Buy Ginger Beer Plant

The true Ginger Beer Plant dates back to around the 1700s and is not actually a plant at all. Instead, it is a living organism, best described by a man called Harry Marshall Ward as being "a composite organism consisting of a fungus, the yeast Saccharomyces florentinus (formerly Saccharomyces pyriformis) and the bacterium Lactobacillus hilgardii (formerly Brevibacterium vermiforme)." This organism forms a gelatinous cluster which moves about within its jar naturally, and when used correctly can allow you to make a lifetime's supply of authentic, naturally fizzy alcoholic ginger beer that used to be commonplace in most UK households.

buy ginger beer plant

There are many recipes on the Internet for the so-called 'Ginger Beer Plant', but most of these call for the use of brewers yeast, which therefore results in fermentation, but NOT an authentic Ginger Beer Plant. Traditionally at the end of each batch of Ginger Beer, the 'plant' would be halved, and the second half was given away to friends, family or neighbours in order for them to start their own Ginger Beer Plant, whilst the remaining half would be used to make the next batch of Ginger Beer. These days it is incredibly difficult to get hold of an authentic Ginger Beer Plant, and it is widely assumed that this is because it virtually died out during the rationing in World War II. It is not impossible, however, and there are suppliers on the internet selling the authentic plant, although you need to be sure this is what you are buying as there is no legislation governing the description of the Ginger Beer Plant. As I understand it there are some reliable links on Wikipedia which lead to authentic Ginger Beer Plant suppliers.

Using this method you will see there is no brewer's yeast added to the recipe, the fermentation happens naturally within the jar once the ginger root and sugar are left together for a week or so and the Saccharomyces florentinus yeast is naturally produced.

Assuming you manage to either make yourself, or to find, an authentic supplier of Ginger Beer Plant you then have the ability to make some delicious, naturally fizzy ginger beer of your own in under a week. The only additional ingredients you will need are sugar, lemon juice, fresh or ground ginger and a couple of litres of chlorine free water, (either use bottled mineral water or leave tap water overnight to allow the chlorine to evaporate naturally).

If using fresh ginger root you will need to scald it before using. The reason for scalding is to kill any bacteria. Wash the ginger root and then drop it into a saucepan of boiling water for a minute or so.

Add water to the fermenting vessel.Juice the lemon, you can also grate a bit of the zest into the grated ginger. Put a teaspoon or two into the water.Add the ginger and lemon zest to a square of muslin cloth. Pull the sides together and secure the corners into a bundle with your elastic band.Add the sugar to the water and stir in.

The gelatinous substance that remains in the muslin is your Ginger Beer Plant and should now be returned to its jar in a warm place two-thirds filled with dechlorinated water and fed daily with a teaspoon of sugar and half a teaspoon of ginger. Keep the level of dechlorinated water topped up until you use your Ginger Beer Plant next. Keep a lid on the jar (or a piece of muslin secured with an elastic band), but don't tighten it completely or your jar will explode, air has to be able to escape. As your plant gets bigger you will need to halve it and either some it to a friend so they can start their own plant, or discard it.

Homemade Ginger Beer makes an excellent Christmas gift and has the advantage that it can be made very quickly. Another great gift is the actual Ginger Beer Plant itself, either as a portion of your own plant, or purchased from a reliable online supplier of the authentic Ginger Beer Plant. For an unusual gift that keeps on giving, why not buy a Ginger Beer Plant for your loved one today?

The ginger beer plant (GBP) is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. Although a similar concept to water kefir; GBP grains are smaller, slower growing, and have a sandy-grain-like appearance, unlike kefir grains which are larger and rapidly growing.

You are supplied with 1 tablespoon of ginger beer culture which is enough to ferment 1-2L of ginger beer. All you need is sugar, unchlorinated water, ginger root, powder or juice, and your ginger beer culture. Dissolve your sugar in water, add ginger and then add your culture. Leave for a few days for it to ferment. You can then drain off your fermented ginger beer while reserving the culture for the next brew. Bottle your ginger beer for additional carbonation (this is called 2nd stage fermentation).

Ginger beer plant culture arrived quickly and we have already made 2 batches of lovely refreshing ginger beer... instructions are easy to follow...marvellous product ... takes me right back to my childhood

Wonderful service in getting the plant to me.I have got Kumbocha, Jun, and water Kefir producing wonderfully - but the ginger beer plant just does not seem to be working for me. I am sure it is all to do with me - but just do not know what to do. I will keep going tho - just in case!

Hi Sharon. Please feel free too always contact us for support. Ginger beer is slow to multiple but ferments sugars much quicker than other ferments and thus needs more feeding. Let us know if we can help

I puchased the ginger beer plant and have made a few bottles. Im currently trialing the amount of ginger to add to get the spice right, but its very easy. I had tried numerous home made ginger bugs for gingerbeer with varying success, but using this plant is so easy

Ginger beer's origins date from the colonial spice trade with the Orient and the sugar-producing islands of the Caribbean.[1] It was popular in Britain and its colonies from the 18th century. Other spices were variously added and any alcohol content was limited to 2% by excise tax laws in 1855.[2] Few brewers have maintained an alcoholic product.[3]

Ginger beer is still produced at home using a symbiotic colony of yeast and a Lactobacillus (bacteria) known as a "ginger beer plant" or from a "ginger bug" starter created from fermenting ginger, sugar, and water.[4]

Brewed ginger beer originated in Yorkshire in England in the mid-18th century[5] and became popular throughout Britain, the United States, Ireland, South Africa and Canada, reaching a peak of popularity in the early 20th century.[6]

Brewed ginger beer originated in the UK, but is sold worldwide. Crabbie's is a popular brand in the UK.[7] It is usually labelled "alcoholic ginger beer" to distinguish it from the more established commercial ginger beers, which are often not brewed using fermentation but carbonated with pressurized carbon dioxide,[8] though traditional non-alcoholic ginger beer may also be produced by brewing.[9]

Ginger beer plant (GBP), a form of fermentation starter, is used to create the fermentation process. Also known as "bees wine", "Palestinian bees", "Californian bees", and "balm of Gilead",[10][11] it is not a plant but a composite organism comprising the yeast Saccharomyces florentinus (formerly S. pyriformis) and the bacterium Lactobacillus hilgardii (formerly Brevibacterium vermiforme),[12][13] which form a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). It forms a gelatinous substance that allows it to be easily transferred from one fermenting substrate to the next, much like kefir grains, kombucha, and tibicos.[14]The GBP was first described by Harry Marshall Ward in 1892, from samples he received in 1887.[13][15][16] Original ginger beer is brewed by leaving water, sugar, ginger, optional ingredients such as lemon juice and cream of tartar, and GBP to ferment for several days, converting some of the sugar into alcohol. GBP may be obtained from several commercial sources. Until about 2008 laboratory-grade GBP was available only from the yeast bank Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen in Germany (catalogue number DMS 2484),[11] but the item is no longer listed. The National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC) had an old sample of "Bees wine" as of 2008[update], but current staff have not used it, and NCYC are unable to supply it for safety reasons, as the exact composition of the sample is unknown.[11]

In the UK, the origins of the original ginger beer plant is unknown. When a batch of ginger beer was made using some ginger beer "plant" (GBP), the jelly-like residue was also bottled and became the new GBP. Some of this GBP was kept for making the next batch of ginger beer, and some was given to friends and family, so the plant was passed on through generations. Following Ward's research and experiments, he created his own ginger beer from a new plant that he had made, and he proposed, but did not prove, that the plant was created by contaminants found on the raw materials, with the yeast coming from the raw brown sugar and the bacteria coming from the ginger root.[17] 041b061a72