General FAQ

Can I make my own Ginger Beer Plant?
Can I reuse the GBP?
Can I use metal equipment?
Do I have to get a 'baby sitter' if I go on holiday?
Do I have to use Special Acid Blend?
Do you do a free replacement of GBP?
Do you do Dry GBP?
Do you do ready hydrated Ginger Beer Plant GBP?
Do you ship to Australia and New Zealand?
Equipment. What do I need?
Is the GBP a SCOBY or a bug? If not what it is it?
How do I make Ginger Beer?
How does temperature affect the brew?
How do I start?
How far apart do I have to keep GBP from WKG or Tibi?
How is brewing with Ginger Beer Plant different to brewing with just yeast?
How is Ginger Beer Plant different to fizzy ginger beer from the shop?
How long does it take to make a brew?
How long can hydrated GBP be stored without using it?
How long can dry GBP be stored without using it?
How long does it take for the GBP to arrive?
How much does it cost?
How much Special Acid Blend do I use?
How much can I brew with one batch?
Is ginger beer alcoholic?
Is GBP and Tibicos the same thing?
What do I need? Do I need lots of equipment and sterilising equipment?
What does the GBP look like?
What is a Ginger Beer Plant?
What if I don't like ginger?
Why are you the best?
Will you send instructions by post?

 

 

 Can I make my own Ginger Beer Plant?

Simply, no, is the only sensible answer. It's hard to explain why without sound condenscending because it's like asking why can't I make a dog? Sourdough and some other cultures are just different bacteria and yests living together like sheep and cows in a field. Ginger Beer Plant is more like Lychens on a tree or rock. They came together from separate organisms once millions of years ago when conditions were right but, you wouldn't try to make one today and you wouldn't argue that it must be possible because it happened once. Life is complex and took billions of years to get to where it is today.

Top
 Can I reuse the GBP?

Yes, of course, the GBP is a living organism held together in a matrix made by the GBP itself, it is totally natural. See photo and description

Can I use metal equipment?

This is simple. If you're happy, and it's Labeled with good, modern regulations 'Food Grade' or '304 or 316 grade Stainless Steel', then you're fine. If you are in any doubt then buy something you're happy using.

 Do I have to get a 'baby sitter' if I go on holiday?

No, the GBP will be fine stored in an a weak 5% Recovery Brew in an airtight container, such as a jam jar in the fridge. You can also dry the GBP very easily, just spread it out on a non-stick surface and leave it to dry.

Top
 Do you do a free replacement of GBP?

Do garden centres do free replacements for all their plants after a year? Does Apple do free replacements for their computers when yours has broken after 5 years or when you dropped it down the stairs? Does Ford do free replacement cars when you had a serious fender bender? No. If you follow my instructions there is no reason you won't have your Ginger Beer Plant to pass on to your grand children. I can't afford to post out free culture to people that 'forget to put theirs in the fridge when they went on holiday' or because 'they dropped it on the floor'. I have just the one culture yet I have to compete with all the companies that have 6 or seven different cultures. If you drop your pint in the pub then the landlord doesn't give you a free one. I get customers telling me that they 'threw out their Ginger Beer Plant' all the time because they 'forgot to feed it and it looked funny'. Id you look after your Ginger Beer Plant the way you should, then there is no reason you won't have it for your whole life. If you know you are going neglect your Ginger Beer Plant then insure it they way you would anything else you new you would break at some point.

 Do you do dry GBP?

Yes I send out dry GBP.

 Do you do Ready Hydrated GBP?

Only by special request to the UK. This is because the GBP will continue to ferment for the whole time it's in the post producing gases which will expand the packaging. If it's delayed in the post then the Ginger Beer Plant will starve or the packaging will burst leaking liquid out and damaging the packaging of itself and other valuables in the post.

 Do you ship to Australia and New Zealand?

Yes, as a traceable business I have no problem sending to either country and have shipped there regularly since 2007.

Top
 Is the GBP a SCOBY or a bug? If not what it is it?

