I once worked in a popular brewery here in Nigeria but never for once did i try any of the beer products even though it was readily available all around. That’s probably because i’ve got more affinity for sweet things but Just as i was about giving up on all beer, the “Ginger beer” came along.
Maybe because of it’s “sweet” refreshing taste or probably because of the health benefits, Either way ginger beer remains one of the easiest beers to make right at home. This is because, it takes a shorter time to brew unlike other beers which takes longer to brew.
i love ginger beer, Infact the only type of beer you could find in my private stash is ginger beer. Also, the ingredients for homemade preparation are easy to find around the kitchen. Just mix a little bit of ginger, sugar, lime/lemon, activator and the end result is usually this fizzy, sweet drink with a little bit of alcohol (well, not that little though if you leave it for a longer period)…..plus its easy as ABC 🙂
Related Posts: Ginger Recipes
Step 2: Place the grated ginger in a small pot, add the sugar and 2 cups of water. Heat till the sugar dissolves then turn off the burner.
Step 3: Through a fine sieve, Strain the Sugar-ginger syrup into a bowl and once strained completely, leave to cool down.
Step 4: Transfer the strained liquid into a plastic bottle, add the remaining water, lemon or lime juice and bakers yeast. Make sure you leave a little air space in the bottle (This is done to leave room for the gases that’d build up during fermentation). Cover the bottle and shake to mix up all the ingredients as well as activate the yeast to start the carbonation process.
Step 5: Leave to stand in a cool place for about 24-48 hours (Try opening it once or twice to release the carbon dioxide as well as reduce pressure so it doesn’t explode in your face when it’s finally ready).
Step 6: To check if it’s ready press the plastic bottle, if it depresses/ goes in then it’s not ready but if it’s firm and seems swollen then it’s ready. The firmness is caused by the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation.
Step 7: Once it’s ready, gently open up (Best done over the sink) to release pressure. It should bubble or be fizzy (Imagine the reaction you get when you open a carbonated soft drink that has been shaken). Now your drink is ready, but best served cold.
Place in a refrigerator and serve Chilled.
Uses and Health Benefits Of Ginger
In Traditional medicine, ginger has been used as a remedy to various forms of common and uncommon health problems such i.e;
• Ginger contains Chromium, magnesium and Zinc which aids in Normal blood circulation as well as prevent or treat fever, Flu and cold.
• Ginger helps reduce High blood pressure (Hypertension)
• Ginger is effective in relieving menstrual pain
• Ginger helps improve the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body.
• It’s a good remedy for nausea and motion sickness
• It’s Used in relieving Asthma, Heart palpitations
• For pregnant women, it helps combat morning sickness such as nausea and vomiting
• Ginger is a natural expectorant which helps in calming respiratory problems such as cough, throat and nose congestion
• Ginger helps in lowering cholesterol, and also reduces the risk of stroke by inhibiting fatty deposits from the arteries.
• Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties which helps relieve aching muscles and joints.
• Ginger protects against Colorectal /ovarian cancer.
