which might be good for different types of ferments that you might not necessarily like the spiciness of ginger. Thanks for the suggestion!
Perfect video explanation, thankyou guys 🙏
Our pleasure! Thanks for watching!
thank you for the well explain, im new here to make some ginger bug , hopefully it works successfully ! greeting from Taiwan !
Thank you and welcome to the fermentation adventure! Good luck on your ginger bug. Fermented drinks are the best!
Enjoyed the video as always. I found it a lot easier to get to that right muscle by putting the pillows underneath.
Such a good video for beginners like me. Thank you for this!
Our pleasure! So glad you found it helpful!
Thank you for all this helpful advise! I just started my first bug today. You mention that there's health risk from drinking too much ginger beer, but after searching,I only find risks from drinking too much soda. What are the risks and what is too much?
Thanks for the question John! I'm sure everyone has a different tolerance but we've heard some people if they drink too much of the actual ginger, they could end up with some gas or bloating. Not everyone has those issues but thought we'd might mention it just in case. Hope that helps!
@@FermentationAdventure Thanks. That's pretty minor as far as risks go. I'm about a day away from testing our first batch.
That's fantastic! We're actually fermenting a couple gallons of our ginger beer right now so it will be ready to bring in the new year!
Thank you for putting all answers in one video. This os great 👍
So glad you enjoyed! There's a lot of questions around ginger ale but it's still a very simple process. Happy fermenting!
Great answers, thanks guys!
Our pleasure! Thanks for watching!
awesome video! Literally all my questions were answered
Oh awesome! Happy fermenting!!
You guy’s are so awesome! Thanks so much for this video, soooo helpful in my fermentation journey :D
Thanks so much for the kind words Kylo! We're so happy you're enjoying our videos. Happy fermenting! 😃
This was super helpful! It covers all I've been wondering 😍 Thank you so much 🙏
Our pleasure! So glad it was helpful.
Why ferment in glass and not just use soda bottles?
This way you could monitor the pressure in all your ferments.
Great video! Thanks! I'm going to start my ginger bug tomorrow. And then it's on to ginger ale! Thank you so much for this very helpful and entertaining video.
Hi there! That's fantastic news. We know you'll love it!
I really emjoy your channel and i have tried your ferments and Im creating my ginger bug right now, I am so excited, I love ginger ale,Blessings guys
Thanks so much for sharing Jeremiah! Ginger ale has been our favorite for a while now too! Except in the summertime when pineapples are in season and then we love tepache! Happy fermenting!
Nice channel guys and lovely chemistry you have going … thumbs up 👍 from Europe
Thank you so much Aron! We have fun making these videos and hearing from so many people all over the world! Thanks for watching!
good video. i’ve learnt a lot. thanks 🙏🏿
Thank you! So glad it has helped! 👍
Hi thank you for sharing! I have a few questions about the smell of the homemade soda.
- Is is normal for the soda to smell vinegary?
- What is the smell of a normal one?
- How do I know this is not going wrong?
Appreciate in advance
Thanks so much for the questions! For the smell of homemade sodas, they can be very different according to what ingredients you're adding. For ginger ale it should smell very pleasant and not vinegary at all, whereas we've tried apple juice and it's a little more sour or beer-like. Sometimes pineapple smell very bad depending on the type and some fruits like watermelon are awful if you ferment them too long. To know if it's gone bad is a combination of making sure there's not mold, that it doesn't smell bad, and that it doesn't taste bad but in the end you'll have to decide that since you're working with all the ingredients, methods, and initial sanitation. We hope that helps! Good luck and happy fermenting! 😊
I have used raw (unpasteurized) honey for a 2nd fermentation of kombucha and it worked great
Good to hear! Thank you!
Is the fermentation process outside of the refrigerator when you mention the amount of days? Say you fermented for two days outside of the fridge and put it in to cool down, how long does it keep to that amount of alcohol content? Love your vids thank you for the great knowledge
Thanks for the question! Yes, mostly our videos will show what to expect when you're fermenting on the counter (outside of the refrigerator). We usually ferment in approximately 72 degrees Fahrenheit, so if you're in cooler temps, it could take a few days longer, and warmer temps could ferment very quickly. Then when the ferment is at a good place (good taste, smell, alcohol level, etc), you could put it in the fridge to slow the fermentation process down to almost a halt. Although since your ferment is a living organism, it will continue to ferment every so slowly, even when it is in the fridge. Hope that helps!
You guys are the cutest❤️
I love how you get along
I feel the 💕.
Thank you SO MUCH Maria! You just made us smile. 💕 So glad to have you here!
I enjoyed this video. You two play well off each other. I have a question regarding the flip top brown glass bottles. If you never burp your soda, will they explode, or do the flip tops reach a point where they will push out and release the pressure?
