Far from wanting to start a series here I happened to buy and drink a bottle of ginger beer yesterday and thought I might check out some details from our friends at Wikipedia here.
Ginger beer is a type of carbonated alcoholic or soft drink, flavoured primarily with ginger, lemon and sugar. It originated in England in the mid-1700s, and reached its peak of popularity in the early 1900s. It became very popular in Britain and North America, with, in 1935, 3000 breweries in Britain, 300 in the USA (which had been affected by Prohibition) and 1000 in Canada. It is often sold as a nonalcoholic soda; an example being the Regatta brand. The original recipe requires only ginger, sugar and water, to which is added a gelatinous substance called "ginger beer plant" (see below). Fermentation over a few days turns the mixture into ginger beer. Lemon may be added.
Instead of using the ginger beer plant, some other form of live culture may be used to produce fermented ginger beer. This is often baker's or brewer's yeast but can also be a culture of lactic acid bacteria, etc. Ginger beer is fizzy due to carbon dioxide. The alcohol content when produced by the traditional process can be high, up to 11% though it is possible to ferment ginger beer in such a way as to produce little alcohol. Ginger beer may be mixed with beer (usually a British ale of some sort) to make one type of shandy and with rum to make a drink, originally from Bermuda, called a Dark 'n' stormy. The soda version of ginger beer is the main ingredient in the Moscow Mule cocktail.
The beverage produced industrially today is often not brewed (fermented). Such ginger beer is carbonated with pressurized CO2, does not contain alcohol, and is sold as a soft drink. Ginger beer is similar to ginger ale except that it has a significantly stronger ginger taste, often being described as ginger ale with a kick to it. Its other distinctive properties include its traditional cloudy appearance, its predominately citrus sour taste base and its spicy ginger bite.
Instead of using the ginger beer plant, some other form of live culture may be used to produce fermented ginger beer. This is often baker's or brewer's yeast but can also be a culture of lactic acid bacteria, etc. Ginger beer is fizzy due to carbon dioxide. The alcohol content when produced by the traditional process can be high, up to 11% though it is possible to ferment ginger beer in such a way as to produce little alcohol. Ginger beer may be mixed with beer (usually a British ale of some sort) to make one type of shandy and with rum to make a drink, originally from Bermuda, called a Dark 'n' stormy. The soda version of ginger beer is the main ingredient in the Moscow Mule cocktail.
The beverage produced industrially today is often not brewed (fermented). Such ginger beer is carbonated with pressurized CO2, does not contain alcohol, and is sold as a soft drink. Ginger beer is similar to ginger ale except that it has a significantly stronger ginger taste, often being described as ginger ale with a kick to it. Its other distinctive properties include its traditional cloudy appearance, its predominately citrus sour taste base and its spicy ginger bite.
It became very popular in Britain and North America, with, in 1935, 3000 breweries in Britain, 300 in the USA (which had been affected by Prohibition) and 1000 in Canada. It is often sold as a nonalcoholic soda; an example being the Regatta brand.
It was brought to the Ionian Islands by the British Army in the 19th Century and is still made by older villagers in rural Corfu as a local specialty, along with plum pudding.
It was brought to the Ionian Islands by the British Army in the 19th Century and is still made by older villagers in rural Corfu as a local specialty, along with plum pudding.
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