My first attempt at kvass:
Kvass
Overnight mash:
5 lbs Belgian pils malt
2 lbs flaked barley
Bread:
2 med size loaves dark rye bread, homemade
Sliced and mashed overnight with a handful of malt
Sunday, 6/26/11
Mashed grains in a bag in a cooler the night before. Rinsed with 170 deg sparge water.
Collected about 3 ½ gal wort.
Used a stick blender to liquefy the mashed bread, poured slurry in with wort.
Added about 6 mt.hood hop pellets
Boiled 30 min.
Chilled to 85 deg with immersion wort chiller.
Collected about 3 ½ gal chilled wort @ 1.042 OG. Lots of junk in the bottom of the kettle.
Added another 3 qts of filtered water to bring total fermentation to 4 + gallons.
Added ¼ teaspoon rapid rise bread yeast.
Fermented in garage, daytime air temp 80 deg.
Wednesday, 6/29.
After immediate and steady fermentation, no more co2 pushing through airlock this AM.
Gravity: 1.012.
Aroma from fermenter: sweet rye bread, hints of caraway.
Flavor: Surprisingly clean. Similar to a wit but minimal citrusy flavors. A slight sour note, but likely from the rye at this point. Right now, if this was chilled and carbonated, would be a decent light summer belgiany ale.
Will let it sit til the weekend to see if it drops a couple more points in gravity. Then bottle.
I’ll be curious to see if and when the intense sourness sets in, as others have reported will happen.
Wheeler Brewing Kvass
Moderator: Officers
- Dale Wheeler
- Craft Brewer
- Posts: 354
- Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:07 pm
- Location: Lawrence, KS
Wheeler Brewing Kvass
Dale Wheeler
Re: Wheeler Brewing Kvass
Great summary Dale. Look forward to a taste!
**Podcasts are a way of multi-tasking.**
Re: Wheeler Brewing Kvass
well done! I too look forward to a taste and am interested as to the sour change.keep us posted please. Dave
- Dale Wheeler
- Craft Brewer
- Posts: 354
- Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:07 pm
- Location: Lawrence, KS
Re: Wheeler Brewing Kvass
Kegged tonight and charged with co2. in the heat of the garage, i didnt feel like messing with a bottling line.
It dropped a point from 1012 to 1011, with maybe a touch more sourness, but still mild. Looking fwd to trying it when it chills.
It dropped a point from 1012 to 1011, with maybe a touch more sourness, but still mild. Looking fwd to trying it when it chills.
Dale Wheeler
- Dale Wheeler
- Craft Brewer
- Posts: 354
- Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:07 pm
- Location: Lawrence, KS
Re: Wheeler Brewing Kvass
sampled again this morning (yes, 7 am...).
Not much flavor change. Still bready/yeasty, cloudy copper color. Very little sourness, which I still think is from the flaked rye. No odd off flavors or high alcohols, even after a week storage in 85 deg garage. Must have been a very clean pack of bread yeast!
General impression: interesting novelty brew so far. nothing wrong with it, would probably be very welcome with a plowman's lunch back in the day.
Will post if anything changes.
Not much flavor change. Still bready/yeasty, cloudy copper color. Very little sourness, which I still think is from the flaked rye. No odd off flavors or high alcohols, even after a week storage in 85 deg garage. Must have been a very clean pack of bread yeast!
General impression: interesting novelty brew so far. nothing wrong with it, would probably be very welcome with a plowman's lunch back in the day.
Will post if anything changes.
Dale Wheeler
- Dale Wheeler
- Craft Brewer
- Posts: 354
- Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:07 pm
- Location: Lawrence, KS
Re: Wheeler Brewing Kvass
Finally! Sourness! Nice soft sourness setting in. Bready character in the distant background. Still cloudy but beginning to clear.
Dale Wheeler