GINGER BEER: pitching problems...

Hi there, Paul here with my first post!

I pitched my yeast into my ginger beer on the same day as josh did his draught. I decided to pitch without making a starter culture. Unfortunately it didn't start fermenting and after a three or four days I finally had the chance to get to the homebrew barn to get some more yeast, on Friday 25th. I made a starter from a little of the ginger beer mix from the fermenter, and a couple of extra teaspoons of sugar to give it a kick start. Within an hour or so it had a good creamy head on it, so i pitched it into the fermenter, popped it into the unused fridge (as josh had bottled his draught a few hours previously), gave it a swirl, and within a few more hours there was movement in the airlock! It seems, in the last few days, to be bubbling quite slowly, and the head on the wort is more a collection of large bubbles, instead of one uniform head, but I'm not worried as this is the same as the last time i made it, and it was awesome!

Large bubbles on top of the ginger beer wort

The last time i made this same mix, with a little less chilli and ginger, I pitched with a starter, and it also failed, and i needed to get another yeast from the homebrew barn. I can't be sure, but i think there may be a problem either with the addition of chilli, or with the yeast packets that come in the kits, so it may pay, dear reader, to pick up a spare yeast if your going to make this worthwhile brew. Ginger beer will ferment slower and longer than its normal beer counterparts, so don't expect the airlock to go crazy, but a slow steady bubble, maybe only four or five a minute is fine. As long as its moving. usually it will be ready after a week or so. Bottle condition as per normal, but this also will take a while. You can try it at two or three weeks, but the alcohol gives the ginger beer a strange aftertaste, which will disappear longer you leave it to mature. I would recommend a month as a good time to test it. The problem I found with tasting my last couple too early is that once you taste the green aftertaste, even when it is matured and delicious you will still sense that taste, even though no-one else will know what you are on about! That said, it is still extremely delicious either way, especially with the addition of the extra ginger and chilli for that refreshing, lasting burn. Mmmm Mmmmm.....