Apple Spice Ginger Beer

APPLE SPICE GINGER BEER RECIPE (made from scratch with Ginger Bug)

Celebrate apple season with this warming Apple Spice Ginger Beer Recipe!

As the crisp fall air sets in, it’s time to embrace apple season and cozy up with warming spices like cinnamon and cloves. This recipe puts a seasonal twist on classic ginger beer by adding apples and fragrant spices, capturing the flavors of fall in every sip. And, it's super gut-healthy!

Perfect for enjoying on its own or as a mixer for festive cocktails, this ferment is as easy to make as it is delicious—plus, your kitchen will smell aaaaaamazing throughout the process!

Let’s dive in and start brewing your own homemade apple spice ginger beer. 🍎✨

TOOLS:

• 2 Mason jars (16 oz & 32 oz)
• Pickle Pipe
• Tough Band
• Spoon/spatula for stirring (avoid using a metal one as this would react with the acidic environment of the ginger bug)
• medium pot

INGREDIENTS:

For The Ginger Bug (Day 1)

• 1 cup dechlorinated water
• 1 tbsp finely chopped or grated ginger (skin on)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Food For The Ginger Bug, To Keep It Happy (Every 24 Hours – For 2-3 Days)

• 1 tbsp finely chopped or grated ginger (skin on)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

For The Ginger Beer

• 4 cups dechlorinated water
• 1 apple, chopped (any kind)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 5-6 tbsp ginger, chopped
• 1/4 cup strained ginger bug liquid
• Spice mix: 4 cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves

INSTRUCTIONS:

(Day 1) MAKE YOUR GINGER BUG:

To cultivate your own wild yeast (Ginger Bug), combine filtered water with brown sugar, and finely chopped ginger and place in a 16 oz Mason jar.

Mix together until the sugar is dissolved, cover with the Pickle Pipe and secure it with Tough Band. Let it sit for 24 hours.

(Every 24 Hours – For 2-3 Days) FEED YOUR GINGER BUG:

Moving forward, add the same amount of ginger and sugar every 24 hours until it becomes fizzy (don’t add any more water). Mix well till sugar dissolves.

This should take about 2-3 days.

Your ginger bug won’t get extremely fizzy. If you see or hear a bit of fizz when you stir the mixture, it’s ready to use.

MAKE THE GINGER BEER:

Once the ginger bug is fizzy (ready to be used in the next steps), pour 4 cups of water into a medium-sized pot. To that, add in your apple, brown sugar, spices and ginger.

Bring up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for 5-8 minutes.

Now, let it cool down naturally until it reaches room temperature (be patient and let the mixture fully cool down), leaving all of the ingredients in there to steep.

Once it cools down to the room temperature, strain your liquid through a fine mesh colander. You can strain it straight to the 1-quart Mason jar (32 oz).

Next, strain the ginger bug into another Mason jar. Add ¼ cup of the strained ginger bug to your ginger beer mixture. You can refrigerate the leftover ginger bug in a Mason jar with an airtight lid on for 1-2 weeks and make more ginger beer or experiment with different fermented sodas (feed your ginger bug once a week with more ginger and sugar to keep it active - use the same feeding method as above, 1 tbsp ginger and 1 tbsp sugar).

Stir well until thoroughly combined.

Secure the jar with the Pickle Pipe and Tough Band.

Let it sit in a dark place such as a kitchen cupboard for 6-12 days or until the mixture is fizzy.

Once it’s reached the level of fizziness that you like, you can transfer it to flip-top bottles and refrigerate it (or leave it in a Mason jar with a regular lid on). 

How To Serve:

We like to serve it on ice with apple slices or with a shot of whiskey for a warming winter cocktail!

 Enjoy!