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e out the apples.</p></blockquote><p id="baa4">From there I added just over a gallon of water and brought the apples to a boil.</p><figure id="0d28"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*1gQNkrVnJ_vUVaNbvDd7Jg.jpeg"><figcaption>Whatever apples are available to you in your region will be fine.</figcaption></figure><p id="9091">Leave the apples to boil for 20 minutes. Once the time has run out, strain the apples out and leave the apple-infused water in the pot.</p><p id="4f50">To the pot add a large piece of ginger, chopped finely. After that, add about 1 to 1.5 cups of sugar. Finally, squeeze the juice of one lemon into the pot. Stir the mixture until the sugar is well dissolved.</p><h2 id="fb7e">Now you play the waiting game</h2><p id="0bc0">Cover the pot and let it rest until it’s reached room temperature. Don’t be like me and jump the gun, the mixture must reach room temperature before adding the bug.</p><p id="9c23">If the mixture is too hot you’ll scold the bacteria in the bug and kill them. If the bacteria dies, all you’re left with is apple flavoured sugar water… ick.</p><figure id="bdd6"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*Oug4WOuQbBogcZPkHyPtig.jpeg"><figcaption>The yeast living on the ginger skin definitely adds more life to your bug.</figcaption></figure><p id="9422">Once the mixture is definitely at room temperature and 100% absolutely definitely not hot, fill up your bottles with the mixture. Make sure you leave enough room on top for the bug and for headspace.</p><p id="db50">Headspace is air left at the top of the bottle for carbon dioxide to fill. Not leaving any will result in either an un-carbonated beverage <i>(best case) </i>or an exploded bottle <i>(worse case).</i></p><p id="9d49">Only a third of a cup of bug is needed for each bottle in my experience, but I always add a bit more than that. <i>(500 ml sized bottles).</i></p><p id="8f90">You only need enough to introduce your strain of beneficial bacteria to the sugary, fruity environment you’ve created.</p><p id="999d">Once inside the bottle, the bacteria will get to work eating sugar and belching out carbon dioxide. The CO2 will escape into the headspace and reverberate back into the drink, which causes the beverage to carbonate. The longer you leave it, the fizzier it will get. <i>(If you leave it longer still, your bacteria may start belching out alcohol as well as carbon dioxide. So be warned).</i></p><p id="68b7">You can avoid alcohol by always using a young ginger bug and by making sure it only s

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tays in secondary carbonation a couple days.</p><p id="c662">You can encourage alcohol by leaving it longer, adding more sugar, and letting your ginger bug age before using. (Make sure you keep feeding it. Fatten it up with extra sugar to have it start producing alcohol sooner).</p><p id="cc70">I’ve never done this, but I hear tell that you can add champaign yeast to your bug to really encourage alcohol production. I’m going to try it one of these days and keep you posted on the results.</p><h2 id="1020">A Few Days Later…</h2><p id="e495">Once a few days have passed, refrigerate the drink to stop the secondary fermentation process. If you leave it too long, you risk explosion.</p><figure id="fddd"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*xq6eSzEQC4frNnV2GPQ24w.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@jens_johnsson?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Jens Johnsson</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/explosion?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><p id="b5fc">Once the drink is cold it will stop the carbonation process and you won’t have to worry about KABOOM.</p><p id="ae43">Keep it refrigerated until the next hot day you’d otherwise reach for a beer. Now you can reach for your far healthier probiotic apple/ginger beer instead. Happy guzzling!</p><div id="799d" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/brewing-homemade-health-potion-bf2668b6c87f"> <div> <div> <h2>Brewing Homemade Health Potion</h2> <div><h3>Fermented honey with garlic. Who knew?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*4LevFRn_zLxf4etKhXlXaw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="5f39" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/why-ferment-ac5631390706"> <div> <div> <h2>Why Ferment?</h2> <div><h3>Could you use trillions of lil’ doctors?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*MhLluMr62N8pJEeiu--0Iw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Brewing Apple Ginger Beer at Home

Put that ginger bug to good use!

The best thing about making a ginger beer from your bug is that any combination of flavours is possible!

As long as you’re providing the necessary sugar for your bacteria buddies to munch on, the sky’s the limit.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about when I refer to ginger bug, check out the below reading for more information..

Cultivating a Ginger Bug in Winter

Your newest pet doesn’t need a litter box, but does need love

medium.com

For the rest of you with a bug bubbling and a thirst that needs quenching, read on for delicious satisfaction.

Turning your bug into a beverage

My bug was ready to go, which means I needed to whip up something sugary to dilute it with before enjoying it.

I looked around my kitchen for inspiration and noticed that after making apple cider vinegar the other day, I had about 10 apples left over. So I coarsely chopped the apples and added them to a pot.

To make regular ginger beer, follow the same recipe but leave out the apples.

From there I added just over a gallon of water and brought the apples to a boil.

Whatever apples are available to you in your region will be fine.

Leave the apples to boil for 20 minutes. Once the time has run out, strain the apples out and leave the apple-infused water in the pot.

To the pot add a large piece of ginger, chopped finely. After that, add about 1 to 1.5 cups of sugar. Finally, squeeze the juice of one lemon into the pot. Stir the mixture until the sugar is well dissolved.

Now you play the waiting game

Cover the pot and let it rest until it’s reached room temperature. Don’t be like me and jump the gun, the mixture must reach room temperature before adding the bug.

If the mixture is too hot you’ll scold the bacteria in the bug and kill them. If the bacteria dies, all you’re left with is apple flavoured sugar water… ick.

The yeast living on the ginger skin definitely adds more life to your bug.

Once the mixture is definitely at room temperature and 100% absolutely definitely not hot, fill up your bottles with the mixture. Make sure you leave enough room on top for the bug and for headspace.

Headspace is air left at the top of the bottle for carbon dioxide to fill. Not leaving any will result in either an un-carbonated beverage (best case) or an exploded bottle (worse case).

Only a third of a cup of bug is needed for each bottle in my experience, but I always add a bit more than that. (500 ml sized bottles).

You only need enough to introduce your strain of beneficial bacteria to the sugary, fruity environment you’ve created.

Once inside the bottle, the bacteria will get to work eating sugar and belching out carbon dioxide. The CO2 will escape into the headspace and reverberate back into the drink, which causes the beverage to carbonate. The longer you leave it, the fizzier it will get. (If you leave it longer still, your bacteria may start belching out alcohol as well as carbon dioxide. So be warned).

You can avoid alcohol by always using a young ginger bug and by making sure it only stays in secondary carbonation a couple days.

You can encourage alcohol by leaving it longer, adding more sugar, and letting your ginger bug age before using. (Make sure you keep feeding it. Fatten it up with extra sugar to have it start producing alcohol sooner).

I’ve never done this, but I hear tell that you can add champaign yeast to your bug to really encourage alcohol production. I’m going to try it one of these days and keep you posted on the results.

A Few Days Later…

Once a few days have passed, refrigerate the drink to stop the secondary fermentation process. If you leave it too long, you risk explosion.

Once the drink is cold it will stop the carbonation process and you won’t have to worry about KABOOM.

Keep it refrigerated until the next hot day you’d otherwise reach for a beer. Now you can reach for your far healthier probiotic apple/ginger beer instead. Happy guzzling!