Has anyone made ginger beer before?

I have!

I based mine off of this recipe, but I did make a few changes.

First off, I used a one liter seltzer bottle, and followed the same ratios for the sugar, lemon and yeast (half cup of sugar, half a lemon, 1/8 of a teaspoon of yeast.) But I used a LOT more ginger than that recipe calls for. I used about half or a large ginger root, grated.

I let it sit for 24 hours in the cabinet, then another 24 hours in the fridge before opening it. You have to be very careful opening it, since it will fizz all over the place. I opened mine as I would a soda bottle and ended up losing about a quarter of the bottle.

At the time of opening, mine was decent, but the yeast taste was rather hard to ignore. So I put the remainder back in the fridge, and let it age about a week. It tasted quite a bit better after that.

The next time I make it I plan to use a little less yeast, as I don’t think it will matter much, except maybe that it will take a bit longer to ferment. But the job will get done no matter what, I think. Most of the fermentation takes place at room temperature, but if put in the refrigerator the process will still continue. I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out more than 24 hours though, as unless you’re sure your materials are sterile, some bacteria may grow as well.

But I do think the ratios in the recipe are pretty good, except for the ginger. My batch wasn’t too sweet, and you couldn’t taste the lemon at all. Just make sure you use lots and lots of ginger.