Thank you! That's a great question! The flip top bottles are built for a limited amount of pressure, but they could definitely still explode if too much pressure builds up. We typically do a short period of 1-3 days of bottling in the secondary fermentation phase, depending on what the tester bottles shows, and then refrigerate where we continue to burp the bottles about once every 1-2 months.
Question! 💜 do you drink the stuff in the tester bottle? Or do you just dump it out? If not, why? If so, then why wouldn’t you always just use plastic bottles? Thanks for the content, I’ve been binging your videos for a couple weeks now and have my new ginger bug almost ready to start making some delicious drinks 😊
Thanks so much for the question Vikki! We usually drink the one in the plastic bottle first. Some people don't like that their ferments come into contact with plastic but if it's a bottle made for acidic sodas then it should be okay. For the short time that we're brewing sodas in the plastic tester bottle we're not worried about it. But a lot of the bottles we'll store in the fridge for months so we don't want the acidic sodas in the plastic for extended periods like that so we use glass for those. Great question! 😊
@@FermentationAdventure thank you! It all makes sense now 💜 I just tried my first one yesterday, it was an Apple/Mango I found at the outlet groceries store near me. I think I left it too long before bottling, cause it was a bit sour and I think I caught a light buzz 😂 I’ll be continuing to dial in my drinks but I couldn’t have done it without your videos. So, thanks again! 💜😊💜
You're so welcome Vikki! We're happy that you found us!! ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for this info. Going to try a berry gingerale for Christmas.
That sounds so berry wonderful! 😅 We're sure it was delicious!
Always Amazing you guys! Thank you! I am so excited for my ginger bug sodas with apple juice, cranberry and peach-orange!
Ooooh, nice! We love hearing what you all are creating out there with your ginger bugs! The peach orange sounds yummy. Are you going to try making it with fresh fruit or with a store-bought fruit punch?
Store bought! It's so good! So Yummy Thank you guys!
I enjoyed your video very much. You both are charming and knowledgeable. I am excited to brew my very first batch of ginge beer! I would like to offer another answer to your last question. My Pop's favorite highball was Rye and ginger. There are some nice craft Rye whiskeys out there and I intend to toast my late Pop with an "artisan" version if my batch turns out well!
We're so happy you're loving our videos Barbara! Thanks so much for the love and cheers to your late Pop! 🍻💓
Thank you for sharing so much information!
Fermentation is so awesome. 😍 Thanks for being a part of the culture!
Thank you for such detailed info. Love your channel. I already have a Scoby starting in my cupboard👍 for kombucha so now I want to learn how to make some Ginger beer for Christmas😁. Cheers
Thank you so much for the love Wendy! That's fantastic about your Scoby! Woohoo! Ginger beer is so yummy during the holidays. Not only is it delicious, but the ginger helps settle our stomachs after huge meals. 😅
I learned so much from you guys..thanks for sharing❤
Thank you so much for the sweet comment! We're so happy to hear from you! ❤️
Hello dear ones, and thank you for such organized and easy to find Q and A! it shows all the care and work you have done. I must have watched 30 different ginger beer videos and read recipes on the internet, but I have not found some answers to some of the doubts that I still have with my ginger beer production. I am hoping perhaps you or someone from the community can shed some light over here: 🙂
1.) TIME OF FERMENTATION: The first recipe I had found when I tried my ginger beer, suggested that the ginger beer stayed fermenting for 2-4 weeks. However, every other recipe I am finding people suggest, 2, 3, 4 days and up to a week. I have not found anyone putting 4 weeks for a ginger beer. Because this was my first recipe, I have a ginger beer that is now 6 weeks and it is still burping and actually tastes pretty good. More alcoholic but still sweetish, not spoiled... Is this normal? Should this be happening? do you see any problem in having a ginger beer that is fermenting for this long?
2.) STORING DURING FERMENTATION PROCESS: Every video I saw is either using plastic bottles or glass with flip top. I want to make larger productions because I am hoping to offer people that come stay at our forest (we have a healing permaculture center in brasil). Could I use 5 liter plastic buckets with lids for the fermentation process (like some people use for large quantities of kimchi and saurkraut)? Do you see any problems with this.
3.) MAKING IT CARBONATED WHEN ITS READY TO DRINK: I keep trying to figure out, since we have to burp the bottles every day, when they are ready to drink, how do I then ensure that the drink can have a good amount of bubbles when it is ready to drink? I have seen people suggesting in putting dextrose or sucrose in the bottle right before bottling in a pressure tight container and then leaving it to ferment at room temperature for another 2 days and then adding it to the fridge. However, I have seen no recipe that gives a quantity and proportion of how much sugar per liters of ginger beer (I think this is important because if put too much sugar, it can over ferment - and my concern with leaving the bottle 2 days without burping could explode). I am wondering if you have any tips on this and any recipe that gives the timing for this last carbonation and amount of sugar added?
