Gluten-Free Kvass
Gluten-free kvass is a beverage brewed from puffed cereal grains! Served fresh it’s a sweet and lightly alcoholic beverage. If left to ferment for longer, it will become a stronger, beer-like drink.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 L 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Fermented
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 cups of puffed GF cereal (see section above for details for options)
- 8 cups (2 L) of chlorine-free water (divided)
- 1/3 cup of sugar for brewing, plus 2 tsp for bottling
- 1/2 tsp instant bread yeast or 3/4 tsp of fresh yeast
- 1 tsp dried hops pellets (optional, for flavor and preservation)
Instructions
- It’s important to use 100% whole grain gluten-free puffs. You don’t want a cereal that contains salt, sugar, or preservatives. I used puffed rice, however, there are other options. See the section above for more details.
- Measure 4 cups of cereal into a bowl or a large measuring cup.
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Pour the water over the cereal. Cover with a tea towel to keep out any pests. Let the cereal soak for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours to extract the sugars into the water.
- Strain liquid into a container for fermentation (see notes for options). It will bubble a lot, so make sure to use a container with lots of extra room. I recommend pouring the liquid through two layers of cheesecloth, then wringing the wet cereal to get as much liquid out as possible.
- Mix in an additional 4 cups of filtered water, along with sugar, yeast, and hops.
- Place the kvass in a dark closet or cupboard. It will start to foam and bubble significantly after 6-12 hours. Leave it to ferment for 7 days.
- After a week, stir in an additional 2 tsp of sugar to prime the carbonation. Then strain the kvass into swing-top beer bottles or plastic pop bottles. Store the kvass in the fridge. It will continue to ferment and will build up pressure, so use bottles that can handle the build-up of pressure, and pop the lid every few days to check on the carbonation.
- The kvass will be carbonated and ready to drink after 3 days in the fridge. However, it will continue to ferment for another 1-2 weeks until all the sugars have been consumed by the yeast. For a sweet drink, enjoy it within the first 3 days after bottling. For a dry beverage let it ferment for at least 7 more days.
Notes
- This recipe took me several months of trial and error to develop. It’s really unique… so unlike most recipes, it isn’t just a variation of something your grandparents made. Please share your successes and failures so I can fine-tune it to make sure it works for everyone. Thanks!
- To prevent contamination, ferment the kvass in fido jars or carboys with airlocks. If you want to store the kvass for longer than 2 weeks, I recommend sanitizing the equipment before brewing to prevent potential mold or bacterial contamination.
- If you don’t have a container that can handle the pressure of active fermentation, then just cover the kvass with a loosely tightened lid so that the CO2 can escape as it ferments.
- If you’re not a fan of hops, feel free to replace it with the zest from one lemon for a fresh flavor.