Lab-made Ginger Ale Ginger Ale Recipe by David B. Fankhauser, Ph.D. (Claremont College) A WORD ABOUT THE ALCOHOL IN HOME MADE ROOT BEER (OR GINGER ALE ): The alcoholic content has been tested in Dr. Fankhauser’s lab to be between 0.35 and 0.5 %. Comparing this to the 6% in many beers, it would require a person to drink about a gallon and a half of this root beer to be equivalent to one 12 ounce beer. This amount of alcohol is negligible, but for persons with metabolic problems who cannot metabolize alcohol properly, or religious prohibition against any alcohol, consumption should be limited or

Intro: Anaerobic respiration is a process that produces carbon dioxide and alcohol in yeast cells. This process has been used for hundreds of years to produce ale and other beverages. This process is also responsible for the carbonation found in many of these beverages. Please refer to the note at the top of the page if you are concerned about the alcohol content in the ginger ale we will make in class. No one will be forced to taste the ginger ale. Ingredients:

 ¼ (60 ml) cup of sugar  Juice from ¼ lemon (1/2 if the lemon is small)  1 tsp grated ginger  1/16 teaspoon or 1 ml yeast  1 .5L bottle of water (standard single size) room temperature is preferable. Day 1 Procedure 1. Decant water from the bottle to the neck 2. Mark ¼ cup line on plastic cup provided by teacher. ¼ cup is approximately to the second line from the bottom. 3. Combine all ingredients into cup – I may pass the ingredients from table to table. 4. Pour in water from water bottle to top ridge (first line from top). Stir ingredients with spoon provided. 5. Carefully pour contents of cup into water bottle. 6. Fasten lid tightly, and invert a few times to dissolve sugar. 7. Write your table # and class period on the lid or bottle. 8. Place your water bottle in the hot water bath. Day 2 Procedure 1. Carefully check the pressure of your bottle. If it is under a high amount of pressure, carefully point the bottle away from you and others and slowly unscrew the lid. (Do this the same way you would open a bottle of Coke that is under pressure.) 2. Re seal the lid and invert a few times to dissolve remaining sugar. 3. Pour the Ginger Ale through a strainer (unless you prefer chunky style) into a Dixie Cup. 4. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. 5. Dispose of your ginger ale properly.

Analysis Questions – to be completed in your lab journal. 1. Describe, in detail, the role the yeast played in brewing the ginger ale. Include the products they produced by the yeast.

2. To prevent the bottles from bursting under pressure, the ginger ale may be refrigerated after a couple of days to slow the production of carbon dioxide. How does cooling the ginger ale reduce the carbon dioxide buildup?

3. How do muscle cells and yeast cells differ, concerning anaerobic respiration?

4. Write a short review of the ginger ale.