Batch 107: Kyiv Kvass
Inspiration
Ukranian-style Kvass
Technical Specs
ABV 5.6% | SRM 22 | IBU 5 | OG 13.0 | FG 2.4
Brewer's Notes
Kvass was born in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, where it was first mentioned in literature around 989 AD. It’s traditionally made by soaking rye bread and fermented naturally with wild yeast, or with baker’s yeast.
We sourced 30 loaves of sourdough bread and sour rye bread from Bread & Cie here in San Diego. It totaled almost 80 lbs of fresh bread. It was chopped up into cubes and added to the mash tun along with rye malt and biscuit rye.
The beer was fermented with Lactobacillus Brevis and Lactobacillus Plantarum. We also used Aaron’s sourdough yeast starter, which has been going strong for over 10 years. The beer was then finished off with traditional brewer’s yeast.
Obviously the finished beer tastes like sourdough bread. But there’s so much funky complexity and rounded acidity. With all that said, it’s surprisingly refreshing to drink, like a true Kvass!