How to Make Kvass: Rye Bread Kvass, 1 to 30 Gallons
How to make kvass from rye bread: toasting, a hot steep, sugar, a 12 to 24 hour ferment, how much alcohol it makes, and a recipe card that scales from 1 to 30 gallons.
In this post
The short answer: kvass is a low-alcohol drink from Eastern Europe made from rye bread. Toast dark rye bread, steep it in hot water for a few hours, sweeten the liquid, then ferment it with a little yeast for 12 to 24 hours. Chill it and carbonate it. It tastes like a light, sweet, bready cola.
Kvass is brewing with bread instead of malt: the toasted bread gives the colour, the flavour and some of the sugar, and a short fermentation gives it a gentle tang and fizz. If you brew all-grain beer, the process will feel familiar.
The recipe
The card scales from 1 to 30 gallons.
Bräu Supply recipe · Kvass
Bread Kvass
Ingredients · for 5 gal
| 5 gal (18.9 L) | Filtered water | |
| 4.96 lb (2.25 kg) | Dark rye bread, sliced and toasted dark | 450 g/gal |
| 1.65 lb (0.75 kg) | White sugar | 150 g/gal |
| 50 g | Raisins | 10 g/gal |
| 2 g | Dry bread or ale yeast | 0.4 g/gal |
Process
- Toast: the bread dark, at 325°F (165°C) for 25–30 minutes: the colour and flavour come from the crust
- Steep: the toast in the basket at 170–175°F (77–79°C) for 4–8 hours, then lift it out and squeeze it
- Sweeten: dissolve the sugar in the warm liquid, then cool it below 80°F (27°C)
- Ferment: add the yeast and raisins; 68–72°F (20–22°C) for 12–24 hours
- Cold crash: 34–36°F (1–2°C) as soon as it tastes lively and lightly sweet
- Carbonate: 2.5 volumes: about 10 psi at 36°F
Make it in
Per US gallon. Darker toast makes darker, maltier kvass. The bread soaks up water: expect to lose about a quart per pound of bread.
How to make it
- Slice the bread and toast it dark in the oven. Burnt edges are fine; burnt through is not.
- Heat the water to 170 to 175°F. Load the toast into the basket and let it steep for 4 to 8 hours, recirculating now and then. In a brewing system, this is a mash with bread.
- Lift the basket and let it drain, then dissolve the sugar in the warm liquid.
- Cool it below 80°F through a counterflow chiller, then add the yeast and raisins.
- Ferment at 68 to 72°F for 12 to 24 hours. It is ready when it is lively, lightly sweet and tangy.
- Crash it cold, carbonate it to about 2.5 volumes, and keep it cold.
Alcohol
Kvass is a fermented drink. Homemade kvass usually lands between about 0.5% and 1.5% ABV; ferment it longer or with more sugar and yeast and it gets stronger. Every gravity point the yeast removes adds about 0.13% ABV. In the US, 0.5% ABV or more is regulated as alcohol.
Tips
- Use a dense, dark rye: a sourdough rye loaf gives the deepest flavour.
- Mint, lemon peel or a little honey are traditional additions.
- Bottling? Use plastic soda bottles and refrigerate them as soon as they are firm: kvass keeps fermenting if it stays warm.
Frequently asked questions
Is kvass alcoholic?
Slightly. Traditional homemade kvass is usually around 0.5 to 1.5% ABV. It is not alcohol-free.
What does kvass taste like?
Bready, malty and lightly sweet, with a little tang. Think of a light cola made from rye.
How long does kvass keep?
Cold, about a week. Warm, it keeps fermenting and turns sour.
Related
How to make tepache, how to make ginger beer, non-alcoholic beer.