Kefir Water to Ginger Beer

My last trip to World Market ended with a 6 pack of Ginger Beer in my shopping bag...(non alcoholic).    I am not a beer drinker, I do not like beer, I am a wine or whiskey woman if I drink.    I was introduced to ginger beer this last year.  Since it was a soda and not really what I think of as beer I gave it a try.   I loved the flavor, nice full flavor that did not exist in ginger ale which I also dont care for.  

Now that I am a Pinterest user, I find that there is a recipe for EVERYTHING...so I go on the search in Pinterest, I Google ginger beer recipes and scan, read & review a number of web pages.   The search gave me many options to review, I researched, the process and the tools needed.    That led to another search & research on Kefir grains, something I had never heard of before but found to be quite interesting.   That interest set me on a mission to make my own Ginger beer, to have the experience of the process, learn something new and of course the health benefits of the kefir made this a MUST DO on my list.  

I ordered my grains, gathered my tools, and started on my latest project  Ginger Beer...

Tools needed: 

• 4 table spoons Kefir grains (water kefir grains can be purchased from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Keysands-Organic-Grains-Crystals-Tibicos/dp/B0051WV5K6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1329159120&sr=8-3)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 5 raisins 
• quart jar
• cheese cloth
• rubber band
• plastic mesh strainer (I was not able to find these at walmart, target or bedbath & beyond so I ordered from amazon http://www.amazon.com/HIC-Brands-Cook-Strainer-4-Inch/dp/B0042X9XAE/ref=pd_sim_k_1 )
• 4 cups room temperature filtered water   (I use a Brita pitcher)
• filtered water for rinsing grains

To begin, place your new kefir grains in the strainer and rinse well with some filtered water
Put sugar in quart jar, with raisins & Kefir grains.  
Add the 4 cups of water and cover with cheese cloth held in place with the rubber band. 
Put the jar on the counter out of direct sun and let sit for 1-2 days.

  
 If your water is fridge cold, then it will take about 2 1/2 days. You will know the water is ready to drink or bottle & ferment when the raisins have raised to the top of the jar.
You will notice my jar is only 1/2 full, not knowing what to expect, I only used 2 cups of water on my first batch.

3 days later (my water was fridge cold) the rasins were floating, now it is time to Bottle! 

Bottling Tools:
Plastic mesh strainer
Plastic funnel
Bottles (plastic or glass with tight lids)
Cheese cloth
sliced, grated or chopped ginger (about 1/2 tablespoon is what I have used so far).
(not distilled) I use a Brita pitcher

Strain the kefir water through the plastic strainer.    You can strain thru the mesh lined with cheese cloth 3-4 times and your water will be clearer with each straining. 
Place your funnel in the bottle, set the strainer in the funnel and pour your water into the bottle(s).
Add ginger pieces or any other fruit flavor you want in your water.
 If you want a sweeter water you can add about 1/2 -1 tsp. blackstrap molasses will also give a fuller flavor.  Place the lid on the bottle.

At this point, If you want Ginger Beer, or a different flavor carbonated drink, place the bottled water in a box or are in the home that is room temp and no direct sun.   Let sit 3-5 days to ferment and develop flavor.  Place in a room temp for 3-5 days to ferment.  You might want to loosen the lid and release pressure then tighten back up once each day to avoid too much pressure build up.  During this fermentation, the liquid will becom fizzy.   After fermentation, place the sealed bottles in the fridge for storage, up to 3-4 weeks.

If you do not want a carbonated drink, you can drink the water now or add ginger, or a fruit of your choice and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days to flavor.    Then enjoy.

My first glass of homemade ginger beer, in this picture with the glass you can see the fizzy bubles.

I like the taste of this water, with or without the carbonation....not to mention all the health benefit I have read about. This is a great project for many reasons and I this will be an on going process in my home.

The photo below is batch 2, you can see how the raisins work their way up the jar.

This is a full 4 cup batch.