Ginger Beer

Add the sugar, cream of tartar, lemon juice and fresh grated ginger to a large pot along with 4 cups of the water. Bring to a full boil and stir to dissolve all the sugar.

Add the rest of the (cold) water to the pot and allow it to cool to around 75 degrees F (23 degrees C), or until it doesn't feel overly warm to a fingertip dipped in.

Add the yeast, stir and cover the pot with a kitchen towel.

Place pot in a dark place for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, the yeast should be foamy and covering the majority of the liquid. Using a fine strainer, strain the liquid into a pitcher to remove all the bits of ginger.

Pour the brew into one clean 2-liter plastic bottle (or two 1-liter bottles) but do not fill up the bottle all the way because the fermentation will yield carbon dioxide, causing gases to build in the bottle - you will need to give the liquid some room to build the gas.

Place the bottles in a dark, warm spot for a varied amount of time. Depending on the temperature of the liquid and room and your personal preference for sweeter or drier ginger beer, it may be less than 24 hours, it may be 2-3 days. I recommend burping the bottles often (you can feel how taut the plastic is by squeezing it and if it's tighter than the bottles in the store, let some pressure out) and tasting as you go.

Every few hours (or half days), carefully loosen the caps to relieve some of the pressure (without opening the bottles all the way). Be very careful in this process and do not point the bottles at anyone’s (or your own face). The burping can take some patience; don't just go unscrewing the caps all the way. You do that once, you never do it again. Take care.

Once the ginger beer has finished brewing (aka when it's reached the level of sweetness you prefer), store it in the refrigerator to chill. This will also slow the fermentation process.

Pour in a glass and enjoy as is, or add a splash of rum and lime juice for a Dark n' Stormy. Ginger beer keeps for 10 days - be sure to store in air-tight bottles in your refrigerator.