Kvass

[Sacredsite]

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone out there has a recipe for kvass (brewed russian softdrink). I'd like to brew it full strength if posssible, On previous attempts it has turned out very acidic and got worse as it aged.
thanks

[munkee]

http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/forum/search.php

[Hillbilly]

Why even bother mr munkey, this site is for people who want to talk about beer and exchange ideas not people who refer to search engines, I'll stick my neck out for everyone next time u ask a question I'll refer u too the search engine, good luck.

[tommo]

hey hillbilly,

I see that you wished our intelligent primate friend,mr munkee, good luck.

i'll take a guess and say that it's for learning to stand upright and walk on it's hind legs

[Oliver]

Chaps,

You may notice that there's munkee and munkey. Not sure if they're one and the same, but it may pay to make sure you're not tarring both with the same brush.

Cheers,

Oliver

[Dogger Dan]

If you leave it alone, he will stop.

Its actually very funny watching it from the sidelines. I understand both cases having worked in a HBS, you are plagued with repeatable questions all the time from newbies which you wish you had a tape deck to play the answer

Please don't give me grief, because this is as far into as I want to get.

Dogger

[tommo]

No grief intended DD but......

Were you born with this vast , neverending knowledge or.....

like me, did you have to ask Q's.

Give a man a Beer and he drinks today.

Teach a man to make his own and he drinks forever.

[Dogger Dan]

No,

I read and asked questions just like everyone else but there was no Public Internet, it was still being used by the US to control missile silos so you couldn't have any smart ass commentary from countries away. A 386 was the top end of the computer world

I didn't say I agreed with what is going on which is why I am trying to answer questions, I just said I found it funny. Especially seeing folk are often giving the wrong guy grief.

My point still is, if you leave it alone, it will stop.

And yes, I have my own irritants which make no sense to anyone such as "Sanitize vs Sterilize", "CO2 weighs more than air", "Belgians make the best beer" and other small jems like that.

This current foolishness, on the other hand doesn't bother me

Dogger

[tommo]

It wasn't my intention to appear the smart ass.

I will endeavour to rally my fellow newbies into being less plaguesome

Tommo

[Dogger Dan]

Nah Tommo,

I don't think you came across that way at all, the smart ass comments are those that you are referring to, the things that annoy you, especially as all you want is some help and I know how desperate that can be sometimes.

Let me try another example, This weekend I put up a post asking for some help on a pair of Coopers Lagers and what I should do with them. I got one reply, yet everyone jumped all over this search thing and it got what, 50 maybe hits, and what does it have to do with brewing beer. So think on that, anyone could have given a couple of pearls from their recipie book and I would have given it a go, instead, I didn't even get told to do a search because everyone was to pissed off to help.

And I mean all this in good taste, I am neither annoyed nor cross with anyone, except maybe my dog who keeps drinking my beer, piss tank he is.

So my recomendation, let it go and lets get on with the bussiness of brewing beer. I still have one kit left if anyone wants to help out

And this is likely the last time I will try and be the voice reason, you are in pretty dire straits when I am standing in that post

Thanks
Dogger

[undercover1]

Kvass is a popular European drink usually made from rye. It is low in alcohol, and quick and easy to make. If you live somewhere with a sizeable Russian or Polish population, you may find it for sale in delicatessens- I assume this is not the case in Cairns however!
Here is something to get to work on:
KVASS
3 funts of rye malt and 1 funt of barley malt cooked in a
sufficient quantity of boiling water to produce a thick, but
pourable, gruel; mix to smoothness,put in a cast iron vessel
and place in oven for several hours for full infusion. Remove
and pour into a large pot, dilute with boiling water to the
desired consistency, allow to settle, and then decant. From
the decanted liquid, take 2-3 stakans, and dissolve therein 30
grams of yeast and 2 tbsp. of wheat flour, allowing the mass
to rise in a warm place, after which, pour back into the pot.
Add sugar to taste, 0.25 funt of raisins, 3-4 pieces of hops;
mix well and place in a warm room until the yeast and raisins
come to the top and form a hemispherical foam "cap". Remove
this with a perforated ladle, pour the kvass into bottles,
seal them and put in a cold place. The kvass may be drunk the
next day.

What are those measurements about, I hear you ask?
1 gram = 0.25 zolotniks (approx.)
1 tbsp. flour = 10 grams
1 tbsp. salt = 20 grams
1 Russian Funt = 14.4451 oz.= 96 zolotniks = 9216 dolias
= 0.025 Russian poods = .409814 kilograms
= 0.90282018 pounds avoirdupois
1 kilogram = 2 European Funts = 2.4419 Russian Funts =
2.203 pounds
1 vedro = 12 liters = 405.817 fl. oz. = 3.17 US gallons
1 Russian vedro = 2.7056 Imp.gal.= 415.596 fl. oz.=
12.2892 liters
= 3.246849 US gallons
1 liter = 4 stakans (cups)
1 stakan = 250 cubic centimeters = 8.46 fluid ounces

You learn something new every day- I always thought a funt was equal to 100 zolotniks, not 96.
and no, I am not going to buy into the search/referral debate.


Salut!

[gregb]

Dogger wrote:

asking for some help on a pair of Coopers Lagers and what I should do with them. I got one reply,

Was that any help to you? It felt a little bit like telling Yoda to use the force.

Greg

[Dogger Dan]

Yes it was Thank You

Always love trying new things, and there are so many other things out there.

By the way "F*#%k the force, use your phaser"

Dogger

[Guest]

Kvass is a popular European drink usually made from rye. It is low in alcohol, and quick and easy to make.


Salut!

The original question was how do you make it full strength and drinkable.

[munkey]

rice is a good grain to add alcohol and no flavor, or glucose,
as or the drincable part, iv had no exsperiance brewing with rye, i would probably up the levals of rye and hops to try and bring up the alcohol and favor, then add rice or glucose, depending on your method of brewing,

rye. helps to create a creamy head and an oilyness, used in large amounts can contribute dryness and problrmes mashing and loutering, is high in pectins, like wheet and oats, and leaves a ripe apple aroma, some say spicy.

rice. lends hardly any flavour to your brew, but can contribute dryness exsentriating hoppyness, also when using white rice the lack of husks can complicate mashing,

all in all this would be a tricky one from my perspective to add more alcohol to without making fire water, the subtle flavors of rye are probably why this breq is made with a low alcohol content, and to make it effectively as you require, will probably require extra ingrediants to ballence the flavors then youl probably be brewing a bud,

[undercover1]

The problem you face in your quest, Sacredsite, is that kvass is not a full strength drink. Full strength kvass is about 2%- that's what kvass is.

You could try adding dextrose, rice etc as per the posts but I am not sure what result you will get. If you wish to make a rye-based all grain beer that will be a different animal entirely.


Salut!

[Dogger Dan]

I have a recipe thats pretty close but you need a still

Dogger

[beermeister]

Off the topic...but my brother-in-law has a still, he made a plain white spirit and added some of that liqueur essence you see in some HBS here. It wasn't bad.

I don't think stills are illegal here (WA), not sure about rest of Australia. Then again, maybe a still is like a bong - its OK to have one, as long as you don't use it? Ahh, the legal system...

[Dogger Dan]

Beermeister.

A Canadian rule of thumb.

Toss the top and bottom third down the sink

Dogger

[munkey]

i think even redneck swampmonsters, have that rule of thumb,