Last time I made ginger beer I somehow had trouble starting the yeast. That made me a little nervous tonight, because I couldn't remember why. I just remember that there was no yeast activity. It is possible that perhaps I just added too little yeast. Tonight, my yeast started in about five minutes... it was quite surprising, and honestly a fun show!

To start the yeast, I got mixed one cup of warm water, seven tablespoons of sugar, along with one and a half tablespoons of ground ginger. Warm water is loosely defined as just slightly cooler than skin temperature. I put it in a clean glass jar, mixed it up with a forg and draped a wash cloth over the opening.

I wasn't sure what to look for to see that the yeast had started, so I kept it on the desk next to me. At first after a minute, there was a tiny haze of bubbles over the surface. I was a bit excited, but I wasn't sure if this was it "working", or if it was just from stirring. A few minutes later it started to really work in what I would describe as "blooming". Little eruptions of bubbles jetted to the surface, blooming small platelets of bubble islands.

It was kind of amazing to see for the first time... I suppose people that do this all the time would be bored by it, but it seemed almost miraculous to me. Watching the bubbles surface like mini volcanic eruptions was immensely satisfying despite only having added sugar and water was mesmirizing.

Too late, I realize I was only supposed to add one teaspoon of sugar. The way this recipe is written is confusing because it lists the entire weeks worth of ingredients in the "Plant" section. I almost added 7 times too much ginger too. Before I use this recipe again I am going to write it out my own way to prevent the confusion.