When apples are in season make this naturally fermented apple ginger beer. It’s made with a ginger bug and is super fizzy and delicious!
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Fermenting Apples and Ginger
Fall is the season for apples, and apples and ginger go together spectacularly!
Ever since I first made a ginger bug, I knew that I wanted to make ginger beer with it, as that’s its traditional use. But then I got the great idea to make fermented apple ginger beer, and I knew that was it. I had to make it!
This is probably one of the tastiest naturally fermented drinks that I’ve made, and I will for sure be making it again and again!
First Step: Make the Ginger Bug
The first step in making this apple ginger beer is to make a ginger bug, which is a fermented starter made up of grated ginger, sugar, and water.
Learn how to make a ginger bug here
It will take a few days to get it going, but once it’s bubbling nicely then you can proceed with the recipe.
Make the Fermented Apple Ginger Beer
This is actually a very simple recipe to make and doesn’t require much as long as you have the ginger bug made up already.
You will need to get a gallon of apple cider (juice, not hard cider) that doesn’t have any preservatives in it, as they will hinder fermentation.
You can always make your own apple cider with a DIY press if apples are in season!
Pour most of the apple cider (juice) into a wide mouth gallon jar, leaving several inches of head space (you will have a few cups of unused cider left over).
Add the ginger slices, sugar, and ginger bug to the cider and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
Cover the jar with a cheesecloth and rubberband, and put in a cool and dark place to ferment, stirring vigorously daily with a wooden spoon.
Ferment and Bottle the Apple Ginger Beer
After a day or two you should start to see some active fermentation. Let it ferment for 5-7 days, then strain with a fine mesh strainer and transfer to flip top bottles using a small funnel.
Let the bottles sit at room temperature for a day or two to build up carbonation, then refrigerate.
Be extra careful not to bottle too soon so that you don’t get exploding bottles. If fermentation hasn’t died down after a week I would wait a little bit longer before you transfer to bottles.
This apple ginger beer is a new favorite. It was super fizzy and delicious! You can see a video of of the fizzy bubbles in action here!
This apple ginger beer does have some amount of alcohol, probably equivalent to a beer. If you want it a little stronger or sweeter, add a little bit more sugar.
What I love about fermenting is that many times it is so much easier than expected, and that is definitely true for this apple ginger beer. Plus it’s tasty and refreshing!
Homemade Fermented Beverages
Here are a few more naturally fermented drink recipes:
- Fermented Elderberry Soda
- Strawberry Rhubarb Soda
- Fermented Root Beer
- Hard Cider with Wild Yeast
- Mugwort Lemon Beer
Fermented Apple Ginger Beer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 gallon apple cider juice, not hard cider (without preservatives)
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger cut into slices
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup ginger bug
Instructions
- Pour most of the apple cider (juice) into a wide mouth gallon jar, leaving several inches of head space (you will have a few cups of unused cider left over).
- Add the ginger slices, sugar, and ginger bug to the cider and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
- Cover the jar with a cheesecloth and rubberband, and put in a cool and dark place to ferment, stirring vigorously daily with a wooden spoon.
- After a day or two you should start to see some active fermentation. Let it ferment for 5-7 days, then strain with a fine mesh strainer and transfer to flip top bottles using a small funnel.
- Let the bottles sit at room temperature for a day or two to build up carbonation, then refrigerate.
Notes
- Learn how to make a ginger bug here.
- Be extra careful not to bottle too soon so that you don’t get exploding bottles. If fermentation hasn’t died down after a week I would wait a little bit longer before you transfer to bottles.
- Apple ginger beer does contain alcohol, about equivalent to a normal beer. If you want it a little stronger or sweeter, add a little bit more sugar.
Just curious why the cheesecloth and not an airlock?
That’s what I had on hand at the time I made this recipe. You can use an airlock if you prefer.
Hi! Hoping someone can help me troubleshoot a problem I had and see what I might’ve done wrong. I made this recipe with my active ginger bug and apple cider without preservatives. I was in the process of fermenting still I think like day 5 or so, checked it and found mold! I was shocked because it was also super fizzy and bubbly. I had thought it couldn’t grow mold if it was fermented I guess I was wrong!
My only thought is that maybe it was the ginger slices I used? Because they weren’t organic just the ginger bug was. Or that I didn’t stir it enough? (I had forgotten 2 days to stir it).
Any ideas would be helpful I’d like to try again!
Honestly, it’s really hard to say what could have gone wrong with certainty. The ginger or your fermentation vessel could have been contaminated. Was it covered?
Can I use honey instead of sugar??
That should be fine.
I read that your recipe does create alcohol. I’m just now starting to experiment with fermenting and have a ginger bug going. I’d like to make the apple ginger beer, but would like to know about what you mentioned in regards to the alcohol. You were saying that even without adding extra sugar, it would have probably the amount of alcohol that is in regular beer, correct?
If I understand this correctly, how much more alcohol would be produced by the added sugar?
And will all drinks made with my ginger bug result in an alcoholic beverage since it is fermented?
I’m trying to figure out how this works and your site seems fairly reliable.
Hi James. Yes, that’s correct and yes, all drinks made with your ginger bug will result in an alcoholic beverage since it’s fermented because sugar is consumed by the yeast, converting it into alcohol. It’s hard to say exactly how much alcohol is produced without a hydrometer, so you may want to consider using one for the most accurate ABV. The alcohol percentage doesn’t concern me, which is why I give an estimate, about as much as a beer. If you’re looking to make fermented drinks with negligible alcohol, about as much as kombucha, check out my collection of fermented soda recipes that are made with a ginger bug.
there is a lot of sugar added to this whole process if making homemade apple cider, ginger bug and the apple ginger beer. is it all necessary? my son has type 1 diabetes so we try to eliminate as much sugar where possible.
The sugar isn’t just for sweetness. Bacteria cultivated in the ginger bug breaks down the sugar causing fermentation. After fermentation takes place, most of the sugar is consumed by the yeast, converting it into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This means the finished beer may have less sugar than what you started with. You could try adding less sugar, but be aware that fermentation might take longer or be less vigorous.
Could I use homemade hard cider to increase alcohol? Or is hard cider better when back carbonated ?
I haven’t tried, so I can’t say for sure.
Mine has been fermenting for 7 days. I have stirred every day as instructed. There are zero bubbles. My ginger bug was very active. Should I toss it, or continue to bottling?
Hi Brenda. That’s really odd. Did you use apple cider without preservatives?
Hi, question for you. I followed your recipe to a t. I already had a very active ginger bug on hand so I was able to skip straight to the cider step. My jar has not begun fizzy fermentation and it’s been six days. Is it toast? I used home made pressed organic cider. Was this maybe a case of too much sugar killing the bug?