No, 'SCOBY' is an acronym used to describe Kombucha. It's come to be a word used for Kombuch mother so I would never use it. It's an overly compliacted acronym that doesn't help you understand what Ginger Beer Plant is and it's not accurate either. If you don't already know what 'SOCBY' stands for then it tells you nothing and even then people are confused since it isn't 'symbiotic' either so why confuse people? It's been called Ginger Beer Plant for at least 200 years so why give it a different name when it's got one that people understand? Is it a bug? No, it's not a sucking insect either. It's not infectious and it won't give you a cold or fever. Yes, it's not a plant. It is two organisms living together but they are not 'symbiotic'. The two will just as happily exist separately, and do, as they do in the blob made by the bacterium. They don't give anything to each other that either one needs as far as I've ever heard. A hermit crab is not symbiotic with the molusc that made the shell. 'Plant' has been used in Britain an Ireland for hundreds of years to describe GBP and Kefir as far as i can tell, so that's what it's called. Why invent another word? So, Ginger Beer Plant, abbreviated to GBP, is a mixture of a bacterium and a yeast that share a home.

Top
 How do I start?

That's easy, just click 'shop' for your own culture.

 How far apart do I have to keep GBP from WKG or Tibi?

2 centimeters or 2 hundred metres it doesn't matter. If you use the same equipment or you have children that are likely to touch the GBP container after the WKG or Tibi contamination will happen, it takes just one yeast or bacterium from the other culture and it will grow in the GBP container and take over your GBP because they enjoy the same conditions.
Watch this Youtube Video about lab contamination and check out the comment:
"@billyjones9907"
"I tried to grow monkey kidney cells for my students for a lab course. I gained a new found respect and hatred for yeast. No matter how hard we tried aseptic techniques, the yeast would take over in about 4 days. This was at a community college in the United States so we didn't have the best lab layout or equipment. Luckily the yeast were morphologically different enough that we could tell the difference."

Top
 How Do I make ginger beer?

Recipe

 How is brewing with Ginger Beer Plant different to brewing with just yeast

Brewing with just yeast is okay you will get a fizzy drink with some alcohol, however the ginger beer brewed with a Ginger Beer Plant is much more complex because it contains not only a yeast but lactobacilli and other yeasts which all impart their own flavours to the brew. It is really incredible how such simple ingredients as just sugar and water can make such a complex taste.

Top
 How is Ginger Beer Plant different to fizzy ginger beer from the shop?

A shop bought ginger beer with the exception of one or two is just a sugary mix of flavourings with some added CO2. A ginger beer brewed with Ginger Beer Plant is very complex in flavour and a challenge to brew two bottles exactly the same so you'll not get bored with it.

 How much does it cost?

All the prices are here on the website. Prices start at £14.48 for a basic 7g of dried Ginger Beer Plant with on line instructions and support using my recipe which hydrates to approximately 50g. Just choose your location and click 'OK' you aren't committed to make any purchase until you click complete Checkout on the PayPal site.

Top

About 3g/a level teaspoon per litre to taste.

 How long can hydrated GBP be stored without using it?

It can be kept stored in a weak 5% Recovery Brew, in an airtight container for a couple of moths but check it for any signs of mould. You will need to perform Recovery Brews before using it again.

Top
 How long can dry GBP be stored without using it?

A customer recently told me that he kept a dry packet unopened in a kitchen cupboard for two years, he followed my instructions and the GBP recovered as if hydrated without any problems. I have never tested this to failure and six months is my longest test on GBP kept at room temperature. It recovered as if a week old, but I suggest you use your GBP as soon as you can. This has just been rivaled by another customer who bought the GBP six years ago, kept it in the fridge and it recovered in 5 Recovery Brews.

Top
 How long does it take to make a brew?

You can make a very nice drink in a day or two depending how much GBP: water you have.

Top
 Ho long does the GBP take to arrive?

For the GBP to arrive, once dispatched, it should take 1-2 days in the UK, 3-4 to Western Europe, 4-5 days to Eastern Europe and 5 days to the US, Canada, Australia and Rest Of the World but please allow for postal delays.

Top
 How much can I brew with one batch?