4.) SHELF LIFE AND STABILITY OF DRINK: My intention is to have people be able to take the ginger beer home. With all the live cultures bubbling and no stability I am wondering if there are any suggestions on how to extend and stabilize the bubbles so that people when they get home, if they forget to put it in the fridge, it doesnt explode. And also wondering for how long would these bottle last on average - in the fridge. I know there are many variables, but I have found no reference. Two of them mentioned pasteurizing to maintain it stable, but I think that would kill the purpose of having a live probiotic drink.
Thank you for any clues and orientations on this! I am following your channel! 🙂
Thanks so much for the love Nicole! Here's some of our thoughts:
1) We've fermented some batches of ginger ale and they were still very good after weeks of fermentation but did start tasting a little strong of alcohol like in our alcohol test video. If you want it a bit drier then you can definitely keep it going if it tastes good to you and you don't see any mold.
2) Some people aren't comfortable with fermenting in plastic because it could leech some of the bad chemicals from the plastic. We like to use a plastic tester bottle to ferment one in to test but then transfer it afterwards. Since it's made for acidic soda we're not worried about it. You'll have to judge that one for yourself though!
3) Definitely! Like in the previous, we'll bottle the ginger ale but use a plastic bottle for one of the bottles to see how hard is becoming. It gives a good indication as to how pressurized the bottles are to avoid explosions. It's the same on that one depending how hot or cold your environment is. After it's pretty solid, we'll move the bottles to the fridge and they're usually pretty carbonated!
4) This one is a little tougher since we like to keep ours alive in the fridge and not kill the probiotics. We've seen where you can use some brewing chemicals to stop the fermentation. I definitely would NOT pasteurize a pressurized bottle with heat because it could explode. For something along the lines of that, we've read that Sandor Katz says he'll ferment something all the way out and then add maybe 1/2 tsp of sugar to "prime" the bottle.
We hope that helps and hope you're enjoying the world of fermentation! Thank you so much for watching and for the questions Nicole! ❤️❤️❤️
@@FermentationAdventure thank you dear ones for the time and love to share some of your experiences. Will try to work with glass then but look for stronger glass bottles in brasil. I am from there. :-)
Great video. Thanks for sharing!
We're so glad you enjoyed! Thank you for watching!
Hi Paul and Sarah - I am not sure if this has been asked already, but I was wondering if it is OK to keep the ginger bug in the fridge covered with a cloth. I have started on the first batch of Ginger Ale and am excited to see how it turns out. Your videos are superb!
Hi! We are so happy you found us! Yes, you can definitely use a cloth for short periods of time to cover your ginger bug in the refrigerator. Over the long term though, it's possible your ginger bug could get contaminated with something inside the refrigerator and could get funky. It could also evaporate. If you plan on storing your ginger bug long term in the fridge, we definitely recommend investing in a silicone fermentation lid that lets out the gases, but keeps out the oxygen. We've had our ginger bug in the fridge for years and it keeps very well with the fermentation lid.
ooooohhhkaaaay....
another subscriber.
excited to share my 3 results with you in the following weeks. 💜
Awesome Amber! We can't wait to hear how it goes! I'm sure you'll get some tasty drinks in no time.
Pineapple ferment is one of my favorite. Just leave the peel in water for a few days (dark place). Burp or cloth it. Then sweeten if you want. Will become alcoholic after a long time :-p
Yes! Tepache is wonderful!
All these different names are confusing. What is the difference between ginger ale, tempache, kvass, etc?@@FermentationAdventure
@@mgtv5482a ginger bug is made from ginger,water, and sugar. You then take that ferment and use it to make ginger beer/ale, which is a carbonate ginger- based drink.
Tempache is a fermented drink based on fermenting pineapple skins and cores with brown sugar and water, and maybe some added whole spices.
Kvass is a drink made of fermented rye bread and raisins. Some folks also make fermented drinks out of beets and call that kvass, but strictly speaking it’s not.
Don't see an answer to this question anywhere. I know you recommend a plastic tester bottle. But can you just bottle all of the ginger beer in plastic bottles? What's the benefit/advantage to bottling in glass bottles instead of just using all plastic? Thanks!
Thanks for the question Brennan! You can definitely use only plastic bottles if you like. The reason we try to only use glass is because we usually like to stores these sodas longer in the refrigerator. Since it's a little more acidic, we'd rather have the acid in contact with glass over the long term. But we do use the one plastic bottle and after it's done fermenting we drink that one first. Some people are pretty serious about it, but if you're comfortable with plastic, you definitely can!
