the brewing mecca for Toronto area

http://torontobrewing.ca/index.php/


this is my dream toy,, that and an empty garage to put it in.

http://torontobrewing.ca/index.php/build-your-own-blichmann-engineering-turn-key-nanobrewery.html

recipe for a 5 gallon batch,, not the recipe I used but looks close , the major diff is size and I didn't at raisons, (didn't want wild yeast) or the nutmeg, cloves cinnomon ,
The lime and lemon is probably about adding acids the yeast want more than flavour, wine store acid mix would probably work too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7OG1y38a10

I'll try to find the one I used but this would do too.

This is the one I used, I think I added some extra honey and stuff tryiing to push the alchohol, I added too much, make it exactly to spec and you should be fine.

http://leonsteber.com/7757/food/alcoholic-ginger-beer-home-brew/

We could always do big batch together and split it Harcourt.

And so, it has begun.  A bubbling five gallon bundle of joy is now fermenting away in my basement.

Update...

I will bring samples to our next gathering.  It fermented, it carbonated, it tastes like ginger.  I won't win any awards but I did make booze.

a good table for figuring out how much sugar you actually want in your ginger ale 
Ignore anything over 12 % unless your going to use one of the crazy distillers yeast.
http://www.clawhammersupply.com/blogs/moonshine-still-blog/14514521-distilling-potential-alcohol-table

you could even buy a very light beer malt which would give you 4-5%, leave out the hops and sugar it up to 10%

So my recipe has been upped by another 18 ounces of ginger, and another 2 lbs of sugar, It looks like I'm close to 9% but there is zero sweetness and I think the ginger needs a little sweet to carry the heat.  I'll keep raising the sugar slowly until the yeast slows down and then I'll add just  bit more which will fix up the bottles.

currently mine is much like yours so I guess that's what the recipe was looking for but its not what I wanted, (yours has a little more lemon ness than mine but essentially the same expect 8-9%)   Next time I will use a beer malt to give it more character and at least double the ginger I used, up to 2 lbs+ My first recipe was only 1 gallon and I goofed and added 1/2 the sugar (pounds kilo mix up) hence the syrupiness  and then gingered to taste..

perhaps a low alc beer yeast would allow me to keep the sweetness but a lower punch.

I guess it depends how boozy you want it.  If the ginger overpowers the alcohol might as well have it a bit higher on the alcohol levels.  I like the idea of the higher alcohol yeast and adding dissolved sugar until it slows/stops and is sweet to your liking.  For bottling you shouldn't need more than 4 ounces of sugar dissolved in water added to a 5 gallon batch (but the yeast has to still be a bit active).  I have about 5 ounces and you saw it fizz over a bit.

this weeks sugar should be complete so I'll be doing a new test on friday,, should be in the 11% range now.  it was normal wine not sparkling yeast so it should be nearly ready to roll over and go kack!