Dried Ginger Beer Plant Quick Guide

1. Open bag and place all dried ginger beer plant grains into a quart sized or larger glass jar.

2. Select either option 1 or 2. Option 1 has the traditional light tangy ginger beer flavor, but can have slower GBP growth as well as slower overall activity. Option 2 is typically stronger and may be better starting out or if the GBP is not active enough with the first option.

Option 1: Traditional GBP recipe:

Add 6-8 tablespoons of white sugar + ginger juice - (use about 4 inches worth of fresh ginger root. This is accomplished by just blending it with some water and straining the juice from the fiber - don't put the fiber in the ferment, it's hard to remove if you do.)

Option 2: Basic standard GBP recipe:

Add 6-8 tablespoons of sugar. Around 50% of the sugar should be cane sugar (white sugar) and 50% should be of a good mineral rich sugar such as whole cane, rapadura, brown, sucanat or palm sugar. Alternatively, you can try 80% white sugar and 20% blackstrap molasses. If you are looking to use dried fruits or alternate sugars, read the larger main ginger beer guide.

3. Pour 4 cups of spring, mineral or well water into the jar.

4. Stir to help dissolve the sugar. It doesn't have to be perfect. Some undissolved sugar is just fine. It won't hurt the grains to stir them, but you can mix the sugar before adding the grains if desired.

5. Let sit for 3-7 days. Shorter in the summer and longer in the winter. Taste to see if its ready.

6. Strain the liquid from the grains. That liquid is the finished water kefir. If the grains have grown, place only 2 tablespoons of ginger beer plant back into the jar and repeat the whole process.

7. You can drink the finished ginger beer right away or store in a closed bottle to build carbonation or meld flavors. Or you can try a second ferment.