Thank you for the helpful information. I do have 2 questions, though.
1. I made ginger ale from my 1st bug, following your recipes for both the bug and the ale. The ale bubbled progressively at room temp covered with a coffee filter within 2 days. By day 3, the top was covered in a good froth. I let it relax a bit, and then tasted it on day 4. It was fantastically delicious! As I have no bottles, I just put the whole jar in the fridge then, covered tightly, and burped it every few hours. That was last night. I drank a glass before going to bed, and then rooty-toot-tooted profusely all night! Today, I opened my jar of ale and it smells like toots. I see a lot of info online about this being a common occurrence, but I have not been able to ascertain if it is safe to drink or not. Also, is it possible to get rid of the smell, or do I have to just dump it all?
2. About my ginger bug: After making my ale and some other sodas, I only had about a half cup of bug left. So I added water to the jar and started feeding it again. Day 1 at room temp with coffee filter cover, I did 3 T each of ginger and sugar, just like I had when the bug was originally begun. Day 2, it got 1 T each. By day 3, it was a gross, slimy, thick syrup. So, I added a bunch more water at the next feeding to the it down and fed it 1 T each. It sat over night, and next day is thickening again. So, I just covered loosely and put in fridge. Is this fixable, or do I need to dump it and start over? What did I do wrong?
Thank you kindly for any advice you can offer. Much appreciated!
The Cheese is real but the Q&A is great! Thanks ya'll.
Thanks for watching. 😊 And who doesn't like a little cheese?!
As you use the liquid from your Ginger Bug...you feed it 1 tsp ginger and 1 tsp sugar and place it back into fridge....do you replace the amount of liquud you used wirh some filtered water...or you will run out of liquid?
Regards from Sunny South Africa🌞
Thanks for the question! Once you add a bit of sugar and a bit of ginger, feel free the top up the jar with fresh non-chlorinated water. The starter culture will fill the jar so you'll have more liquid to use for next time. Happy fermenting!
Should you burp your finished soda directly before putting it in the fridge or let carbonation build up again before? How often do you need to burp your soda when it's in the fridge?
I made a ginger bug a couple of months ago. I use it in my switchel.
We hope it's tasty! It's amazing how many different kinds of drinks you can make with it.
Would you recommend using airlocks on the individual bottles while letting the carbonation build before refrigerating or would that actually defeat the purpose and prevent the carbonation from building?
Hi there...a pleasant morning to you 🙋🏾♀️🙋🏾♀️🙋🏾♀️
I am not sure what I did wrong but my ginger bug went bad on day 4. I will try again.
I have a question though, do I have to wait for 7 days of feeding it regularly before keeping the ginger bug in the fridge?
Hello! How do you know it went "bad"? As for the numbers of days, it's more about how it looks. You may have already seen this, but here's our video on how to make a ginger bug: ruclips.net/video/wtb1BvRUWmI/видео.html. In this video, we show what it should look like and behave like at the time it's ready to use (or ready to be stored in the fridge). Once yours is similar to this, you can go ahead and refrigerate it. 😃
When do you move your ginger bug into the fridge from the counter ? Also, do you close the lid in the fridge , any worry about “explosion” ?
Hi! It would continue to ferment very slowly in the fridge, so we leave on a loose cap so that the excess gases can still escape.
I am making an apple bug. It smells amazing!
That's great! We'd love to hear how your apple bug is working out! 😃
@@FermentationAdventure it’s amazing. I used it to make sparkling apple cider. Low alcohol of course. Taste is sweet even though I used Granny Smith apples.
That's wonderful! 💖
Hi Paul and Sarah: Brilliant videos and well on my ginger beer journey. 3 Questions then...
1) As Sarah knows we have incredible maple syrup in Canada. I have purely organic maple syrup with 53% sugar, 4% potassium, 6% Calcium , and 2% iron. Could this be considered a basis for my "Canadian" ginger bug and a special Canuck Ginger Beer??
2) Does periodic shaking the fermenting ginger beer (not the bug) oxygenate it for quicker results? It certainly froths up nicely after 3 days.
3) Would increasing ambient temperature around the fermenting beer speed up the process? Seems obvious to me but i would like your confirmation!
Meanwhile..keep up the great work..love the energy and fun you put into your videos along with super easy to follow instructions.
