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GBP1 each: $18.00 USD Ginger Beer PlantGinger Beer Plant is an anaerobic ginger beer starter culture, a natural occurring self-propagating organism comparable to gelatinous lichen. It consists of primary yeast known as Saccharomyces pyriformis and a primary bacteria species Brevibacterium vermiforme, now known as Lactobacillus hilgardii (H. Marshall Ward Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Vol. 183, 1892), which brings about the fermentation of sugar solution, to which ginger has been added, and transforms them into an acidic, effervescent beverage, with a pleasing gingery aroma known as ginger beer. The exact origin of the ginger beer plant is a mystery, but it is considered to have originated in the Caucasus region and brought back to England during the Crimean war (Beijerinck, 1899). The ginger beer plant consists of various sized “grains” or particles that are “knobby looking” or brain like and can be used over and over again to produce a variety of ginger beer soft drinksThe gelatinous ginger beer plant (often referred to as the “real ginger beer plant”), as distinguished from the delicate, wild caught yeast variety, consisting of ginger sludge that circulates by the same name and for which the gelatinous ginger beer plant was named, was at one time in wide usage as a ginger beer starter culture, especially in England, until wars brought shortages of sugar and spices with which to maintain it, thus contributing to its demise. As did prohibition because lacto-fermented ginger beer contains minuscule alcohol. Then, with the advent of commercial, carbonated ginger beers, it became a thing of the past. But, it is now making a comeback. And can be once again widely enjoyed! Making frothy, fizzy, old-fashioned, lacto-fermented ginger ale/beer is fairly simple, requiring no additional yeast, seltzer water, or forced carbonation. Just add the ginger beer plant as your ginger beer starter culture to a container of sweetened water to which ground ginger has been added along with a little lemon and lime juice, cover loosely to keep oxygen out and allow carbon dioxide to escape, set in a warm location for several days while the yeast converts the dissolved oxygen and sugar to CO2 and alcohol and provides a suitable environment for the bacteria to begin converting the remaining sugar and alcohol traces into lactic acid and release even more CO2. With just enough sweetness remaining for taste, it is time to bottle and begin a secondary ferment to develop fizz before refrigerating and consuming. Safety Note: as carbonation levels cannot be controlled in soda making, we strongly advise against bottling in glass bottles because fermentation and pressure buildup will not subside until bottles are refrigerated, which can lead to dangerously explosive bottles and possible injury. Refrigeration doesn’t stop fermentation: it merely retards it. Releasing caps momentarily will ease pressure. Ginger beer plant comes in a dormant state and must be revived in sweetened water for twenty-four hours before use, allowing it to swell from approximately two teaspoonfuls of granules to three or four tablespoonfuls (45-60 ml), where it is then ready to produce homemade ginger beer over and over again. Three tablespoonfuls of ginger beer plant will produce up to 3 quarts of ginger beer at a time without the addition of more ginger beer plant granules, granules that may be produced by the ginger beer plant as it reproduces in the process of making ginger beer. But because ginger beer plant can be a reluctant reproducer additional granules may or may not occur. Nevertheless, with care, ginger beer plant can last indefinitely and be used to produce an abundant supply of homemade ginger beer. Instructions and fifteen flavorsome ginger beer recipes are included with each order. | |
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