Wheeler Brewing Kvass

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Dale Wheeler
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Wheeler Brewing Kvass

#1 Post by Dale Wheeler » Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:27 am

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.
Dale Wheeler

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Jensen
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Re: Wheeler Brewing Kvass

#2 Post by Jensen » Wed Jun 29, 2011 5:57 pm

Great summary Dale. Look forward to a taste!
**Podcasts are a way of multi-tasking.**

ginner1
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Re: Wheeler Brewing Kvass

#3 Post by ginner1 » Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:48 pm

well done! I too look forward to a taste and am interested as to the sour change.keep us posted please. Dave

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Dale Wheeler
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Location: Lawrence, KS

Re: Wheeler Brewing Kvass

#4 Post by Dale Wheeler » Fri Jul 01, 2011 8:16 pm

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.
Dale Wheeler

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Dale Wheeler
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Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:07 pm
Location: Lawrence, KS

Re: Wheeler Brewing Kvass

#5 Post by Dale Wheeler » Sat Jul 16, 2011 7:42 am

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.
Dale Wheeler

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Dale Wheeler
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Posts: 354
Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:07 pm
Location: Lawrence, KS

Re: Wheeler Brewing Kvass

#6 Post by Dale Wheeler » Sun Oct 30, 2011 11:47 am

Finally! Sourness! Nice soft sourness setting in. Bready character in the distant background. Still cloudy but beginning to clear.
Dale Wheeler

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