Probiotic Soda

I do a lot of fermentation including sourdough, wine, beer and vegies like sauerkraut. Was looking for something like but a bit different than kombucha. Kombucha is pretty easy to start and keep going but usually requires a gallon batches and post flavoring. Looking for something that could be done on smaller batches and easy flavor, I stumbled on to probiotic sodas made with a Ginger bug.

Making probiotic sodas is similar to kombucha and sourdough. Create a starter, use it to make a batch and keep it feed for the next batch. The starter is a ginger bug made from ginger you buy your local grocery store mix in water with a bit of cane sugar. Here is one method to make a ginger bug. This is a straight forward method for making a ginger bug.

Equipment needed

• Mason jar or container large enough to hold ~1L
• Venting lid or cheese cloth to cover the jar but let it vent.
• Flip/swing top bottle, growler or a ~1 gallon homebrew keg to make a batch.
  • I like using a small keg which I will connect to my kegerator for serving
  • If you have one and need a large batch, you could use a corneilius
  • Flip tops containers are nice to release the CO2 developed during fermentation.
  • The container you use should be able to hold CO2 pressure but also easy to release some.
• Funnel
• Blender
• Strainer
• Iodophor for sanitizing.
  • You can do without this but could get a batch with wild yeast and bacteria not found in your ginger bug.
  • Just need enough to give a tint to water to fill what you want to sanitize.

Making a batch

Making a batch is pretty simple and requires no heating. I usually do it in the pitcher of my blender and pour through a strainer into my keg. If you are using Swing top Bottles / growlers, you don’t need to strain it. For a keg, if you don’t strain it the particles will clog up the out spout.

Following is a batch for a blueberry lime soda of 1 L fermented in a bottle/growler. If you are using a keg simply increase the batch. Substitute the blueberries with raspberries, mix berries your favorite frozen fruit or a bunch of ginger. I use frozen fruit since it always easy to get and usually in best condition but you can use fresh. Could try vegie like cucumbers or peppers.

• 1 L water
• 1 8 oz bag of frozen blueberries.
• Juice of one lime
• 1/2 to 3/4 C cane sugar
  • Depend on how much sugar the fruit or other ingredients add. Less for sweeter fruit.
• 2 tbls ginger bug – refreshed and actively fermenting

1. Add everything except the ginger bug to the pitcher of your blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Strain into your container if needed.
4. Add the ginger bug to the container. Try to get mostly ginger bug liquid, if you are using a keg you should strain it to get out any ginger pieces.

With the bottle/keg filled, close the lid and put container in room temperature dark spot like a cupboard. It will need to sit for a few days but don’t forget it!! After each day, check the carbonation by opening the bottle or pull the keg release valve, there should be some. After the first day, be careful when checking carbonation since it could be a bit explosive. I had a raspberry batch partial paint by kitchen. If you haven’t checked it or forgot about it, bottle could burst.

Let sit for 3 days then put in the refrigerator for another 2 days before tasting. When you first taste it, if it doesn’t have much carbonation or tastes too sweet let it sit longer. You might need to pull it out of refrigerator for a day or 2 to let the fermentation speed up. Usually when I use a keg, the fermentation adds enough natural carbonation that no additional CO2 is needed for pour.