Alcoholic kvass: 5 recipes at home

Fragrant bread kvass is one of the favorite Slavic drinks that people of all ages and genders are used to enjoying.

Of course, everyone is familiar with the non-alcoholic version of the drink, but not everyone knows that "drunken kvass" was more popular in Russia. In this article, Vzboltai will not only tell you what kind of product it is, but also teach you how to make it at home.

A few words about the drink

The main difference between alcoholic and non-alcoholic kvass is, of course, its strength. Traditionally, it was 8-10%, sometimes 13-14%, while in the usual version it was only 1.2%.

In Russia, the intoxicating drink was used not only to quench thirst but also to treat diseases, such as colds, problems with joints, bones, and stomach. It was drunk in large quantities at weddings and holidays.

We made homemade drunken kvass from the ingredients we had on hand: rye bread, crackers, millet, flour, malt, sauerkraut, berries, beets, and fruit. Cloves, mint, honey, coriander, hops were added.

Enameled, ceramic or glassware is the best choice for fermentation containers.

Recipe for traditional alcoholic kvass

Breadcrumbs can be easily replaced with black bread (half a kilo is needed), and pressed yeast with dry yeast (5 g).

Before soaking, the bread is cut into slices and fried in the oven until golden brown.

The amount of sugar depends on the desired strength: the more sugar, the more "heady" the kvass will be. For a 12-13% alcohol drink, you will need 1.5 kg.

To improve fermentation processes, you can throw a handful of raisins into the wort.

Ingredients

1. Crackers - 300 g

2. Sugar - 0.3-1.5 kg

3. Solid yeast - 30 g

4. Citric acid - 3 g

5. Water - 5 liters

The method of preparation

1. Pour 3 liters of boiling water over the breadcrumbs and leave for 3 hours under the lid.

2. Strain the liquid through a gauze cloth, squeeze out the bread mass, pour the infusion into a fermentation container.

3. Pour boiling water (2 liters) over the cracker mass again and leave for 1 hour.

4. Strain off the resulting liquid, squeeze out the bread pulp.

5. Combine both infusions, discard the squeezed mass.

6. Add "lemon", yeast, and some sugar (0.3-0.5 kg) to the bread liquid, stir, cover with cheesecloth.

7. Put the drink in heat and darkness, leave for about half a day (until foam and fizzing).

8. Make a sample, sweeten if desired and leave to ferment for another couple of hours.

9. If necessary, repeat the last step until the desired degree of strength is obtained.

10. Keep the drink in the refrigerator for 6 hours, taste it.

11. Store the finished drink in the refrigerator in a lying position for no more than 10 days.

Recipe for drunken kvass from apples

Fruit drink is no less healthy than bread drink. It has an invigorating effect, gives strength and strengthens health. The variety of fruit does not affect the quality of the product, but in terms of taste, Antonovka or white filling is better. You can make pear kvass in a similar way, adding honey and cinnamon to it to taste. Store the finished drink in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Ingredients

1. Apples - 5.5 kg

2. Sugar - 0.2 kg

3. Raisins - 30 g

4. Lemon - 1 piece

5. Water - 2 liters

The method of preparation

1. Peel the fruit from seed pods and stalks, cut into large slices.

2. Put the apple mixture in a saucepan, cover with water, boil, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

3. Pour sugar into the fruit mass, mix, cook for a few more minutes.

4. Pour boiling water over the lemon, remove the top layer of the peel, grate the zest, add to the drink.

5. After the apple broth has cooled, add the raisins, stir the mixture, cover with a gauze cloth.

6. Leave the drink to ferment for 14-16 hours at room temperature.

7. Drain the kvass through a multi-layer gauze cloth, distribute it in a bottle, leave it in the refrigerator for 8 hours.

Hop kvass with caramel

Ingredients

1. Black rye bread crumbs - 0.4 kg

2. Water - 4 liters

3. Sugar - 0.6 kg

4. Hop cones - 1 tbsp.

5. Dry yeast - 12 g

The method of preparation

1. Pour hot water over the bread crumbs, dissolving 100 g of sugar in it.

2. Cover the container with a gauze cloth, leave to ferment for 2 days.

3. Drain the liquid, squeeze the bread mass, add hops to the infusion.

4. Boil the drink for half an hour over low heat, strain.

5. Cook caramel from sugar (0.3 kg) and water (50 g), add to the broth.

6. After cooling the drink to a warm state, add yeast to it.

7. After 36 hours, add the remaining sugar and let the mixture ferment for 1 day.

8. Transfer to the cold for maturation, wait 1-2 days, taste.

Homemade express leaven from juice

This is the fastest recipe for a "drunken" drink: it takes only half a day. Similarly, make kvass from other types of juice.

Ingredients

1. Apple juice - 1 liter

2. Instant coffee - 8 g

3. Sugar - 1 cup

4. Water - 3 liters

5. Dry yeast - 5 g

The method of preparation

1. Boil water, let it cool to a lukewarm state.

2. Dissolve sugar, coffee and yeast in the liquid, pour juice into the mixture.

3. Stir the drink, cover loosely with a lid.

4. Let the liquid ferment for 12 hours.

5. Pass the foamy drink through a cotton cloth.

6. Leave the kvass in the refrigerator for 2 hours, taste.

Alcoholic cranberry kvass

The northern berry makes a truly healing drink that helps the circulatory and digestive systems, improves appetite and immunity. Store kvass for no more than 5 days.

Ingredients

1. Cranberries - 1 kg

2. Dry yeast - 50 g

3. Sugar - 5 cups

4. Water - 4 liters

The method of preparation

1. Clean the berries from debris, rinse, mash with a wooden pestle, rub through a colander.

2. Strain the cranberry juice through a cheesecloth into a separate container.

3. Pour the berry pulp with water, boil, and cook until the liquid turns red.

4. Cool the broth, strain, combine with juice.

5. Dissolve yeast and sugar in the berry drink, mix well, and let it ferment for 2 days.

6. Pour kvass into small containers, place in the refrigerator.

Update: 11.01.2019

Category: Beer, Cider, Ale