Love from Canada
That's a great idea Paul! Your Canuck Ginger Beer sounds good! You should be able to use maple syrup the same way as you would sugar. It could possibly change how long it takes to ferment but should still work great. We've also liked to stir or shake it up. Whether it makes it work faster is iffy but we like making sure nothing is floating on top too long so the shaking covers anything and prevents mold. Making the ambient temperature hotter would definitely speed up the process in case your house is very cold. Some people use heating mats but be careful how hot so you don't kill it. Thanks so much for the love and we hope you get some tasty ginger beer! 🍺❤️😊
Hi! I love your videos. My children and I watch your videos all the time. They love fermenting with me. I have a question. We started a ginger bug 4 days ago. It is nice and bubbly but it’s slimy and thick. Is it normal?
Thanks for the comment Edith! Great to hear you are creating fermentation projects to do with your kids. Very cool. So, ginger bugs shouldn't really be slimy or thick, so it sounds like a different bacteria took hold as well. You may want to give the bottles and all equipment a good sterilization by putting them through the dishwasher or pouring boiling water on them, or both. You are also welcome to check out this video we made on sanitization: ruclips.net/video/5SgIi2XGIvg/видео.html. We'd recommend starting over on your ginger bug, but you might as well keep the first one going to see how it looks in about a week. It's possible that it would thin if the "good" bacteria takes back over, but most likely it won't be usable. Still a good experiment!
You guys are awesome I love all of your videos!
Aww! Thank you for watching! 😄
I've started my GB from ginger powder yesterday. On 1 small jar I used about a teaspoon powdered ginger with same amount sugar, this morning it was bubbly and foaming. On the other Jar a sprinkle less than half a teaspoon ginger powder plus sprinkle of sugar then closed jar tightly. This morning it had lots of bubbles streaming to the top released the pressure and closed it not too tight.
We'll update it this works because fresh ginger is hard to get where I am and quite really expensive. I'll be happy if this works 😅
Wow, this is fantastic! Great experiment! It does sound reasonable that it would work - if the ginger powder is fresh, there are no other added ingredients (likes preservatives) in the ginger powder, and if it has been kept in cooler temperatures. High heat and over long periods of time will kill the good bacteria and yeast on the ginger. We can't wait to hear how it goes!
@@FermentationAdventureThis worked out great the starter is still going strong.
And yes I am using just dried ginger with no preservertives. On the packaging it reads Ginger and nothing else.
To keep it fresh after each use I just feet it a tsp or Tbsp of sugar, depending on the intervals of usage between each batch I'll also add the ginger powder when it starts tasting weak.
I've been basically treating this starter it as you would any other starter from dried fruits. You don't necessarily need to keep feeding it the ginger powder every time you use it sugar is just fine.
Where I am it's quite hot most days it's between 27°C-40°C, so at times I don't actually use the starter I'll mix whatever recipe I'll be making soda with (mostly orange juice or soft citrus since it gives the best fizz) then add the ginger powder and let it ferment. Usually I do bulk fermantation for 24 - 48 h Longer on cooler days. Then I'll bottle it for ~ 24h (till there bottle feel tight apon squeezing, I am using PET bottles) then pop them in the fridge. In the fridge they last a couple of days with 0 vinegary taste. My sweet spot is not to do more than 4 days on the counter or it quickly turns vinegary.
This is a lovely video, so helpful, but I have a question. You said that it is okay to make a ginger bug in a bottle with alot of space but what about making the actual soda in a bottle that is only half/two thirds full of liquid.
Thanks for the question Byron! It's okay to make your ginger ale with a bottle that still has air left in it. We've made batches where only 2/3 of the jar is full and the rest is air and it still turns out great. Hope that helps and happy fermenting!
Hey guys, thanks for all your videos. I have two questions: 1. What’s the best way to store fresh ginger? Any tricks? Or just chunk it in the fridge? 2. My ginger bug has a white layer in the bottom of the jar. Is that the yeast? Or is that a bad sign? Thanks anyway!
Hi! We're happy to hear you're trying the ginger bug! Most ferments will have white sediment at the bottom as it's a bi-product of the fermentation process, so it sounds like your ginger bug has worked. We store our ginger completely in tact in the fridge until we need to use it. It's also possible to cut up and freeze your ginger if you want to store it for a long time (say, over a week). When you're ready to feed your ginger bug or use it to make ginger ale, you'll be able to substitute your frozen ginger just the same as fresh ginger. Good luck!
@@FermentationAdventure awesome, thank you so much for the quick reply!
you guys are great!
Aww thanks so much! 😃
On the question of using honey, the answer is yes because honey works for mead so it will work for fermented drinks.
Hi guys! Love the video and information, congrats!
I have a question. Can I second ferment on glass bottles with a normal metal cap? Or do I need to ferment on the brown glass bottles that you show on the video?
