What is everyone brewing?

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Gurezaemon

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#293932 22-Feb-2022 18:47

This forum seems to focus on brewing beers and similar, but there are oh-so-many other ways that fermentation can make delicious, yummy foods and drinks.

I normally have three tanks of beer fermenting, and often a tank of sugar wash for a still. This tends to get made into large amounts of limoncello, or used in making other fruit liqueurs.

I regularly make yogurt - mixing up powdered milk, heating then cooling it, and adding a teaspoon or so of Easiyo makes vast quantities of nice tart yogurt when left on a heating pad for a couple of days. Way cheaper than buying it.

Water kefir - I've just started experimenting with this, but it is very refreshing, and popular with my wife. Again, a great way to use whatever fruit is lying around.

Sauerkraut - letting this go for a few weeks makes it oh-so tart and yummy. I'm going to try lacto pickling of other veges shortly as well.

Kvass - I originally got intrigued by this from Boris, a Russian YouTuber recommended by my kids. Keeping 20 litres of this warm with a temperature controller is very easy in the still.

Kombucha - again, a favourite of my wife.

My wife, being Japanese, also makes amazing miso, as well as natto (utterly gross).

Anybody else got any micro-organism-related projects using going on?

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Arcturi

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#2874332 24-Feb-2022 20:48

I am starting to experiment with fermenting grains/cereals to distill, trying to get away from dirty old Turbo yeast. Currently have a weetbix/allbran/sugar wash going which is just about finished, we'll see how that turns out.

I've made yoghurt in the past and also things like creme fraiche and soy quark, plus various fresh cheeses. Never thought of using a heating pad - what a great idea! Do you literally just put your mix in a container then put the container on the heating pad? I met someone years ago who had a setup with a small automotive bulb in the Easiyo insulated container to keep it warm (no water) but never got around to making one myself.

My flatmate currently has water kefir and sourdough starter on the go but I leave that to her, tried the water kefir but it wasn't really my thing. Do you add the fruit while it's fermenting? The flatmate's one is just white sugar, she tried adding some jaggery which the kefir really liked (obviously not getting enough nutrient from just sugar) but flatmate didn't like the flavour so she hasn't done it again.

Kvass sounds interesting and I think I'd like it - "tastes like cider but with a tingle of lemon" from one of the comments on youtube. I'll have to try it one day!

Gurezaemon

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#2876206 28-Feb-2022 12:31

Arcturi:

I am starting to experiment with fermenting grains/cereals to distill, trying to get away from dirty old Turbo yeast. Currently have a weetbix/allbran/sugar wash going which is just about finished, we'll see how that turns out.

I've made yoghurt in the past and also things like creme fraiche and soy quark, plus various fresh cheeses. Never thought of using a heating pad - what a great idea! Do you literally just put your mix in a container then put the container on the heating pad? I met someone years ago who had a setup with a small automotive bulb in the Easiyo insulated container to keep it warm (no water) but never got around to making one myself.

My flatmate currently has water kefir and sourdough starter on the go but I leave that to her, tried the water kefir but it wasn't really my thing. Do you add the fruit while it's fermenting? The flatmate's one is just white sugar, she tried adding some jaggery which the kefir really liked (obviously not getting enough nutrient from just sugar) but flatmate didn't like the flavour so she hasn't done it again.

Kvass sounds interesting and I think I'd like it - "tastes like cider but with a tingle of lemon" from one of the comments on youtube. I'll have to try it one day!

The yogurt goes in a plastic tub I got from K-Mart, and just sits on the heating pad. In winter, I'll drape a towel or something over it for a bit of insulation, but that is not needed right now. I already had the heating pad for my homebrew, and it seemed like a decent way to warm things up a bit.

The water kefir - my understanding is that you make the kefir, then put it in a separate container with some fruit or fruit juice to a) give it some flavour and b) give it a bit of fizz. I followed this guide to the letter, and it worked fine.

I scaled the kvass up to 20-odd litres, and 2 loaves of rye bread. Toasting that amount was kind of a pain, but once it's done, it's pretty straightforward. It looks very muddy, not at all clear, but it is very refreshing on a hot day.

I'm trying to grow a new SCOBY for kombucha - I got out of the habit of making it, and it kept growing into an enormous rubbery mass about 4 inches thick. I tried using it, but it had died. The pukekos outside loved eating it though.

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kobiak

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#2876259 28-Feb-2022 13:19

Arcturi:

Kvass sounds interesting and I think I'd like it - "tastes like cider but with a tingle of lemon" from one of the comments on youtube. I'll have to try it one day!

if you in AKL, there's russian shop on the north shore - Gastronom, they make their own Kvas. There're 2 types: traditional and bochkovoi (barrel and I prefer that) to have an idea about the taste. It's def not lemonish :)

yeah I do sauerkraut sometimes + beer + pickled Fungus (currently at the fermentic stage)

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Arcturi

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#2879179 4-Mar-2022 17:07

kobiak:

if you in AKL, there's russian shop on the north shore - Gastronom, they make their own Kvas. There're 2 types: traditional and bochkovoi (barrel and I prefer that) to have an idea about the taste. It's def not lemonish :)

Thanks, I'm the other end of the country though! Talked to a friend down here who has tried Kvass and liked it, so I'll give it a go sometime.

Gurezaemon:

I scaled the kvass up to 20-odd litres, and 2 loaves of rye bread. Toasting that amount was kind of a pain, but once it's done, it's pretty straightforward. It looks very muddy, not at all clear, but it is very refreshing on a hot day.

That does sound like a lot of rye bread to toast! I will probably try doing 4L or so in a demijohn.

Arcturi

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#2879180 4-Mar-2022 17:07

Gurezaemon:

The yogurt goes in a plastic tub I got from K-Mart, and just sits on the heating pad. In winter, I'll drape a towel or something over it for a bit of insulation, but that is not needed right now. I already had the heating pad for my homebrew, and it seemed like a decent way to warm things up a bit.

I already have a heating pad too, don't know why I never thought to use it for this! Now making all those dairy products that require staying warm for 12-24 hrs will be way less hassle - thanks 😁