Best Homemade Ale Recipes

HOMEMADE GINGER ALE

Steps:

• Make syrup:
• Cook ginger in water in a small saucepan at a low simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 20 minutes.
• Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on ginger and then discarding. Return liquid to saucepan and add sugar and a pinch of salt, then heat over medium heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Chill syrup in a covered jar until cold.
• Assemble drinks:
• Mix ginger syrup with seltzer and lime juice (start with 1/4 cup syrup and 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice per 3/4 cup seltzer, then adjust to taste).

HOMEMADE GINGER ALE AND ITS CANDY

Steps:

• Mix ginger, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a slow simmer. Reduce mixture by 50 percent until a syrupy consistency is reached. Keep in mind that the syrup will thicken as it cools. Strain warm syrup. Allow to cool.
• While syrup is cooling, make ginger candy. Take ginger slices that have been drained out of the syrup and completely coat in sugar. Spread on sheet pan and slowly dry out in a 225-degree oven for 3 hours. Ginger slices should be dried but still chewy.
• In a tall glass of ice, add mint sprig and a ratio of 1 part ginger syrup to 7 parts soda water. Squeeze lime wedge and add to drink. Use more syrup if desired. Stir and enjoy. Can also make drink with chilled soda water and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a tasty Ginger Ale Float.

HOMEMADE GINGER ALE

Steps:

• Fit the top of a clean, dry, empty 2-liter soda bottle with a funnel. Pour the sugar and yeast into the bottle. Swirl gently to distribute the yeast through the sugar. Leave the funnel in the bottle and set aside.
• Combine the citrus juice and the grated gingerroot in a measuring cup and swirl to mix. Pour through the funnel into the bottle. There may be some ginger and citrus pulp left in the funnel and measuring cup. That is okay! To rinse the additional pulp out of the measuring cup and into the bottle add clean drinking water to the measuring cup and swirl. Pour this through the funnel. That should have cleaned out the measuring cup and the funnel. Remove the funnel and screw the cap on tightly. Shake the bottle vigorously to mix. Remove the cap and fill the bottle to within an inch of the top (that should be just about where the bottle starts to narrow at the neck), cap tightly and invert repeatedly to dissolve sugar. Use your thumb to press in the side of the bottle and take note of how far it gives under the pressure.
• Place bottle in a warm (but not hot) place for about 24-48 hours, or until the bottle is very firm. When the bottle does not yield to firm pressure it is time to refrigerate! Do not leave the bottle out for more than 48 hours as you run the risk of it bursting after that point. Chill completely, preferably overnight, slowly open the bottle, and pour over ice. If you find pulp and small bits of ginger objectionable, strain the soda over your ice.
• Rinse the bottle out with water immediately after pouring your last glass if you plan to reuse it for your next batch otherwise it will be impossible to clean out.

HOMEMADE GINGER ALE

Steps:

• Into an empty 2-liter soda bottle, put the ginger root, sugar, yeast, and lemon juice. Fill the rest of the way with water. Screw the cap onto the bottle as tight as possible. Shake the bottle well, then leave at room temperature until the bottle is too hard to squeeze, about 2 days. Refrigerate. To serve, pour through a tea strainer.

HOMEMADE GINGER ALE

Steps:

• In a saucepan bring sugar, water, and ginger to a boil. Stirring occasionally cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely. (Syrup may be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.) Spoon 2 tablespoons of ginger syrup into a tall glass filled with ice. Top off with seltzer and stir to combine.

HOMEMADE GINGER ALE

Steps:

• Combine sugar, water and gingerroot in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture has reduced slightly.
• Strain gingerroot from syrup.
• To make ginger ale, combine 2 tablespoons syrup with club soda. Pour over ice and serve with a squeeze of lime wedge. Store syrup in the refrigerator for several weeks.

