Lambics 101

This is an easy, illustrated introduction to lacto-fermented ginger-ale and how-to for making lambic style drinks. You can make healthy soda replacements without store-bought yeast or kefir grains just using things you already have in your kitchen. So this ginger-ale is not only healthy, but frugal, as you are wresting some of your ingredients from the air itself.

So, to explain a little more about lambics. Lambics are a variety of beers and beers with fruit juice added that are cultivated using wild yeast meaning they are lacto-fermented. They taste different than conventional beers as they also have the strong presence of lacto-bacilli. The finished product smells a lot like sourdough which has not be fed frequently enough and has developed a clear layer of hooch, which is a lacto-bacilli product. Their fruity smell complements fruit juice well and a delicious, very low alcohol drink called Frambozen is a lacto-fermented sprouted (malted) barley drink with the generous amount of fresh raspberries added. It is hot pink, bubbly, lacto-fermented with an alcohol content around 2.5%. Look for a import, as most domestics just have slights amount of extracts added, so look for raspberries in the ingredients list and look for the word lambic on the label, which means it is lacto-fermented. It is a great alternative to wine and beer but stains like the devil, so be careful.

To start your batch, you will need organic ginger-root. Many conventional gingers are irradiated and might not support the life of the yeasts and lacto-bacilli, so really this is important. If you can't find it, try the instructions anyway, as some friends have had decent luck starting with conventional. Cut a piece about  one inch long and peel it. Slice thinly and lay the pieces out on a plate. You want to give the local yeasts and lacto-bacilli a chance to land on the ginger and start to reproduce. Remember, these beneficial organism are present in the air all around and your job is to capture them. The slices only need to stay out for a couple of hours, the surface will have enough critters present by then. Drop all the pieces into a pint or pint-and-a-half size canning jar and one cup of water, eyeballing is just fine. Add a scant tablespoon of cheap white sugar like you add to kombucha. Remember, the sugar is not for you, it's for the yeasts and you don't mind if they get wild and crazy on it. Put the lid and ring on, shake it up, put it down and walk away. The lid and ring will prevent additional lacto-bacilli from entering and just cultivate what's there so it will still be lambic-y, but less so. It also won't contaminate other cultures you have going on, so if your counters are getting full, don't worry about this one.

Every morning when you get up, add a teaspoonful more sugar, put the lid back on, shake it up, walk away. After a few days you will see bubbles and froth when you add sugar and this is a good sign. Within five days or so you will hear a "pop" when you open the jar which indicates that it is ready to make ginger-ale. If you don't get a pop in a week, start over with new ginger because we can't be sure what you are feeding all the sugar to and you could get sick drinking it. Make sure that you have a clean gallon jug or jar available, I use a gallon glass jar that held organic apple juice. Boil a quart of water on the stove and add to it one and a half cups of evaporated cane or rapadura. Stir well. Add two more quarts of water to cool the sugar solution down. Add the juice of two lemons or 2/3 of a cup of bottles juice and the ginger starter. If you want to keep your starter to cultivate it for additional batches, use the lid to keep the ginger in the jar as well as about  an inch depth of liquid, while pouring in the starter. If you figure you can always make another starter, you are right, and dump away. Stir well. If keeping a starter, put a few slices of fresh ginger in your bottle.

Place your bottle or jar in the sink and set a large funnel into it. Carefully pour your ginger solution into the vessel. Cap tightly, even using some plastic wrap under the lid, and rinse off. Set the ginger-ale in a room temperature place for about two weeks and then try it. You can do a secondary ferment after one week in bottles, but you can also keep it in this container. A secondary ferment should not be allowed to go more than one week on the counter and should go into the fridge to prevent explosions. Immediately after sealing up this batch, add one cup of water and another teaspoon of sugar to your starter to keep it going. Again, when you get a pop, it is ready for the next batch.

If leaving the ginger-ale in one large container, you will lose bubbles every time you open it. I would suggest adding a small amount of sugar (like a teaspoon) and closing it at least once a day and leaving it at room temperature effectively making it a giant starter. Then you can have bubbles throughout. Because it won't be cold, you can serve it over ice. If you start to notice excessive pressure when you open it, stop adding sugar, pop in the fridge and just finish it off quickly. If you have fewer kids than I, maybe quart size jars or bottling in beer bottles or swing tops are a better choice for you. Cheers!

Ready to start making more probiotic drinks? There is no reason to stop now, try some of my other how-to's. Check out my tutorials for kombucha and water kefir using the top tabs.