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your question! You can definitely ferment with a regular glass bottle and use the metal caps. Make sure not to tighten them though because you don't want to build up pressure. We also stopped fermenting with the metal lids since they kept rusting. We hope that helps! 😊
Hey I made a ginger bug and yesterday was its 3rd day..2 days it had bubbles but 3rd day after feeding the bubbles dissapeared....so I was actually checking if it could still work without bubbles and then I saw ur video (which gave realllyyyy helpful informations ) so yesterday I made my ginger beer adding the same ginger bug....Hope it works !! Thank you so much....
Awesome! Yes, the bubbles will slow down. Excited for your ginger beer! Let us know if you have any questions!
@@FermentationAdventure I tasted it today.....It was good but smells like spoiled ginger and vinegar...
Interesting... It sounds like it may have turned out right, but sometimes there's a stronger smell, even similar to sulphur. It tastes like good ginger ale though? And there are no ginger pieces in your drink? If some had been left in, it's possible the pieces of ginger could start to go bad.
@@FermentationAdventure Thank you guys for ur support😇
can you use the discard ginger bug pieces for anything else rather than tossing them?
Yes! You could use them in smoothies or baked goods, but note that there may not be much ginger flavor left in the pieces.
Hey I added some yeast to my ginger beer mixture and now it is fermenting like crazy , I have to brup it every 3-4 hrs, what should I do ?
Hello! We're not surprised to hear that this mixture has become very active. Adding yeast to an already fermented ginger ale would be introducing yet another active starter culture (you have the ginger bug starter culture in your ginger ale, and then the yeast). As long as it still smells pleasantly yeasty and doesn't have anything growing on the top of the liquid, then it should be like a very active ginger ale. You can let it ferment for a few days without a top on it to let all the excess gases safely escape, before trying to recap it with a closed top. But be sure to use pressure-safe bottles, meaning that they're made strongly to be able to handle extra pressure (unlike simply a mason jar which is not pressure-safe). Hope that helps!
Hi, thank you for your videos. I started a ginger bug. But I heard you say on the video that you can make ginger soda/beer and jump right in to that recipe without the ginger bug. I was wondering if you could explain that process.
Hello! Absolutely! Your ginger bug is essentially ginger beer already, so you could just use the process of creating a ginger bug, and then drink the ginger bug as your ginger beer. Pretty cool, but there is a downside to drinking all of your ginger bug. The point of the ginger bug is to have a starter culture ready to go. Then it's easy to make all your fermented drinks when you have a ginger bug already waiting to be used.
My wife and I are just starting out and we’re on our second bottling. The first bottling didn’t carbonate as much as we were hoping. Our second bottling tasted a little like vinegar. I believe that’s because we had too much bacteria versus the yeast, but we have no idea how to prevent it.
Just discovered ginger growing in my yard. So then found you. Have made BUG. Now on the ginger ale before bottling and have a question. It doesn’t have bubbles, yet, but does have the sediment you mentioned. You said to mix when you bottle. Can I mix before that to get the culture to bubble up?
Thanks so much for the question! And that's awesome that you have ginger growing right in your yard. Very cool. If you stir the ginger bug up before bottling it gets all the yeast and microbes evenly distributed but won't necessarily make it bubble up again. You might have to feed it or make a soda to see how active it is. We stir to make sure we get about the same amount of life and sediment in all our bottles. Also if you get a lot of sediment at once it doesn't taste as good. Happy fermenting!
Excellent video, thankyou.
So glad it was helpful! 😊
I need some clarification. After making the ginger bug. You said to add a starter and the mixture of the ginger bug???? I am somewhat confused. To make the ginger beer?
Sure thing! To make ginger ale, you first make the ginger bug starter. That gets very active and is your starter culture. Then you make the sweet soda syrup. Once it cools you can add your ginger bug starter to the soda syrup and after some fermenting - yummy ginger ale. Hope that helps! 🍻
Thanks and Blessings. Honey have probiotics, you can do wine with honey. You can use honey directly with ginger, or fruits and NO WATER, you can get an exellent wine of any fruit. Just cover the chopped fruit with honey and let it ferment. Try with blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, pineapple, etc. Successes
Thanks so much for all the info Pedro! That all sounds so tasty! We love all the different kinds of honey for all the great flavors they add. Happy fermenting!
How long do I leave my fruit to ferment with the ginger bug and how do I keep it if I don’t want it to produce alcohol?
Hello! The length of time it takes to ferment a fruity drink using a ginger bug will depend on the type of fruit (due to how much sugar is in the fruit) and the temperature where you're fermenting (warmer climates ferment more quickly). You may be interested in this video (ruclips.net/video/6pTF5d0I_qg/видео.html) where we make a fermented drink using blueberries. This will help give you an idea of how it will ferment over time. Also, alcohol is a natural biproduct of all fermented drinks that use a ginger bug to kick off the fermentation process. However the less time it is fermenting, the less alcohol it will have. You may also be interested in this video where we measure how much alcohol is created over time in homemade fermented ginger ale (ruclips.net/video/86SwZyUbtF0/видео.html).