HOMEMADE ENGLISH ALE MUSTARD WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Grind the mustard seeds to a smooth powder using either an electric spice grinder or a coffee grinder.
• Transfer the ground seeds to a bowl and add the flour, crushed garlic and salt.
• Gradually whisk in the ale until it takes on a smooth, creamy consistency.
• Spoon the mustard into sterilised jam jars and secure with well-fitting lids.
• Leave to mature for at least 2 weeks in a cool place before tasting.

HOMEMADE ALE

Steps:

• In a large, non-reactive stock pot, add malt syrup and water. Add hops. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and boil for 1 hour, stirring often.
• Cool then strain the hop mixture through a funnel, into a sterilized 7 gallon fermenting tank NOTE: I don't know what a fermenting tank is, but I would guess a ceramic or glass jug (like a milk jug) with a cork or rubber seal.
• Add the water and yeast. Seal the top with a stopper. Ferment for 1 1/2 weeks.
• Strain the beer. Bottle and age for another 2 to 3 weeks.

HOMEMADE GINGER ALE

Steps:

• 1. Bring sugar, ginger, cinnamon stick and 2 cups water to a boil in large saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes, then remove from heat, and stir in cayenne pepper. Let cool.
• 2. Strain liquid into small pitcher, and discard ginger and cinnamon. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• 3. To serve: Ladle 1/4 cup ginger syrup into tumbler filled with ice. Top with 3/4 cup sparkling water, and stir.

HOMEMADE BEER - BLACKBERRY WHEAT ALE

Steps:

• Sanitize a 5-gallon fermenter, racking cane, hose, and airlock.
• Place caramel malt and flaked wheat in a fine-mesh grain bag; put bag in brew kettle and add 1 gallon de-chlorinated water; heat to 150-155 degrees F and hold for 30 minutes.
• Increase heat; remove grain bag when temperature reaches 175 degrees F and let drain (can sparge or rinse with a half gallon of water at 175 degrees F).
• To prepare the wort, add dry malt extract and bring to a boil, stirring a few times while heating to prevent sticking on the bottom.
• Add hop pellets and boil for 30 minutes.
• Add Irish moss and boil for 15 minutes more.
• Remove kettle from heat and chill wort to 100 degrees F; add water to bring total volume to approximately 3 gallons (it helps if the water is chilled).
• Stir wort, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes; final temp should be 80 degrees F or under.
• Proof yeast in 1/2 cup water at 95 degrees F.
• Pitch (pour) yeast into fermenter; siphon wort off of trub (protein and hops solids at bottom of kettle) into fermenter, allowing to splash and aerate well.
• Affix airlock, shake to aerate further (if desired); add distilled water or neutral grain spirit to fill airlock halfway; set fermenter in safe location away from sunlight or fluorescent lighting; room temp should be in the 60-75 degree F range.
• Fermentation should start within 6-36 hours; monitor activity- if foam reaches airlock, replace with a blow-off tube and a bucket until things settle down a bit; allow to ferment until activity slows noticeably (this may take 3-10 days, depending on conditions).
• Prepare berries (thaw, if frozen; rinse and drain if fresh); (optional: can sterilize in 160-170 degree F water for 20 minutes and drain, but do not boil); sanitize a 3 gallon fermenter and transfer equipment.
• Place berries in secondary fermenter; rack beer onto berries (do not splash), leaving behind yeast sediment; affix airlock and set in a safe location.
• Secondary fermentation will typically be slower and less vigorous, but check often to make sure no fruit blocks the airlock (if it does, remove and clear the blockage to prevent over-pressure).
• Allow beer to remain on fruit until activity has stopped and fruit has turned pale- fruit may sink when it's ready to bottle (this should take 3-6 weeks).
• Sanitize bottles, transfer equipment, and bottling bucket; boil corn sugar in 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes and allow to cool.
• Pour this priming solution into the bottling bucket; rack beer off of fruit, leaving yeast sediment behind into bucket; stir gently to mix well, and fill and cap the bottles.
• Allow to condition and age for at least 1 month.
• Note: new homebrewers should become familiar with brewing techniques; a good reference is"The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing", by Charlie Papazian.