Does anyone else here enjoy kvass?
Kvass is a traditional Slavic beverage that is made by fermenting rye/wheat bread/flour/malt. The result is low alcohol (usually <0.5%), carbonated, and balances sweet, bready flavor with a refreshing tartness reminiscent of kombucha. It's a great substitute for beer, in my opinion, for people who can't tolerate significant amounts of alcohol.
This is not a common beverage outside of Eastern Europe. I've had freshly made kvass a couple times at Russian restaurants in the US, but it seems like the only other way to buy it is to find an store (brick-and-mortar or online) that imports canned or bottled kvass from the Slavic homeland - it doesn't seem like there are any US-based kvass brewers. On a lark, I bought some Russian kvass online - a brand called 'Букет Чувашии' (Buket Chuvashii - 'Bouquet of Chuvashia') - and it was actually pretty good compared to what I've had in the past. I'm interested in trying other brands as well, but looking through reviews, it seems like a lot of brands are more akin to weakly-flavored bread soda than a real fermented drink. I wanted to see if other people who drink kvass have any recommendations for what brands to try.
Another option is to home-brew kvass. Theoretically, this should be similar to brewing kombucha, or any other lightly fermented food or drink. It looks like there are even a few places where you can buy kvass 'starter kits'. A lot of instructions for homebrewing kvass suggest using brewer's yeast though, and it seems like it would be harder to limit the alcohol content this way. As far as I can tell, traditional kvass cultures are a mix of yeast and lactic-acid producing bacteria (again, similar to kombucha) - would using a kombucha starter culture work to brew kvass? If anyone here has experience brewing kvass, I'd love to hear about your experiences!
Yes! I had it once by chance when I found it on a sale at a European imported food store. I thought it was great. When I told a Bosnian friend about it he said, “Yuck! Do you know how that is made?” I would love to have it again.
I really like some types of kombucha (although the recent popularity has filled stores with “Kombucha” that I haven’t enjoyed as much). But I think I liked kvass better, even though I only had one type and only had one bottle of it. I’d love to learn how to make it.
Kvas is something I've been wanting to try and I oddly have a number of recipes for it despite not yet attempting it. A lot of the information I'm about to share is from Ukrainian tradition thanks to Olia Hercules's great documention for Ukrainian cuisine, namely in her cookbooks Mamushka and Summer Kitchens. I'm also spelling it in the anglicized form from its Ukrainian name with one "s", but entomology of slavic languages are just as fascinating as their cuisines!
The recipe for regular kvas includes using a piece of stale or dried rye bread as a starter of sorts for the fermentation process along with using yeast. There's also honey, caraway, and coriander as well added to the mix. Let ferment for a day, then move to sterilized bottles to allow to ferment another 6 hours. Once placed in the fridge after this final ferment, the fermentation process and possible alcohol content should be stunted in proliferating.
But there's also more curious variations like wheat bran and polenta kvas or beet kvas that get incorporated into other dishes like yushka or borshch. Max Miller's Tasting History has an excellent video of him making his own beet kvas and using it as an ingredient for borshch. He even uses a piece of rye bread to help start his.
I am definitely going to look up the recipes you mentioned. Even if I do find other kvass brands I like, the ability to add my favorite fruits and spices is really appealing.
I've actually seen beet kvass marketed here in the US as a super-healthy drink due to all of the antioxidants, nitrates, and of course the latent probiotic content that any unpasteurized kvass would have. However it seems like in a lot of cases it is made without added sugar. I know beets have some sugar, but I suspect these might be a little less sweet than what I'd prefer. I do like beets though, so maybe I'll give this style a shot at some point.
Thanks for all the info!
I love Kvass! I try to make it once or twice per year but never really make the same as the bottled stuff. I learned about it from my man Boris on YouTube. It's a nice alternative to pop for me. Only a handful of my more adventurous friends have admitted to liking it. My Moldovan coworker has been begging me to make some, with this thread, I think I will!
I have never even heard of it, but it sounds like something I would like. Where I live (Rural SE USA) it would probably be impossible to find locally. I might have to check online though, and see what it costs. Sounds like a fun beverage.
I love Kvass and it is a very unique beverage for Americans. It shouldn't be too hard to get your hands on and it really shouldn't be pricey, I usually find it in the soda price range in stores.
This is a drink from my culture and I won't touch the stuff, lol. I grew up with at least a bottle in the house at all times. I like fermented things, but not beer or things that are beer-ish, so I tend to stay away.
Full disclosure- I also don't like Kombucha or any other fermented drink like that either for the same reason - I don't like the bitter tastes I can taste in there.
Hopefully you find another brand you like a lot!
I've had it a few times and liked it. I live in the Bay area where we have about 10 or so Russian and "European" (which often means Eastern Europe down to Greece) grocery stores. I'm no expert on the stuff but it seems there's a cheap carbonated kind and the actually fermented kind. I've had both and the latter definitely has a deeper flavor.
I only encountered the name playing the video game "Russian Fishing 4". But, your description reminds me of Vitamalz which I did encounter in Germany. Is it similar?
I'm an American back in the US, but I'm curious about kvass!
I'm not familiar with Vitamalz, but I looked it up - it's not really comparable because unlike kvass, Vitamalz is not fermented. In the US you might have encountered Malta Goya, another malt-and-hops beverage which seems like it would be very similar to Vitamalz. Personally, I dislike Malta Goya - without the tartness you get from fermentation, the sweetness is pretty cloying. I know people who go crazy for it though.
Ah, yes I have seen Malta Goya around. I wasn't a fan of Vitamalz so I'll stay away.
Do you have a recipe or method to use to make kvass? Is it similar to kombucha?
I made it once at home, probably 5 or 6 years ago. It turned out really good!
I bought two bottles of the stuff from an Eastern European market near me after reading about it on wikipedia. Really, I wanted to try drinking some of that alcohol that the monks in the middle ages would drink during lent, but I read somewhere that it was either the same thing or close enough. The two brands I had were 'Imperial Kvass malt drink' and another called "Ochakovo". They both taste the same to me, and I think they fall under the 'bread flavored soda' category of drink. If you haven't already tried them, give em a shot. I think they taste alright, but I don't know how it compares to homemade stuff.