Refreshing Alcoholic Ginger Beer With Orange

This Ginger beer is simple to make and so refreshing on a hot summer's day. It's more than that, it's also warming on a cold winter's night. The best of both worlds.
It ends up being about 3.5% alcohol.
It's a really basic recipe that is easy to tweak. Add some Cinnamon for some spice, use malt instead of sugar for some creamy goodness, add extra herbs to suit your taste or use lemon in place of the orange. I've even added chocolate and vanilla and it was delicious! The possibilities are endless...

Step 1: Ingredients and Equipment

Ingredients
1 kg brown sugar
200 grams fresh ginger
2 Oranges
12 liter water (total)
7 grams brewers yeast


Optional extras
Cinnamon
Clove
Star anise
Sultanas


Equipment
A rigid container with a typical capacity of 15L (sometimes called a carboy)
(It's good to have a few sizes. Small one for sample brews, then when you get it down make a big brews.)
A big cooking pot
Mixing spoon
Thermometer (if you want not 100% necessary)
Bottles, Caps and capper
Airlock
Hose to fill bottles
Measuring cap and spoons
Scales
Hand Juicer
Grater
(You can get all this stuff from the home brew shop, or find it around the house or hardware shop.)

Step 2: The Mash

So the first thing to do is start by grating the ginger into the cook pot. then add the zest of 2 of the oranges. add about 2 litres of water and put on the stove top to simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. (This is where you could add extra spices like cinnamon and  clove. i would have but i forgot to buy some. )

Step 3: The Wort

The next thing to do is sterilize the container that you are going to ferment in. I just use hot water and vinegar.  I never have any problems but you can always use any number of the different commercial sterilizers.

Now add the kilo of sugar to the ferment vessel.(carboy or whatever you are using). Strain the ginger mash into the sugar and mix till all the sugar has dissolved. Top up with water till it reaches about 12 liters. now add the juice of the 2 oranges you zested earlier on. 

Step 4: Pitching the Yeast

Now add the yeast. Any brewing yeast will do but I'm using safale us-05. It's a big pack of yeast so fermentation will start fast and I should be bottling in about 3 to 5 days. At this point I also add a few slices of fresh ginger to give it an extra kick.  I then put the lid on add the airlock and leave it till it stops bubbling.

Step 5: Bottling

So now it is time to bottle , it's been fermenting for about a week. (I usually just wait till it stops bubbling.) Again I wash all my bottles in hot water and white vinegar. You can use a commercial sterilizer if you want. 
Then to each bottle a little sugar to prime. This puts the fizz into each bottle. I am using 355ml bottle so add about 2 grams to each.(about 1/2 a tsp ) I am using raw sugar because that what i have ,but use caster, honey whatever you like.
After priming each bottle fill to 30mm from top then cap. You can use any bottles you like sometimes I reuse a glass juice bottle and just twist the caps back on.
Let the bottle sit for 2 to 3 weeks minimum.  Refrigerate before drinking. Enjoy :)