Fresh, Candied Ginger:
Fresh ginger root from the produce section.
Peel it with a spoon or grater.
Slice med-thin (resembles kettle-style potato chips)
Cook in water for 20 min or so.
Pour off water (removes a lot of the harshness and moderates the spiciness/heat)
Add sugar.
Add a little water back to help dissolve the sugar
Cook on low heat for 20 min or so. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
Place the candied ginger in a nylon mesh bag.
Place the bag in the boil kettle for the last 15 minutes of the boil for flavor.
Great in a Saison. Flavor was gentle, subtle. Peppery heat seemed to come from the yeast, not the ginger.
Nice! I may have to try this myself. I imagine you lose some of the intensity of the ginger flavor by candying it?
I've brewed a saison with ginger two different ways (I much peferred the second, so do many within my HBC):
1.) Store-bought candied ginger (harsh, very peppery, noticeable heat-minimal flavor)
http://www.gingerpeople.com/crystallized-ginger/organic-crystallized-ginger-1.html,
even after using it in the BK for 15 minutes and removing it after IC and transfer was complete, the individual cubes were practically too spicy hot to eat. My mouth was on fire! I knew my beer was going to be super spicy, and it was.
and
2.) Using the above recipe (which learned from a professional local brewmaster when we upscaled my recipe on his 7 barrel system).
You could retain more flavor (and spicy heat) if you used less water in the boil (and shorter boil times).
Doing it this way makes the ginger more subtle and flavorful with not as much spicy heat--itblends well with the saison, lends complexity, and does not overwhelm the malt and yeast profiles. The candied sugar just means just a little more fermentables (and more alcohol).
My (sneaky) saison runs 8.5% ABV. But, the alchohol is practically undetectable.