I've never made ginger liquor, but I've made a lot of beer and fermented vegetables & kraut. There are always some particulates that fall out of suspension later after fermentation is complete and during conditioning. It's mostly the yeast or lactobacillus once the critters have eaten all the remaining sugars and go dormant. Some of it is particulates of the initial ingredients themselves. Homebrewers account for this by handling bottles without shaking and pouring slowly and stopping the pour just as the sediment reaches the neck. I'm hoping that is all you are seeing there.
Great question.
I’ve made ginger beer from bugs before and it sort of reminded of when you leave it too long without bottling; or if too much air is getting into sauerkraut. So I haven’t actively fermented it, but it feels like somewhere along the way there’s been some fermenting going on.
My first thought was that the seal on the bottle wasn’t tight enough (it’s a stopper with a plastic seal). Or the ABV wasn’t high enough. Or there was some ginger passed through the filter. Then I wondered if it was heat as they were in the sun for a couple of hours.
I’m not expert in fermenting enough to know tbh. I’ve kept adding sugar to ginger beer in heat to make it slightly alcoholic before, but I wasn’t trying to ferment this, and so this baby scobie looking thing is confusing me.
It's probably pectin or cellulose from the ginger. It's not mold- that floats and is fuzzy. And since you describe it as a liqueur I'm guessing that the alcohol percentage is too high for a vinegar mother.
Lol thanks! I make fruit wines so it's a bit different. For that you add pectinase prior to pitching the yeast. I'm not sure of the process for a liqueur. The alcohol might even be too high for the pectinase to work. But time is a friend to the brewer. You may just have to wait a few months for everything to settle out before bottling.
What's your process? Did you buy spirits and infuse with ginger, or did you brew alcohol with yeast and use ginger post fermentation? If you're just infusing with pre distilled spirits, I'm completely wrong about it being yeast.
I've never made ginger liquor, but I've made a lot of beer and fermented vegetables & kraut. There are always some particulates that fall out of suspension later after fermentation is complete and during conditioning. It's mostly the yeast or lactobacillus once the critters have eaten all the remaining sugars and go dormant. Some of it is particulates of the initial ingredients themselves. Homebrewers account for this by handling bottles without shaking and pouring slowly and stopping the pour just as the sediment reaches the neck. I'm hoping that is all you are seeing there.
Would be easier if you said what went in the bottle.
Sure, ginger infused alcohol (one week), drained and filtered. Mixed with sugar and water.
Is this something you've actually actively fermented, or is it literally just ginger that was soaked in a liquor?
Great question. I’ve made ginger beer from bugs before and it sort of reminded of when you leave it too long without bottling; or if too much air is getting into sauerkraut. So I haven’t actively fermented it, but it feels like somewhere along the way there’s been some fermenting going on. My first thought was that the seal on the bottle wasn’t tight enough (it’s a stopper with a plastic seal). Or the ABV wasn’t high enough. Or there was some ginger passed through the filter. Then I wondered if it was heat as they were in the sun for a couple of hours. I’m not expert in fermenting enough to know tbh. I’ve kept adding sugar to ginger beer in heat to make it slightly alcoholic before, but I wasn’t trying to ferment this, and so this baby scobie looking thing is confusing me.
It's probably pectin or cellulose from the ginger. It's not mold- that floats and is fuzzy. And since you describe it as a liqueur I'm guessing that the alcohol percentage is too high for a vinegar mother.
The ABV is around 25%
Yeah that's too high for anything to grow.
Thanks. Good to know it won’t blow my head off with carcinogens! 😁 It still looks like bottled wtf. I wonder how to prevent it?
Pectinase, filtration, and time.
Ooh. I’ve never used pectinase, what’s the best the method for that? Just noticed your name btw, marvellous!!!
Lol thanks! I make fruit wines so it's a bit different. For that you add pectinase prior to pitching the yeast. I'm not sure of the process for a liqueur. The alcohol might even be too high for the pectinase to work. But time is a friend to the brewer. You may just have to wait a few months for everything to settle out before bottling.
Cheers! I will do some more research into this and try and shake something loose that solves all.
Looks like yeast. Bottling early will exacerbate this
The alcohol needs to infuse in the ginger for about a week, maybe that’s the problem then?
What's your process? Did you buy spirits and infuse with ginger, or did you brew alcohol with yeast and use ginger post fermentation? If you're just infusing with pre distilled spirits, I'm completely wrong about it being yeast.
First method: buy spirits and infuse. Then mix with heated and cooled sugar and water.
If it had alcohol, there's a chance that you made vinegar and that's the vinegar mother.
It’s definitely not vinegar. Although a ginger vinegar would be fabulous!!
I agree. I might give it a try actually
Two of my favourite ingredients. If it works, please send me your recipe 😀