Thank you so much🤗
Thank you so much for watching Cynthia! We hope your ferments are doing well!
I started a ginger bug from a different channel a few days ago. They use only a little water. Should I be using more water? I don't see how it's going to make enough liquid at the end of the fermentation process with the amount of liquid I'm currently adding. I'm definitely going to try making another one with your instructions.
We like to add enough water to give it a chance to have enough liquid to multiply and spread throughout the jar. It's worked very well for us when we want to make a soda is very active! But yeah the less water you add the less you'll have to work with. We hope that helps!
@@FermentationAdventure Actually I'm almost at day 5 of my fermentation using your method and I saw fizz after only 2 days. It's working just like you said it would. I can hardly wait to make my first batch of ginger ale!
Have you ever made a turmeric bug? I read it’s the same process as the ginger bug and it gives a different flavor
Yes, feel free to try it out! We've actually had some issues with keeping our turmeric bug going here in Florida. We're still trying to figure out why. Might be our turmeric source here. But our same ginger bug has been alive for years! What out though, turmeric stains! 😅
Did you get the turmeric to work?
1) Will cane sugar/any other form of sugar work as good as refined sugar?
2) Does it matter what kind of sugar we use? ( Because I do my best to stay away from refined sugar)
3)can we just taste the ginger bug as it is ? Also mine tastes bitter, is that a problem?
Thanks for the questions! Really any sugar works great and some even say that refined sugar works best because it's purely fuel. We like raw cane sugar though because of the extra minerals in it. Honey might possibly give you issues since it's slightly anti-microbial but you can always experiment. You can definitely try your ginger bug as is to see what it tastes like! Depending on how old it is, it might start to taste a little bitter if it's super active as the sugar is converted to alcohol. We've also had a less active ginger bug that got oversaturated with sugar and of course tasted sugary. As long as it lets you make your sodas it should be good. Good luck and happy fermenting! 😊🍺
@@FermentationAdventure thankyou :)
You can use Star San for sanitizing.
Thanks so much for the idea! We haven't needed to use star san but it could be one of your tools in the toolbox!
What about making a blueberry wine or strawberry wine with the key for a water or ginger bug
That would be delicious! Usually when we've made any fermented drink with a ginger bug it ends up being a little more sour since that's what the ginger bug creates. You can make wines that are crisp and clear with strains of yeast made for wine making that's also delicious!
You can definitely you honey as a sweetener. When you use honey it is no longer ginger beer or ginger ale. When you sweeten with honey it is now the close cousin ginger mead.
Thank you! 😊
Thank you.
When I put my ginger bug in the fridge should I put a solid lid on it or keep the coffee filter and rubber band on it?
We like to put a solid lid on our ginger bug loosely to make sure no pressure builds up. If we put some kind of cloth on it, we didn't want any bad bacteria to start building up on it. You could also use a fermentation lid if you like. Good luck!
Here's a question! Isn't gingerale basically just fizzy ginger bug? Since its still alive, couldn't you theoretically use a bit of the ginger ale you made using ginger bug, let it go flat, and continue feeding it with sugar and water and make like a baby ginger bug off of it? (Kind of like if you gave some sourdough discard away, and if its fed it becomes a new mother starter?)
Yes, that should work! You are correct that the ginger bug is very similar to a homemade fermented ginger ale. Both could be used as a starter culture.
How much water do I add when I am topping up the bug ? Is it just the exactly the same as the starter.
We add as much water as we need to fill the jar back up. Once you add sugar and ginger, all of the bacteria and yeast will multiply again in the newly added water. Good luck!
Just accidentally discovered you guys! I love ginger ale and buy from stores. Interested a lot to get started and give it a try to make it myself. Sub'd to your Channel 🙂
We're so happy you found us Oliver! We hope you get a good batch of ginger ale going. It's delicious! Happy fermenting! 🍺😊🎉
During the process of making ginger bug, I did not fully sterilize the ginger before adding it, which resulted in the growth of many white bubbly bacteria on the ginger bug. However, after two days, these bacteria disappeared. Can I still use my ginger bug?
Hello! Have you checked out our Ginger Bug video? (ruclips.net/video/wtb1BvRUWmI/видео.html) Maybe this one will help because we show you what it should look like during fermentation. When the fermentation process gets going, you'll get lots of bubbles, which creates what looks like some white foam on top. Could this be the bubbly white stuff you're referring to? And then as the bubbles slow down naturally and just become a steady flow of bubbles, the foaminess usually goes away. Hopefully our ginger bug video will be helpful. Happy fermenting!
