The homebrew, ginger beer saga continues, although I'm beginning to suspect that the final payoff will not match the amount of effort each batch takes. Batch #3 came back incredibly flat and tasting of yeast, so I'd invested in some champagne yeast, which are meant to have a more mild flavor. Batch #4 was also the first in which a full amount of sugar was added for the fermentation. Apparently, ginger, on it's own, doesn't have enough natural sugars. After the primary and secondary fermentation, I'd moved Batch #4 to bottles with a touch more sugar to carbonate/bottle condition. I also added non-fermentable Stevia for some added sweetness. As it stat, the bottles built pressure (I'd also filled plastic bottle to judge.)

After 4 weeks, I put the bottles in the fridge to contain the dissolved CO2 and slow any remaining fermentation. This week I finally tried one. The carbonation was definitely there, and the yeast flavor had substantially diminished. The remaining flavor, however, seemed...hollow? less balanced? lacking somehow... My guess is that I hadn't used enough sweetener (I could say it was dry.) Or, because I used white cane sugar, there was nothing extra to help round out the flavor. Also, I was surprised by how clear the final product was. Talk about light beer!

Batch #5 is already on the way though. Since the process is so involved, I've been trying to process all in one go. This past weekend, I cycled the primary to secondary fermentation. Although this is probably the easiest operation, it still requires lots of sanitation and water. Also, since the goal is to separate the liquid from the scum, there's an art to setting up the siphon without disturbing the jug.