Is Ginger Beer Carbonated?

So you’re wondering “is ginger beer carbonated?” Well, the answer is yes.

But that yes comes in varying degrees, as with anything fermented.

From the original ginger ale to the modern-day ginger beer and all the way through variations on both, carbonation is a tricky issue when it comes to this beverage.

The History of Ginger Beer

Ginger beer is a relatively new drink in terms of fermented beverages, and was originally created by an Irish doctor and apothecary named Thomas Joseph Cantrell. The drink travelled across the Atlantic and was tweaked a bit, turning it into a soft drink rather than an actual ale, by a Canadian chemist who had opened a soda bottling plant named John J. McLaughlin.

It is no surprise to think of Cantrell creating a ginger ale. As an apothecary he would have known of the powerful medicinal properties of ginger and found a way to work them into an appetizing beverage. He may even have known of the history of the root itself.

Ginger Root

Contrary to popular belief, ginger does not actually (usually) grow in the wild, although cultures in China and India have been using the root for at least 5000 years.

But once the root is planted, it will take hold in the soil and then grow more roots from there, growing to full maturity after 8 to 10 months.

Even in those early days of discovery, though, and despite the lengthy maturity time, cultures in the east called on ginger for a variety of medicinal purposes.

Health Benefits of Ginger

Today, we have the scientific studies to support what indigenous societies knew thousands of years ago.

Ginger is a miracle food of sorts.

The most important element in ginger lies in its natural oil, the most powerful among them being gingerol – an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant substance that helps eliminate free radicals from the body.

Ginger has long been used for the full range of digestive issues – from nausea and upset stomach to morning sickness and chronic indigestion.

Recent literature shows ginger can help maintain a healthy weight and has a positive effect on obesity.

One study has shown that ginger can reduce pain, including menstrual pain, and disability.

Another shows ginger helps drastically lower blood sugar, cholesterol, and improve heart disease risk factors.

Finally, ginger has shown to potentially offer cancer fighting properties and improve brain function.

The list is seemingly endless.

From Ginger to Ginger Beer

It is no wonder then that an apothecary would think to ferment ginger and turn it into a beer.

It offers a perfect delivery system as a mellowed down version of what can be a super spicy root, and in its fermented version it also provides a safety factor with the addition of alcohol that will kill toxins in any water used to make the ale.

As a beer, it has increased anti-bacterial and probiotic elements that are good for the human system.

Unfortunately, while the Canadian version of ginger ale simply added a sort of sugary ginger tea to soda water for mass distribution, other mass market corporations distributed what they called ginger ale that actually had no ginger in it.

Recent generations that have grown up drinking Canada Dry Ginger Ale never actually got all those health benefits from ginger as the beverage is made with carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, preservatives, and “natural flavors,” most of which are not derived from ginger and only a miniscule amount of ginger flavor extract.

On a good note, you can still find authentic ginger beer, like Reed’s Real Ginger Ale or Fever Tree’s brand that tastes nice and gingery.

Just be sure to check your labels. Or make your own.

How to Make Ginger Beer

The biggest issue with ginger beer is not how to make it – it’s super easy! But how to carbonate it.

Because, like any beer or other fermented drink, it will be naturally carbonated of course, thanks to the yeast producing carbon dioxide along with the alcohol during fermentation.

Test Your Yeast

Of course, you don’t have to make alcoholic ginger beer; you don’t have to ferment the drink at all.

There are two approaches to making this beverage.

Alcoholic Ginger Beer

To make the originally conceived ginger beer, you will need the following:

3 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons of yeast
2 lemons
7 tablespoons of finely grated ginger
7 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 glass jar
1 clean soda bottle with lid

Cut your lemon into pieces, and boil them along with the ginger and sugar in your water. Let the mixture simmer down for about 30 minutes and then turn off the heat, allowing to cool to room temperature.

Add the warm mixture and your yeast to the glass jar. Cover the jar with a kitchen towel and a rubber band, and let it sit in a warm dark place for about a week, until the bubbling has stopped.

Now your ginger beer has fermented.

Fill your soda bottles through a strainer until they are about ¾ full and place lids on them, then immediately move them to the refrigerator to stop fermentation entirely.

Your ginger beer will be lightly carbonated and have an ABV between 3 and 5 percent.

Non-Alcoholic Ginger Beer

Now, if you want to make ginger beer with absolutely no alcohol, all you have to do is make a ginger tea concentrate and then add soda water.

I like to boil down 3 or 4 good sized ginger roots in a large pot of boiling water with a half cup of sugar. I let the water simmer down to about half its original volume.

From there, you can add any flavors you like, including lemon, and then combine your “tea” with soda water.

Your ginger beer will be very bubbly!

Cheers!

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