The first brew, up to 4 litres but the culture grows quickly and you should be able to brew lashings of ginger beer very quickly using the first brew as starter (secondary ferment).

 Is ginger beer alcoholic?

Ginger beer brewed using a Ginger Beer Plant is alcoholic, however, you can control the amount of alcohol by varying the amount of sugar and varying the length of the brew time. You can also force carbonate to reduce the brew time further so reducing the amount of alcohol to levels in line with orange juice. So, more sugar and longer brews = more alcohol.

Top
 Is GBP and Tibicos the same thing?

No, the GBP is made up of the yeast Saccharomyces florentinus (Saccharomyces pyriformis), and the bacterium Lactobacillus hilgardii (Brevibacterium vermiforme) plus many more, while Tibicos and Water Kefir Grains are made up of Lactobacillus brevis plus many more yeast and bacteria. The exact composition varies from source to source and is further complicated by many people keeping Ginger Beer Plant, Tibicos and Water Kefir Grains which mix so readily as they require very much the same conditions. Of course my GBP has never come into contact with either Tibicos or Water Kefir Grains so it doesn't contain any of the organisms associated with them. Tibicos and Water Kefir Grain brews lack the complexity of flavour a brew made from Ginger Beer Plant has and Ginger Beer Plant brews are much more fizzy on the whole. Further to this they look different though perhaps only to the experienced eye. Tibicos tend be bigger as they're more aggressive and grow faster. Some people claim

 What do I need? Do I need lots of equipment and sterilising equipment?

No, just a jar/glass, something to cover the jar, some sugar, citrous fruit or Special Acid Blend and any other flavouring, usually ginger, to give it little extra, a Food Grade Sieve is advisable but not essential and you won't need it for a while if you use a jam jar with a lid or cloth to strain the Ginger Beer Plant. When you're bottling and food grade funnel is handy. If you're buying one think about the neck of the bottles you'll use.

  What does the GBP look like?

This is the Ginger Beer Plant

Top
 What if I don't like ginger?

Then you can make it flavoured with all kinds of other fruits and vegetables. It is only called a Ginger Beer Plant because it was traditionally brewed with ginger.

Top
  What is a Ginger Beer Plant?

A Ginger Beer Plant (GBP) is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast that is used to ferment ginger beer, a carbonated soft drink made from ginger, sugar, and water. The GBP is composed of lactobacilli bacteria and wild yeasts, and has been used for centuries to make ginger beer and other fermented drinks.

The GBP looks like a gelatinous mass or a small clump of whitish-yellow fibres. To make ginger beer with a GBP, you add the GBP to a mixture of ginger, sugar, and water, and allow it to ferment for several days to create a naturally carbonated drink.

While the use of a GBP to make ginger beer has been largely replaced commercially in modern times by forced carbonation of a sugary, gingery mixtures, some people still enjoy making ginger beer with a GBP for its unique flavour and for fun.

Top
 What if I don't like ginger?

Then you can make it flavoured with all kinds of other fruits and vegetables. It is only called a Ginger Beer Plant because it was traditionally brewed with ginger.

Top
 Why are you the best?

My Ginger Beer Plant has been carefully maintained without any mixing from other cultures for the whole period that I have been sharing it. I specialise in Genuine GBP so you can be 100% confident that you are getting pure GBP and not a mixture of other cultures.

Top
 Will you send instructions by post?

Yes, you can choose the starter pack and you will get printer instrucions, otherwise the TopUp comes with a link to an online version. Shop

Top

About

History

General FAQ

Shop

Recipes

Useful recipes with your Ginger Beer Plant

Help and support

Contact Me

Customer Reviews

Thank you for the very fast dispatch Our GBP arrived quickly, it was a breeze to use and is bubbling away nicely. My kids love it. Thank you.

Terry Ellis, Leicester

Your service is wonderful. I've bought GBP and top ups from you a few times now over the last few years. Your packaging is always really neat, the instructions you send are so helpful and I can't tell you how many of my friends have said how lovely the ginger beer is that I make.

Carla Hendricks, Milwaukee

Top