Kvass Sparkling fermented drink

Kvass sparkling fermented drink may seem strange at first to someone raised on sweet carbonated soft drinks. I remember being told it’s like beer made from bread. Considering the commonality of yeast in bread and beer, it’s not really all that strange. But kvass (квас) really has more in common with soft drinks than with beer, despite the pungent yeasty note as you bring the glass to your lips for a sip. It’s really quite refreshing and effervescent.

Kvass has ancient roots among the Slavic and Baltic peoples. Its mildly alcoholic content (.5-1.5%), while not enough to sterilize tainted water, can surely mask any unpleasant flavors in the water supply and probably at least slow the growth in pathogens in stored water. It’s also a useful ingredient in several soups made in these regions.

My first experience with kvass happened when I was studying abroad in Russia (when it was the Soviet Union). I remember seeing these large wheeled barrels being pulled around in the streets. They had a spout and a communal glass. Sometimes people brought their own container to fill with the fizzy, golden beverage. It was too scary for me at the time so I refused to try it, though my Russian friends assured me it was a refreshing drink on a warm day. I’d still prefer to make my own!

Planning ahead

Unfortunately kvass-making is not a quick enterprise. At a minimum you’ll need to let it ferment for about a day and a half before you can consume it. And then it gets a little tastier each day. Because it’s a “living” beverage it will spoil after several days so make it when you know you want it in about 2 days and will have consumed it by the end of the fifth day or so. It makes a great summer drink because it’s very refreshing so make it when you’re going to have people over for a cookout, for instance. Or drink a little and then use the rest in a chilled summer soup like okroshka (окрошка).

You will also need some rye bread for your kvass so back up another day or two if you plan to bake your own. If you buy store-bought rye, best to choose a loaf from the bakery and not the packaged bread aisle. If the bread is full of preservatives they will inhibit the growth of yeast and thus inhibit fermentation. I also choose a plain rye without caraway seeds, cardamom and other seeds. I started with a beautiful loaf of rye, thinly sliced, which I toasted in one layer in my toaster oven.

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Start by toasting 1 pound of sliced bread until they are crispy and brown but not burnt. The darker the bread, and the darker the toast, the darker your kvass will be. You can get it pretty brown if you like but if you burn the bread it will impart that charcoal-y flavor to the kvass. Toast the bread about 20 minutes in your oven at 350°F; ten minutes or so in a toaster oven to golden brown and adjust the time from there depending on how dark you want it.

While the bread is toasting, bring a gallon of water to boil then cool it to 175°F. In a large jar or vessel that you can cover later with cheesecloth, break up the toasted bread. Pour in the warm water. Let it steep for one hour. Towards the end of the hour, bring a half gallon of water to boil and let it cool to 175°F.

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After an hour, strain the liquid into a large pot through a mesh strainer or colander lined with four layers of cheese cloth. Gather up the sides of the cloth and gently squeeze the bread to remove as much liquid as possible without squishing bread into the pot of kvass. Return the bread to the jar or steeping vessel and pour the second batch of warm water into it. Let the bread steep for 90 minutes. Then repeat the straining process and discard the bread.

For what it’s “wort”

The liquid you have strained into a pot is called the “wort.” To this you will add the fermenting agent (either yeast, a sourdough starter or both). Rinse out the jar you steeped the bread in and pour the wort into it. You can filter it again as you pour if you think it has bits of bread in it. After the fermentation process there will be some “sediment” that settles out of it anyway but the less mushy bread in it the better.

To ferment the kvass you have a couple choices. I have made kvass using only commercial yeast (the same kind used in bread making) and I have made it using a sourdough starter (as pictured in this blog post). I didn’t find the yeast-only result all that successful. It wasn’t very tasty or bubbly. But I worried that sourdough starter alone might not do the trick so I compromised and added a little yeast to the wort as well just to be sure the fermentation had enough “oomph.”

Bring one cup of water and 1½ cups of sugar to a boil. Let it simmer a few minutes. You can also add a teaspoon of honey to this syrup. Honey was the original sweetener a thousand years ago so I used a little just to give it a more “authentic” flavor. Let the syrup cool to 100°F and stir in 2-3 tablespoons of sourdough starter and/or yeast. Be sure it’s not too hot or it will kill your learning agent. If using dried fruit to help flavor the kvass, put it into the fermenting liquid then add it all to the wort. Raisins are traditional but other fruits work too. It’s fine to omit the fruit.

The fermentation

Stir the jar to combine the fermentation liquid and the wort. Cover the jar or whatever vessel you are using with cheesecloth and let it sit at room temperature for 12 hours or overnight. (It was a chilly night so I set a space heater set at 70°F near my jar).

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In the morning when I checked my kvass, a lot of material had settled to the bottom of the jar. I used a sourdough starter which contains flour so the heavier particles settled. The mixture was active and bubbly.

For the final time filter the liquid from the jar. Pour it into something with a spout to make it easier to fill a bottle. Once again I used cheesecloth to capture the fruit and sediment. Stop when you get to the very bottom and don’t pour the thick silt into it. I used two empty 2-liter bottles to store my kvass for their second and final fermentation.

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Set a bottle in the sink and fit it with a funnel. Carefully pour the kvass into the bottle, leaving some head space for the production of gas (carbonation). If using a plastic bottle as I did, squeeze the bottle a little and leave it indented when you cap it. Put the bottle in the refrigerator and leave undisturbed for 24 hours. In this time the plastic bottle will expand as the yeasts produce gas in the kvass.

After 24 hours the kvass had continued fermenting and expanded the plastic bottle. It’s ready to drink now and you can see that it was quick bubbly. However it really started tasting better on the third day in the fridge.

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After another couple days the kvass got even bubblier and clearer. And it just kept tasting better and better. I would say that it had a bit of a citrus taste or similar to a cider. To the nose it was very yeasty but not really in taste. It’s tangy-sweet and bubbly, quite refreshing.

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Recipe