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Brewing your own alcohol is basically the American Dream. But you need fancy equipment. You need esoteric knowledge. You need training and intuition. Right? That’s what we thought too, until we discovered an easy way to brew our own alcohol, no strange ingredients or fancy equipment required. With only a jar, some pantry staples, and a few clean soda bottles, you can have a solidly delicious brew in only three weeks. And, not just any brew—ginger beer. You know real ginger beer if you've tasted it. The second you take a sip, it stomps on your tongue with steel-toed boots, taking glee in reminding you how spicy raw ginger truly is. There are two types of people in this world: people who like their ginger beer sweet, subtle, and unassuming, and people who like their ginger beer to kick them hard in the back of the throat. We hope you’re the second kind. Now, get brewing.
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Step 1: Get what you need.
Gather your ingredients. All you need is water, champagne yeast, fresh ginger, sugar, lemon juice, and a jalapeño (if you're really bold). For equipment, all you'll need is a large glass jar and 2 or 3 plastic soda bottles. Seriously. That's all. See the exact recipe on Food52.
Step 2: Start your base.
Start by making a "plant" that will be the base for your ginger beer. Stir the yeast into the water until dissolved. Add in 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, 1 tablespoon sugar, the lemon juice, and the sliced jalapeño, if you're using it. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Find a warm place.
Pour the mixture into a glass jar. Cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel and secure it with a rubber band. Place the jar in the warmest place in your house: next to your heater, near the refrigerator, or by a heat vent. The warmth is important! If the yeast gets too cold and dies, your dreams of homemade alcohol die, too.
Step 4: Feed.
Every day for the next week you'll have to "feed" your plant. Take the towel off your jar and add another tablespoon of grated ginger and another tablespoon of sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then replace the towel and put your plant back in a warm place. Do this every day for a week. Do not forget.
Step 5: Make sugar water.
Think ahead to how many bottles of ginger beer you'll want to make. Estimate how much water you'll need to fill these bottles two-thirds of the way full. Then, dissolve enough sugar into the water so that it tastes very sweet—as sweet as soda. Don't worry about overdoing it; the sugar is there to act as food for the yeast, so most of it will get eaten up and turned into alcohol. You can always adjust the sugar content later.
Step 6: Bottle.
Using a cheesecloth, strain the plant out into a large measuring cup or bowl. Next, use a funnel to add the sweetened water to the bottles until they are two-thirds of the way full. Add about a cup of the plant liquid to each clean, dry soda bottle—more if you want your ginger beer stronger, less if you want it less intense. Stir with a chopstick to combine. Seal the bottles tightly with their caps and put them back in the same warm place where you once kept the plant. Squeeze the bottles daily to test how they're carbonating.
Step 7: Let it carbonate.
After a few days, the bottles should become difficult to compress; when they feel like a rock and are impossible to squeeze at all, slowly start to unscrew the cap just until you hear hissing, but do not open it all the way. Whenever the bottle is impossible to compress, let out the carbonation, then seal it back tightly. In a week and a half to two weeks, the yeast should have eaten up most of the sugar in the bottle. This means your ginger beer is ready to open up and taste! Add more sugar or lemon juice if you think your ginger beer needs it.
Step 8: Drank.
When the flavors have been adjusted to perfection, serve ice cold with citrus wedges and a rum float if you're feeling dangerous. Make sure to consume the whole bottle within 24 hours after opening—feel free to enlist a friend or two for help. You should probably throw a party to show off your incredible brewing skills. Get the full recipe on Food52.
