Ginger Ale

Last summer I experimented with ginger ale. I really like ginger and ginger ale, but I find it's tough to find a really good ginger ale. There's one I have tried called Blenheim's like I like a lot, but it's not always easily located, and it's about the same price as beer. If I'm going to spend that much, I'd rather it have an alcohol content. In light of all that, I decided to make my own. It turned out great, I thought. It had a bit of a kick, and a strong ginger taste. I find a lot of drinks tend to be too sweet (ie. liqueurs) which is why I like to experiment with my own recipes. Here's what I did:

2 large ginger roots (or enough that when ground will make 2 C pulp, add 2 C sugar and it will last for a long time refrigerated)
3 gallons water
8 C sugar (original recipe called for quite a bit more)
2 packages of champagne yeast (.175 oz/5 gram) (called for one, but it didn't get fizzy enough)
2 lemons thinly sliced (they add a really nice flavor and mix great with the ginger)

Boil all ingredients in a large pot for about 10 minutes, let cool, then store in fridge. My 5-gal jar is not airtight so, ince I let it steep for a few days, I strained it into 1-liter plastic bottles to start carbonating. The recipe originally said to leave in a warm place to start the carbonation, but I put the whole thing into the spare fridge and it still worked fine. If you don't have airtight containers (like my 5-gal one) it will not carbonate. When I did filter it, I basically strained it through a fine metal strainer. I did not really "filter" it like through a cheesecloth or anything. I wanted it technically "unfiltered" so very small pieces of ginger stayed in the mix and I didn't mind it being cloudy. It turned out better than store bought in my opinion.

Not airtight, so ok for steeping for a few days, but not for the actual carbonation (note the cloudiness).
  

I ended up buying cheap 1-liter bottles of some unidentified drink at WalMart and dumping it out so I could have the bottles. I ended up with 11-12 bottles. I gave a few away, but drank the majority of it. It was a fun project, and not a terrible amount of work. I think I'll try it again soon.

Buon Appetito!