ginger bug

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ginger bug

Postby faeriemum on Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:15 pm

Hi. I've successfully made a delicious ginger beer three times now, but have run into a few snags and hoping someone can provide me with a bit of insight as to what might be going on.
The first is that every time I try to use a bit of the previous bug to start a new bug going, it doesn't seem to work. Each time, I get no active fermetation process going on,but instead just get a vingeary sludge.
The second is that I have noticed in the warmer weather, the bug begins to bubble after about 2 days. When I create a beer from this it seems to be sluggish to carbonate, as if there weren't enough yeasts in it. So i tried letting it go for another day or two after the first bubbles appeared and it seemed to just die out, bubbles gone and a vinegary brew instead of an active bug. I attempted to wake up the yeasts with sugar, but was unsuccessful.
It seems to me that either there arent enough yeasts or they are dying out quickly.
Any thoughts?

Thanks so much!

Peace & Light,
Jen
faeriemum
 
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Location: Downeast Maine

Re: ginger bug

Postby TruffulaTuft on Mon Nov 10, 2008 10:32 pm

Hi,
I'm new to the forum and have a similar ginger bug story - started out fizzy, got less so after 3 days even though I fed it more sugar and ginger. When I put it in the big jug - nada. No more bubbles, no fizz. It's been cold lately so I thought it might be that.
Any ideas how to rescusitate it?

Thanks,
Jennifer
Asheville, NC
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Re: ginger bug

Postby bekah on Fri Jan 30, 2009 6:55 pm

Hi! We've had this experience, too (having a bug start twittering and then die out despite all attempts to revitalize), twice in cooler weather, even when we kept the bug by the radiator. We haven't tried that second one yet, as we bottled it right before we left home for about three weeks and are having our roommate babysit it. Right now, we've got a bug starting on the top hood of a wood cookstove and are crossing our fingers. It's pretty summery up there, I'd say. We just started it last night (with palm sugar, coincidentally) and it was already quite active earlier this afternoon, and now I'm worried that it will produce a lack-luster (carbonation-wise) ginger beer based on the first comment on this thread. Carbonation is one of our favorite parts of ginger beer, so we wouldn't want that, now would we?

Has anyone else had these types of experiences, and does anyone have any guesses as to whys, wherefores and possible solutions?

Bekah
currently middle-of-nowhere, central New York
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Re: ginger bug

Postby azuretea on Mon Feb 09, 2009 7:35 pm

I've had great success starting the ginger bug, even though the winter's been a little harsh in Chicago. My partner and I keep our home fairly cool at 55 F degrees, and the only technique that I've found helpful during cold weather is keeping the bug in our gas stove. The pilot light keeps the temperature at around 70 degrees, and the bug bubbles like champaign when you move it. I also ferment the ginger beer in the oven as well, with fabulous results in four or five days. Before I used this heat source, I had some trouble getting the bug started. The oven also works wonders for proofing bread.

I would bet the cooler weather is the culprit in most cases when a ginger bug fails to ferment but that's simply an educated guess.

Good luck!
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Re: ginger bug

Postby bekah on Wed Feb 11, 2009 11:59 am

An oven with a pilot light is a great idea. I wish ours in our apartment (we're back now) had one, but it's got an electric start. The ginger beer that we left here for about three weeks just at room temperature is killer, though, great carbonation and spice (we used lime and rapadura for this one). However, the one we just left behind upstate (with lime and palm sugar), which had been started above the cookstove and left to ferment in bottles next to the other woodstove for a week or so, maybe a little longer, was lackluster when we left. When the farmers (for whom we made it) returned, they stopped using that woodstove, so we moved it to a warmish spot in the kitchen and told them to check on it occasionally until it's as fizzy as they like it.

The key seems to be a lukewarm start and a longer fermentation time rather than a warmer start, at least for optimal carbonation. Maybe the rapadura also helps with that, as compared to palm sugar. What have others found?

Bekah
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