Ginger Cider

Today I bottled a new batch and new flavor. As I brew less because I’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, and am down to drinking one bottle a week, this recipe is for 3 gallons not the standard 5.

I used to love ginger beer (not ale) but it is almost impossible to buy anymore. So as with the cider I looked for recipe’s to make home made ginger beer. There are a bunch and all are similar to traditional cider making, so. . . . .



Instead of plain Cider to a basic recipe I added a good sized chunk of ginger root (1/2 the root as sold at the grocery store). It was prepared by pealing and slicing it as thin as I could, boiling in about 2 cups of water for 5 min and letting sit to room temp. It was added to my 3 gallon carboy, with all the ginger pieces, and then the cider was made as normal.

The Cider came out delightfully spicy but it needed a bit more punch, next time I’ll use the entire root. It’s sweet and about 14% alcohol.
Recipe:

1 ginger root (whole thing)

1 oz Green Apple Extract

2 lbs sugar

2.5 gallons Winn Dixie Apple Juice

1 pkg Safale US-05 Dry Ale Yeast