Hello Carol - hopping around on the forums tonight and saw your post. Note: I remember the bottle's corks 'popping off' when the corks were not securely tied down. Here are some tried and true family recipes:

1. GINGER BEER 1. My Aunt Gwenno's Family Recipe
6 lbs sugar, 6 oz bruised ginger, 2 small bottles lemon essence, 1 packet cream of tartar, 1 cake compressed yeast, 1 packet tartaric acid, 1 cup raisins, 9 pints cold water, 2 gallons water.
METHOD: Put sugar & ginger into a saucepan. Add 9 pints of water. Bring to a boil then boil gently for about an hour. Remove and allow to cool. Fill a 4 gallon container 1/2 full with cold water (2 gallons water). Add raisins. Add yeast rubbed to a paste with a little lukewarm water. Add the cooled syrup, cover & leave 24 hours. Add lemon essence, tartaric acid & cream of tartar. Let stand 1 hour, then strain through muslin. Bottle and in each bottle, put 2 or 3 raisins.

2. GINGER BEER 11 My Aunt Gwenno's Family Recipe
2 lbs sugar, 3 ounce ginger well crushed, 6 large lemons - juice of, 1 cake compressed yeast, 3 gallons water.
METHOD: In a large saucepan, combine sugar and ginger. Leave overnight. Remove ginger. Boil for 1 hour. Leave until cool then add yeast. Cover & leave till next morning. Add strained juice of lemons. Fill eleven bottles. Cork each bottle securely. Leave till night time when yeast should have worked sufficiently. Store in frige or cool place.

3. GINGER BEER 3 Family recipe
2 lemons and Rinds of 2 lemons, 1 1/4 lbs sugar, 1 ounce whole ginger - bruised, 1/4 ounce cream of tartar, 5 quarts boiling water, 1 good tablespoon Brewers yeast.
METHOD: Strip off every particle of pith from rinds of 2 lemons. Cut the lemons into thin slices, removing pips. Put lemons into stainless steel bowl with sugar, ginger, cream of tartar. Pour in boiling water. Allow to stand till lukewarm, then stir in yeast. Allow to stand in a warm place for 24 hours. Skim yeast from top. Strain carefully from sediment. Bottle. Tie corks down securely. Ready in 2 days.

4. GINGER BEER 1 School recipe
1 dry yeast cake, 2c lukewarm water, 1 lb sugar (2cups), 20 quarts water (80 cups), 1 packet cream of tartar, 1 packet tartaric acid, 5 lb. sugar, 1/4 lb whole ginger.
METHOD: Soak yeast cake in 2 cups lukewarm water, add 1 lb. sugar. The following day, mix the other ingredientds, bruising the ginger well. Add the yeast and leave in a warm place to ferment for about 24 hurs. Strain and bottle.

5. GINGER BEER 11 School Recipe
12 cups sugar, 1 cup bruised ginger, 1 packet cream of tartar, 1/2 packet tartaric acid, 20 cloves,1 cup bruised raisins. 1cup strained syrup, 1/2 yeast cake, boiling water.
METHOD: Put all the ingredients except the yeast into a 4 gallon stainless steel container. Fill up with boiling water. Next day put in the yeast. keep in a warm place. Bottle when the raisins rise and float to the top. This takes about 3 days. Tie the corks down well.

6. GINGER BEER
15 1/2 pints cold water, 1 cake compressed yeast, 3 lbs sugar, 1/2 cup raisins, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 tablespoons ground ginger.
Method: Mash yeast with a little of the measured sugar to liquify. Mix all ingredients together in large container, stirring well. Let stand for 24 hours. Strain through muslin and bottle.