Kefir beer now Kefir Sake' ?

[Guest guest]

All these hybrid ferments, my favorite!

I tried homebrewing Sake' using some of the light rice Koji that I

had recently prepared.

I tried a wild fermented batch, and several different batches started

with a fruity wine yeast.

I managed to get a smaller yeast innoculated batch to turn out very

well. It was strong and dry, but fruity and fragrant at the same time.

Another yeast batch must have become very contaminated with

lactobacillus (I did not sanitize) probably since I've put kefir in

everything around here, including the vessel I brewed the sake in.

Well, it's tart, but good, seems to be less alcohol and more acids and

it reminded me of some ideas I had before I decided to pitch the

yeast.

Basically sake starts as amasake (cooked rice that has had most or all

of the starches converted to sugar, namely glucose by aspergillus mold

enzymes) that is innoculated with yeast.

This mash is fermented until the yeast become very abundant.

Additions of specific proportions of water, koji and steamed polished

rice are added at specific intervals, until it is finally pressed from

the lees (sake-kasu) further aged and fermented at cool temps then

racked, bottled and pasturized.

I was not bold enough to try a batch of amasake innoculated with kefir

grains (milk or water) intentionally but I think I ended up with

similar results anyway...I think I'm on to something here...

I believe " kefired amasake " might be quite a health tonic, I have a

quart of sweet amazake, and it's fate is now set, he he he.

I shall try it with some milk grains first...

It theoretically would carry the benefits of the koji enzymes and rice

PLUS the benefits of Kefir...oh my!

My head is spinning..I'll be going now.

Ferment well, and let me know what you all think about this one

Beau

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 21:37:01 -0800, Heidi Schuppenhauer

<heidis@...> wrote:

>

>

> Thanks, y'all, for the nice thoughts! Rather than expand the bandwidth,

> I'm replying all at once:

>

> >[CJ] I've been making it for a few months and for a long time my husband

wasn't

> >interested in trying it. He hadn't tried any of my fermented foods. He wasn't

> >negative - just always managed to be busy, or having something else. He

finally

> >tried it a couple of weeks ago and now I can't keep up with demand. I loved

the

> >smile on his face. Success! He seldom drinks beer, but he does have an

> >occasional cider, when it's around. He's even asked for an extra bottle to

take

> >to work to give to 'the guys' to sample - quite an endorsment.

>

> [Heidi] That's been my experience too ... " beer " just isn't " weird " ... my

only

> problem is quantity. People actually drink this up from me, whereas they

> leave my kimchi stash alone. My DH suggested I get some more glass

> jugs, and actually brought home some apple juice to get the next

> batch started.

>

> [kate] i have the idiots guide to beer, but it still felt " unfamiliar " now,

> wow !! i get it

> i will never forget yerr ... hic !

>

> [Heidi] Thanks! Here's one to yer too! I'm always amazed at how

> much *easier* this is than " real " beer ... sheesh,

> after spending all those hours sanitizing carbouys ...

> You have no idea how much $$$$ we spent on making beer, and

> most of it never got drank (drunk?) because it wasn't near as good

> as this is.

>

> [Drieske] Thanks for the recipe, I think I go for the porter.

> All I have to find now are the kefir grains.

> As long I can't find any kefir grains, would it be

> possible to substitute them by dry bakers-yeast ???

>

> [Heidi] Sure, you can use any yeast. Or use the " wild yeast " method

> ala Sandor Katz and just use any ol' yeast floating

> around. I use kefir grains because they have a great

> probiotic effect, and they produce a reliable

> very mold-resistant product. Baker's yeast works

> fine too, and you WILL get some lactobacilli in there

> if you don't sterilize the dickens out of everything

> (like homebrewers do to avoid lactobacilli).

>

> [steve] Hey Heidi, Hi....I want to use cider, where would I get that cider? I

can't

> use pasteurized, right? Could I just juice some apples?

> We have a " brew-on-premise " brew pub here in our town ( we are QUITE

> fortunate for that...!), and we made a few batches of homebrew (one we made

was a

> honey vanilla....which I used raw, local honey, and organic vanilla

> extract...) ...well, he had hop " pellets " , could I use those until I get my

own

> growing?, and where could I get hop plants/seeds, any ideas? I haven't done a

> search yet, I just wondered if you knew....since you know everything else :-)

!!

>

> --

> Steve ( excited to try my own " Lambic " ...from my favorite " grains " ,

> even....!)

>

> [Heidi]

>

> