Kvass Kicks Ass

This drink is the bomb. It smells and tastes a bit like beer. It’s sweet and sour. @lina.kulchinsky explained to me that it’s a fermented bread drink called “kvass.” I like the name too—it makes you feel like a badass drinking it, like one of those manly Russian men. Unfortunately, she says, they now add tons of sugar, but it’s not as sweet as average American soda. I agree, however, that it would be better if it were unsweetened.

So, now my mission in life is to find unsweetened, unpasteurized (raw) kvass. If anyone has any information, please let me know.

I came across an NPR story from six years ago about kvass, and it says @gefilteria in Brooklyn makes kvass out of beets. I appreciate the effort but why not just original kvass? Why skip ahead to special flavors?

From what I have read so far, it appears that something prevents people from making this, but it’s not clear what it is. Maybe it requires a special type of bacteria that cannot be legally imported from Russia? I don’t know. I make kombucha at home and it’s not hard. Making a fermented bread drink does not sound any harder. So, someone help me.