Straining the ginger and lemon peel steep

Last weekend I experimented with making some homemade ginger ale after watching an episode of Good Eats on the robust rhizome. It turned out great and last night I decided to make another batch with the leftover ginger. I documented my progress on Twitter so people could follow along at home.

1. Gather and prepare all your ingredients (the French call this mise en place)
2. Create a ginger and lemon peel-infused simple syrup
3. Strain the simple syrup and let it come to room temperature (we don’t want to kill our yeast)
4. Add yeast to a clean 2 liter bottle
5. Squeeze the juice of two lemons (no seeds please) into the room temp simple syrup
6. Add the syrup and about seven cups of filtered water to the 2 liter bottle (you added the yeast, right?). Cap. Shake.

Leave this on your counter for 24 to 48 hours or until the bottle is very firm—like how a 2 liter from the store would feel. Place the bottle in the fridge to stop the fermentation and chill the ale. Never by store bought ginger ale again.

Author’s Note: Yeast are hungry little buggers and will continue to eat sugar and fart CO2 as long as they are at room temperature. It’s important to place the bottle in the fridge once it feels hard to avoid a messy explosion. Also, do not use glass to ferment the soda. You won’t be able to tell how much carbonation has been created and a glass explosion can be dangerous. Happy brewing!