I miss the sound of exploding bottles.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Hi all,
I grew up to the sound of ginger beer bottles exploding under the house as many other Queenslanders no doubt did as well.
We used to have a wort that lived in a big jar that we used to feed until it grew to a certain size and would be ready for the next batch when it would be halved. That wort was a close to an alien life form as any young nipper could encounter back then. We would constantly watch this light grey blob to see if we could catch it flipping over. I guess there was less distractions for kids then.:o
Anyway I was telling my kids about this and of course theyre full of questions... and as I still love the taste of ginger beer I thought OK I'll make some up.:)
Not so simple ..or rather too simple! All the searches I've done (not too much) suggests that everything comes in instant kit form now - no wort ..well not like I'm talking.
So is there any forumites that still brew ginger beer the tradition way that can tell me if I can make a wort or do you have to get a piece of someone elses and grow it on?
Thirstily awaiting a responce.

[DavidG]

Ginger beer (http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=49832)

[Cliff Rogers]

I just buy the Bundaberg Ginger Beer from the drink fridge at all good stockists. Bloody hard to beat. ;)

[echnidna]

The Old fashioned ginger beer plant or wort you remember is alcoholic.
It carbonates as a by product of yeast and sugar fermenting.

The Bundy stuff is non alcoholic.

Hmm a bitta playin wif a recipe and with the right yeast could give 30% proof ginger beer.

Now that'd taste much better than the last lot of hooch I made
Drunk on 1 glass :)
Fall off a kitchen chair after 2 glasses :eek:
Crawl to bed after 3 glasses. :cool:

Hmmm, where did I put me fermenters an thermometers etc, sounds like a good exercize,

purely from a scientific point of view you realise ;)

[Wood Butcher]

I just buy the Bundaberg Ginger Beer from the drink fridge at all good stockists. Bloody hard to beat. ;)

Even better when you have a brother that lives in Bundy and visits every couple of months with a carton of Bundy Ginger Beer and a ctn of their real Sarsparilla as well.

Bleedin,

My mum used to make Ginger Beer like that, I'll ask her next time we're on the phone and see what I can do!

[Cliff Rogers]

...a carton of Bundy Ginger Beer and a ctn of their real Sarsparilla as well....!

I like the Sars but it has a bit too much sugar for old pharts.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Thanks Rowan.
Also Bob if you are right ....No wander I liked it so much when I was younger.
PS about 15 years ago or so I went through the home brew kick and made a few good bevies. I did do a ginger beer mix once only - alcoholic of course. I dont know what I did wrong but it was the best brew I ever made. I called it Ginger Champagne. It poured and held its bead just as champagne does but with a ginger beer taste it also had a kick...What more can one ask for.

Also Cliff there is no comparison between good home made and mass produced Ginger beer. Infact I bet there is a good Sars recipe out there waiting to be rediscovered.

[Cliff Rogers]

.....Cliff there is no comparison between good home made and mass produced Ginger beer.....
I'm lazy & I still reckon they can do a better job than me. :D

[Bleedin Thumb]

Guess your right, anyway at least you dont have to risk a whole batch exploding under your house.

[bennylaird]

Remember the Marchants bottles with the plastic screw on top? The glass was thick with channels all over like a hand grenade, come to think of it it behaved like a hand grenade as well:D :D :D

I remember waking up in the shower fully clothed water running after a few glasses of a rather effective batch. :eek: :eek:

[goat]

i remember when i was a kid having a ginger beer plant in the kitchen and haveing to feed it untill ready to bottle then stashed under the house ,also remember my brother and i getting the jug cord around our butts for helping our selves to a few bottles :o

[Bleedin Thumb]

So we werent the only kids to get the jug cord?

Unless.... is that you Bro?

[bennylaird]

Doesn't seem to have done you any harm:D :D :D :p

[Bleedin Thumb]

All the good work done by the jug cord and the Catholic upbringing seems to have come unravelled once I discovered sex, drugs and rock & roll:p

Then I discovered the joy of wood. Helleluiah, Praise the Lord!:D

[bennylaird]

So no more sex, drugs and rock & roll:D :D :D :D

[Tonyz]

Home made ginger beer ........... aaahhh gods own milk. remember as a kid storing some in the basement. One nite a bloody BIG bang blew out 2 windows... one of our house the other the mercedes parked next door. wew never tried that brew the ole man poured it out.
Tony

[Bluegum]

I'm about to start brewing it here at home. We tried some of the cascade brew here the other day. it was nice but I want to give my own a go and see how it turns out. I can store it at my in laws as they have a high set home with a cool and dark area underneath it. Better than here at home with is being a low set place and the shed is corro so its to hot in the summer.