• Boil the grated turmeric in the water & let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Leave to cool to lukewarm or below.
• Strain the liquid into a litre glass bottle.
• Add 100mls of your turmeric bug.
• Put the lid on & leave at room temperature for 48 hours.
• Strain out any turmeric, return the liquid to the bottle & add honey & lime to taste. The vanilla is a lovely addition but not necessary.
• If it’s fizzy, put in the fridge, & if not, leave at room temperature, checking each day until it fizzes when opened.
• Once it’s fizzy, it’s important to keep in the fridge & to ‘burp’ it occasionally, as it does continue to build fizz.
• Drink within 2 weeks. It doesn’t seem to go off as such but could become alcoholic.
Probiotic turmeric ‘beer’
Turmeric beer is an alternative to ginger beer. I sell this & it seems to divide opinion with strong emotion. People tend to be either a bit baffled by it or go absolutely bananas with joy.
Like ginger beer it’s made in 2 parts; you have your starter culture known as a turmeric bug, then you make a turmeric tea. When combined, they ferment, & with a little added flavour & sweeteners, become turmeric ‘beer’.
See my previous recipe, ‘Ginger Bug’ for how to make the starter culture.
Follow exactly the same method except use fresh grated turmeric root instead of ginger.
(If you don’t want to make one from scratch, I sell the starter bugs via my shop page.)
The process for making the beer is also the same as for ginger beer, but uses different quantities & flavours.
To make 1 litre of turmeric beer…
1 inch fresh grated turmeric root, preferably organic
3/4 litre water
Juice of 1 lime
Splash/ pinch of vanilla (optional)
Honey to taste
