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 returns?
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 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. You see people compare it to sourdough and 'ginger bug'. Sourdough and 'Ginger Bug' are just different bacteria and yeasts 'swimming' around together like fish in pond. Differing yeast and bacteria which are easy to find in nature. Though one part of the Ginger Beer Plant is easy to find in nature the other is not. So you would first need to have Ginger Beer Plant to find the parts of the culture together. They then require an existing Blob to build onto. They aren't able to put the building blocks together without the foundation of another blob.
TopCan 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 Labelled 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.
TopDo you do returns?
If you have not opened the package I will refund the cost of the GBP when I receive it back. My Ginger Beer Plant is tested after drying every time and is guarenteed to be genuine, live Ginger Beer Plant. If you have any issues after following my instructions please contact as soon as possible for advice so that I can help you fix any issues.
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 with my previous site and 2008 with this one.
TopIs the GBP a SCOBY or a bug? If not what it is it?
A'SCOBY' is an acronym used to describe Kombucha. It's come to be a word used for Kombucha mother so I would never use it. Yes some people will use to me a whole host of other cultures but, that's word bleaching and not helpful. It's also an overly complicated acronym that doesn't help you understand what Ginger Beer Plant. 'SCOBY' stands for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast. Someone made it up to sound smart and I think it only serves to confuse the listener and bolster the ego of the user. It's been called Ginger Beer Plant for at least 200 years, so I don't see why I should give it a different name when it's got one that people can depend on. It's specific not generic. Is it a bug? No, it's not a sucking insect or infection either. Yes, it's not a plant but that's the traditional name just like Asparagus Fern is not a fern and a Cat Fish isn't a Cat. So, Ginger Beer Plant, abbreviated to GBP, is a mixture of a bacterium and a yeast that share a home. (The definition of Symbiotic can be very very broad which, I think makes it pointless that is can mean parasitic or just co mensal. By those definitions a Cold, lice and rats are symbiotic with humans. That work for the rat but not for me.)
Incidentally Kombucha and 'vinegar mother' makes a cellulose mass often called a pellicle and the bacteria will partly occupy that mass by simply being in the environment but they do not need it to survive. It just happens to be a convenient thing to handle. It is a home in a sense so it does have some benefit, but not vital. I haven't been able to find why the bacterium produces cellulose as a by-product, however it isn't the only Acetobacter to do that, so it must help the organism in nature, not so much in your cupboard.
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 centimetres 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."
How Do I make ginger beer?
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.
TopHow 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.
TopHow 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.
TopHow 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 rivalled by another customer who bought the GBP six years ago, kept it in the fridge and it recovered in 5 Recovery Brews.
TopHow 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.
TopHo 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.
TopHow 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.
TopIs 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?
TopWhat 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.
TopWhat is a Ginger Beer Plant?
TopWhat 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.
TopWhy 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.
TopWill you send instructions by post?
Yes, the starter pack comes with printed instructions. Shop
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