How to Make a Ginger Bug & Make a Fizzy Drink

5 from 3 votes

Learn how to make a traditional ginger bug starter from scratch using wild fermentation! This easy, science-backed guide shows you how to capture wild yeasts using organic ginger and sugar to brew your own fizzy, gut-healthy, probiotic sodas and homemade ginger beer at home.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Fermentation Time 3

Course: Beverage, Drinks, Starter Culture

Cuisine: Global, Traditional Fermentation

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

Fresh organic ginger organic is crucial because conventional ginger is often irradiated, which kills the wild yeast
Filtered water chlorinated tap water can stall the fermentation
Granulated white sugar

Method

Step 1: Culturing the Ginger Bug Starter

Day 1: Grate or roughly chop a chunk of fresh ginger. In a clean glass jar, combine 2 cups of filtered water, 2 tablespoons of the chopped ginger, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. (I grated all my ginger and kept it in the fridge so my feedings can be quicker).
Cover: Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Cover the mouth of the jar with a breathable tea towel secured with a rubber band, or rest a lid loosely on top (do not seal it tightly, or gas will build up!). Leave it sitting on your counter at room temperature.
Daily Feedings: Feed your bug at approximately the same time every single day. Add 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped ginger and 2 tablespoons of sugar, stirring thoroughly.
Check for Activity: Mine took exactly 3 days to wake up. You will know your starter is ready to use when you see active bubbles rushing to the top and you hear a slight fizz when you stir it. If you taste a tiny drop, the sweetness should be very faint and tangy, not cloyingly sweet.

Step 2: How to Carbonate Your Drinks

The Formula: The magic fermentation ratio is 1 part strained ginger bug to 16 parts sugary liquid.
Prepare Your Base: I brewed 8 cups of strong ginger tea by boiling grated ginger with sugar. I also made 8 cups of hibiscus tea, and let them cool down completely to room temperature. Never add your bug to warm liquid, or you will accidentally cook your live yeast!
Mix: Strain your active ginger bug and measure out 1 cup of the liquid. Pour 1/2 cup directly into your cooled, strained ginger tea, and the other 1/2 cup into your cooled, strained hibiscus tea.
Bottle Safely: Pour the mixture into bottles, leaving at least an inch of headspace at the top. Seal them tightly and place them back in your fermentation corner.
The Pro-Tip Check: While traditional guides recommend glass flip-top bottles, I saw too many horror stories of shattered glass explosions online! To stay completely on the safe side, I used clean, recycled plastic bottles. This allowed me to physically squeeze the sides of the bottles each day to gauge exactly how much pressure was building up inside.
Chill and Serve: My hibiscus tea took 3 days to carbonate, while the ginger beer took 4 days. (I probably could have pushed the ginger beer to 5 days, but I was terrified of an explosive mess!). Once the plastic bottles felt rock-hard to the touch, I popped them straight into the fridge to halt the fermentation, chilled them completely, and served over ice!