Ginger beer is a drink that originated in England and became popular in the Caribbean area later on in its life. It was created in the 1700s and became very popular in the Caribbean, England and North America, reaching its peak in the early 1900s (before prohibition limited the distilleries in the United States.) In 1935, there were 3,000 breweries in England and 1,000 in Canada. It can be made to be either alcoholic or as a soft drink. Original recipes detail a simple process, requiring only ginger, sugar and water, and the addition of "ginger beer plant". Ginger beer plant is a mixture of organisms- one of them is the yeast Saccharomyces florentinus, and the bacteria Lactobacillus hilgardii. The mixture turns into a jelly-like substance, and this simple yeast mixture can be transferred easily from one fermenting substance to the next. Added to the other ingredients, the mixture is left to ferment and then after a few days create the actual beer. Nowadays normal yeast cultures are added to create a real ginger beer, and the alcoholic content is relatively high compared to other beers- around eleven percent. Ginger beer produced commercially is often like root beer and is not alcoholic. The difference between ginger beer and ginger ale is the taste- the beer formula allows for a much stronger flavor and has a cloudy appearance, as opposed to the clear one of ginger ale. Many describe it as ginger ale with a "kick" to it, which comes from the sour citrus base, and the strong influence of the ginger in the drink.
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