Spiced ginger beer

Homemade fermented ginger beer with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel. Naturally carbonated with bread yeast. Makes 6-7 sixteen-ounce bottles.

Tastes best after 3-5 days cold in the fridge. The ginger mellows a lot.

Recipe

Time: ~1hr active + 18-36hr fermentation

Combine 1 cup water, sugar, and honey in a 2-3qt saucepan. Stir over low heat until dissolved.
Immersion blend the ginger with the liquid until coarse pulp. Don't over-blend into paste or it's hell to strain.
Add cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Simmer on low for 35-40 minutes.
Add fennel seeds. Simmer another 20-25 minutes (60 min total). Don't add fennel earlier or it gets bitter.
Strain through cheesecloth or nut milk bag. Squeeze the pulp to get everything out. Regular mesh won't catch the fine ginger bits.
Stir in lemon juice.
Add 10 cups cool filtered water. Make sure it's below 85f before the next step or you'll kill the yeast.
Sprinkle 1/4 tsp bread yeast on the surface, wait a couple minutes, stir gently.
Funnel into bottles, leave 1-2 inches headspace. Plastic bottles recommended. Seal tight.
Ferment at room temp. Do NOT burp -- you're releasing the carbonation you're trying to build.
Check plastic bottles by squeezing every 6-8 hours starting at 12 hours. When rock-hard, fridge immediately.
Chill at least 12-24 hours before opening. Open slowly over a sink -- it can be very fizzy.
Pour gently, leave the last inch of sediment in the bottle.

Use whole spices, not ground. Ground clouds the syrup and won't strain out.
Crack the cardamom pods with the flat of a knife so the seeds are exposed.
Heavy sediment on the bottom of bottles is normal. That's yeast and ginger fines.
1/4 tsp yeast is generous. Could go 1/8 tsp next time.
If it's still too spicy after chilling, cut with seltzer.
Don't use bare aluminum or uncoated cast iron pots. Stainless or enameled is fine.