Ginger beer from scratch (once you have a ginger bug)

If you've been following along, you already know how to make a ginger bug. This is the next step — turning that active, bubbly little culture into a batch of real fermented ginger beer.
I've been making this for a while now and it's one of those things that sounds more complicated than it is. Once you've done it once, you'll do it on repeat.

What you'll need

• 4 litres filtered water
• 1.5 cups sugar
• ½ cup fresh ginger, grated
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1½ cups active ginger bug

How I make it

1. Start by bringing your water to a simmer with the sugar and ginger. You want to brew this long enough for the ginger to really infuse — I usually give it about 5–10 minutes. The kitchen smells incredible at this point.
2. Then you wait for it to cool. This part matters. You cannot add your ginger bug to hot liquid or you'll kill the culture. I let it come down to room temperature, which in our kitchen can take a couple of hours. I often make the brew in the morning and leave it on the bench.
3. Once it's cool, stir through the lemon juice and the ginger bug. Give it a good mix, then strain out the ginger.
4. Pour into swing-top glass bottles, seal them, and leave them at room temperature for one to three weeks. Taste as you go. Once it's reached your level of fizz, move them to the fridge to slow the fermentation down.

A few things I've learned

Your bug needs to be active and well-fed before you brew. If it's not bubbling, give it another day or two of feeding before you use it.
The lemon juice goes in after cooling to preserve the brightness of it. Cooking it out changes the flavour.
Watch your bottles during the bench ferment. Ginger beer can build pressure, especially in warm weather. I burp (open and close the lid) mine daily while at room temp and once they're in the fridge I know things have slowed right down.

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