We strive to keep the alcohol content less than 1%, so that the alcohol in our ginger beer is similar to that of a non-alcoholic beer. A little goes a long way! Make an amazing mocktail (imitation cocktail) with sparkling water and a little fruit juice.

Yes, you can make it in your own kitchen at home. All it takes is fresh ginger, fresh lemons, sugar, good water, and time. There are lots of tutorials available online. Or ask us for tips!

Bright & Sunny Ginger Beer is wild fermented. That means we don’t add carbonation, and we don’t add yeast. The tiny bubbles come from the ginger bug – a lacto-fermented starter for bubbly soda drinks, similar to sourdough starter or kombucha. Lacto-fermentation is an anaerobic process (without oxygen) where naturally occurring beneficial bacteria and wild yeast break sugar down to form lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Which makes tiny bubbles! Other ginger beers and ginger ales are simply carbonated water with ginger juice and sugar, and do not include the health benefits of lacto-fermentation.

Fermentation is a traditional method of preserving foods. During the fermentation process, microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, or fungi convert sugars and starches into alcohol or acids. This transformation enhances the beneficial bacteria in food. These beneficial bacteria, or probiotics, are thought to improve digestive health by assisting with digestion and absorption of nutrients. Eating unpasteurized, probiotic-rich food and drink is thought to help bring the digestive system into balance and to support the immune system.

Sugar is an important ingredient in our ginger beer – it’s what the microorganisms eat! They transform this food source into lactic acid and carbon dioxide, and make the ginger beer nice and bubbly. So the sugar that remains is minimal – we think you’ll find our ginger beer is on the dry side, and not too sweet. However, if you are avoiding sugar, ginger beer may not fit your diet.

Bright & Sunny Ginger Beer is a fresh product. It needs to be refrigerated or kept on ice to avoid pressure building up in the bottle. If you don’t plan to drink your ginger beer right away, be sure to open the bottle to release the pressure every few days or so. Consume your ginger beer within 2 weeks. If it lasts that long we’ll be impressed at your willpower.

The sediment that collects at the bottom of the bottle is cast off yeast from the fermentation process, and finer ginger particles. It is harmless to drink – you can either gently tip the bottle to disperse the sediment, or just leave it be.

According to the USDA, there have been no documented cases of food-poisening or illness from fermented vegetables. "Often people project their fear of botulism onto fermented foods, but this is unfounded and mostly due to botulism risk in canning, which is real. There is no case history of botulism associated with fermented vegetables, fruits, grains, or milk; it has only occured in fermented meats, fish and tofu."
Katz, Sandor Ellix. Wild Fermentation, 2016