Pineapple Upside Down Soda

Instructions

1. Dump pineapple trimmings, brown sugar, and water in a deep pot. Bring it to a boil and simmer briskly for 1 hour.
2. Stir in ginger and lemon juice. Let cool to about 85 degrees Fahrenheit. (When I'm too lazy to get out the thermometer, I know it's cool enough when the pot feels just barely warm.)
3. Strain the mixture into another very clean pot, crock, or bowl. Pitch in your yeast and stir for one full minute with a very clean spoon. You're trying to mix in oxygen here, so don't be shy.
4. Cover and let rest at room temperature for a day or two.
5. Use a funnel to pour the soda into one quart bottle or two pint bottles. Leave two inches or so of head space. Depending on your pineapple and how much water evaporated as your brewed, you might need another small bottle for the excess soda.
6. Close bottles and allow to carbonate at room temperature. Check them every couple of hours, and when they're carbonated pop them in the refrigerator.
7. If you're using re-purposed plastic bottles, test by squeezing them. When they're firm, they're done. I use glass swing-top bottles and check them by releasing the tops. When they pop, I know they're carbonated. (Most recipes advise that these are dangerous because they could over-carbonate and explode. In three years of brewing sodas, I haven't had this, or anything else particularly scary, happen. But proceed at your own risk?)