(keep in mind, just because a recipe is on the "internet" does not actually mean "it's good / it works" . . .)[/QUOTE]

You're right about that Dilbert!

But it's not always the internet and those that purposely post a recipe incorrectly - I've found any mistakes in published cookbooks, magazines, and even from brand name companies when printing/posting recipes.

With internet recipes I have traced some recipes back to the original poster and I have found some very interesting things. Some good - some bad. One woman posted a ton of recipes that were T & T and her hubby loved this, and she made that all the time, and yada, yada - and her recipes made no sense at all. Either she was a first class liar and never cooked a day in her life, or she was being quite spiteful - not wanting to give the recipe.

If you have no desire to share a recipe - don't change it around so that someone will make it and waste time, money and energy.

It's a shame that so many use the internet as their "imagination heaquarters" - I hate phoneys and liars.......

Thanks for the advice. The recipe I used I got from Good Eats with Alton Brown, so I think it's legit. I'll try Mama M's recipe and see what happens.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone had real Ginger Ale? Personally, I've only had the processed stuff and I really want to expand my pallet. If I had an idea what it was supposed to taste like, I think I'd have a better idea how to get there.

If anyone has ever made this kind of thing before, is it supposed to have a strong yeast taste or just a slight hint of that "bakery" aroma? And regarding ginger...is it supposed to be "hot" on the tongue? I know it's very fragrant, but is the burning sensation part of what "ginger" is?

AB's stuff is pretty reliable - altho looking through the comments you can find both success and not-so-success.

candied ginger is an old home / folk remedy for upset stomachs - you can probably find a batch to "taste test." my parents used to home brew both ginger ale and "root beer" - but it's been decades since I had any . . . as I recall I preferred the store bought soda of the day [g]

another thought came to mind - fermenting "at room temperature" - fermentation is temperature dependent. perhaps your kitchen is slightly cooler this time of year and it may take longer?

and it's also a matter of taste - we all have our own taste in different things

buying bottled ginger ale - to me Canada Dry is the best - others may think differently

I'm going to go out on a limb here and take a wild guess, lol. Alton Brown is usually pretty good with his scientific aspects concerning recipes. Seems everything he does though has a price tag on it.
I have several of his books and as usual evrything requires a bit of tweaking. Every recipe written in his books I think was done by an Intern on his Set during a show. Even the little side comments were things said on the recipes episode.

But looking at science, if your yeast was good and your sure of that then lets look for another possibility.

I would look at the acid being used. Yeast does not react very well to an acid. If it did, making a sour dough would be a bit quicker by adding a bit of vinegar to the mix but that would kill the yeast.
Could the lemon juice actually be interfering with the fermentation? It is possible. I would suggest that if you were to try this recipe again, Follow Mama's suggestions and maybe hold off on adding the lemon juice until after the 48 hour fermentation process.