Hi. I made a ginger bug as per your video but mine got a layer of white mould. What did I do wrong? Must I throw it away and start again?
It’s probably Kahm yeast, and I had the same problem. I fed a TBSP of ginger daily for a week, as well as a TBSP of sugar. House temp 73*
No bubbles.
Not fizzy after 10 days. 😕
I just found your channel while looking for homemade ginger ale. Thank you for all the wealth of info. You guys are a perfect Duo ☺️ Quick question not addressed in this Q&A. If I'm going to use a beer bottle with the crimp caps (to share with others, instead of the swing top bottles) how would you address the bottling since you can't burp after capping?
Great question Matthew! We haven't use the capping method since you can't burp it, but from what we've read by Sandor Katz, he says that you can do a really long ferment to make sure all the sugar is used up. Then he adds maybe 1/4 to 1/2 tsp sugar to the bottle before capping to give the bacteria and yeast a little to eat which will "prime" the bottle. You definitely would want to make sure there's no activity since you wouldn't be able to release the pressure. Some have asked about putting the bottle in boiling water or the oven to kill the ferment but that would be way too dangerous to heat a bottle that's under pressure. Definitely some things to think about so be careful! Happy fermenting!
@@FermentationAdventure Thank you so much for the help. I appreciate it greatly.
Can store bought crushed Ginger already in Jars and we keep it in the fridge be used for a ginger bug.?
Thanks so much for your question! We actually haven't seen store bought crushed ginger except for the powdered kind. It's always possible it could work if they're not pasteurized but we're guessing they probably would kill everything to keep it from going bad. You'd have to test that one out. Let us know how it goes if you do! 😊
Thanks for your Q&A section
My ginger bug is having white mold on day four. Is it still good or I should discard it.
Ooo that doesn't sound good. If you're definitely getting mold we always throw it out and start over. It might possibly be kahm yeast so you'll have to Google pictures of white kahm yeast and decide for yourself. You could also try a different source for your ginger just in case. Good luck!
@@FermentationAdventure Ok
Thanks alot
Great video!
Thank you! Hope it was helpful!
Since gingerbugs use lacto fermentation similar to kombucha honey won't have a negative impact on the brew. Mead is heavy on the honey and has no issue brewing either.
Definitely! Honey in the fermentation process works well. We actually just did a video testing a bunch of different sugars and honey was one of our favorites! 🍺 ruclips.net/video/TTHom2VY2R4/видео.html
Thank you so much for these helpful videos. I was wondering is it normal for the ginger bug to have a slightly slimy consistency?
Oh no! We've had batches where it's gotten thick or slimy before. It's annoying but the only thing we've found that helps is throwing everything out, sanitizing everything, using non-chlorinated water, and the freshest batch of ginger from a different source. Once a bad bacteria gets in there it seems to keep happening. We hope that helps!
Darn. What a bummer! I had a ginger bug that was good and normal. I used it, added and refilled it and when I went to make a second batch with it it was slightly thick. 😢
Oh no! Had you put it back in the refrigerator after you used it and filled it back up with water? That helps slow the fermentation process. Also just make sure you always use non-chlorinated water. And lastly, you could try to let it ferment a few days longer on the counter to see if the thickness will go away. It could be that it got too much sugar content.
@@FermentationAdventure okay, thank you! I'm going to try that. I started to wonder if I put too much sugar and ginger in at once.
can you drink the soda from your tester bottle?
Hi! It's a personal preference because plastics can leech into your ferment, especially if used over longer periods of time. For us, we feel comfortable drinking it out of our tester bottle under a few conditions. We always use #1 food grade quality plastic so that it's stronger and should hold up better than other plastics. We always remove it from the plastic as soon as possible and transfer to a glass bottle. And, we don't reuse the plastic bottles too many times. So ultimately up to you!
@@FermentationAdventure awesome thanks! Love the content! Great info!
@@avoy Thanks so much for watching and being a part of our community!
I was wondering if I put the heat up to warmer temperature will my ginger bug bubble faster.?
Hello! Yes, the warmer the temperature of the environment, the more things ferment. Not too hot though (or direct sunlight) because it could kill your ferment! We like to ferment at 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit.
When you use your ginger bug. Do you just add more distilled water and keep feeding it so you don't run out? Or do you use it up and start a new one?
Thanks for the question Kate! When we feed the ginger bug, we top it right back up with non-chlorinated water so it's ready to go for next time. The only time we start over is if something bad has happened to it which is pretty rare.
Every time! I see this guy he reminds me of dry champagne standard ready to enjoy.
What?? Not sure what you mean but I hope it's good! 😂
Is it possible to do fermentation with sugar cane juice?