Mimi's Ginger Beer

I saw this in the weekend Parade magazine awhile back, and I thought it sounded quite interesting - so I had to try it. It took me a while to remember to buy some more fresh ginger, but I finally got a chance to make some this week. I wasn't really sure what to expect, because I've never had ginger beer, but I figured it couldn't be bad with all these ingredients.

Mimi's Ginger Beer
from Parade magazine

Ingredients:

• ¼ lb fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 1 quart boiling water
• ½ cup honey
• 5 -8 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
• Grated zest of a lime or lemon
• Ice, citrus fruit juice and/or dark rum, for serving, optional

Directions:

1. Put ginger in a food processor, adding just enough cold water to puree it. Scrape pureed ginger into a large, heatproof glass or ceramic bowl or pitcher and add boiling water, honey, cloves, cinnamon stick, zest and juice. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and keep mixture in a warm place for about 4 hours, stir occasionally as mixture cools and skim foam off the surface occasionally if necessary.
2. Stir in 1 quart cold water and taste for sweetness, adding more honey or lemon or lime juice as needed. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain ginger beer and pour it into ceramic or glass bottles. Cap tightly and store in the refrigerator. 
3. Serve as soon as it is chilled, or wait 2-3 days for it to ferment and start to fizz slightly. Dilute with ice, more cold water, citrus juice—or, for an extra jolt, dark rum. Chill, covered, for up to 1 week.

Since I've never had ginger beer, I'm not sure if this tastes like that or not, but it is a very refreshing drink - all citrusy with that kick of ginger, and I've been enjoying it.  I usually just put it over ice and add a little water to dilute it slightly.  I haven't noticed any fermenting or fizzing, even though it's been several days since I've made it.

I've  been reading through some other articles and recipes (on Epicurious and Food.com to name a couple), and several of them call for yeast to encourage the fermentation, so I might try one of these next time. Or leave it out for a few days to start it.  I am enjoying it enough that I definitely want to try this again.  I'd love to hear any tips you have if you've ever made it.