Kvass

[Master]

Kvass is a "Small Beer" that is brewed mostly in Eastern Europe.. Often made from Rye bread, and a bread yeast.

It is something I first tasted in Latvia when I was there with the Navy in 2006, and had a lot more drinking with family (Mom is from Latvia) on trips in 2010 and 2011.

I tried brewing a batch from toasted bread in 2015.. I think I did the mash right, but I never got any decent airlock activity. It went sour. It was horrible.

I just made a batch and served it, while not awesome, me, my wife and a friend, all of Eastern Euro background agreed it was indeed Kvass.

I took Randy Mosher's base recipe from Radical Brewing (p247) and modified it for what I had on hand

1.0 Pound 2 Row Pale Malt (Recipe calls for 6 row, LHBS had no 6 row)
1.0 Pound Rye Malt
3/4 Pound Kasha (Toasted Buckwheat)
1-3/4 Pounds Rye Flour
1 pound rice hulls (was expecting super sticky mash)
Zest and Juice of 1 lime
Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of Mint

As expected, an ungodly sticky one hour mash. If I was doing it again, I'd just do a single batch infusion in a cooler MLT. Trying to circulate this for the first half hour was a challenge until it thinned out..

15 minute boil
0.5 oz Hallertau Hops at 10 minutes.

Racked directly to a 5.4 gallon Pin Cask, and pitched White Labs European Ale Yeast.

OG was 1.022
FG was 1.006
ABV 2.1%

Taste is slightly sweet, slightly yeasty. May use a less flocculent strain next time.

[img]https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16114140_10155052627599284_1469855258501125316_n.jpg?oh=e7892350898654aebe02b0ee4c2a23af&oe=590E2D9E[/img]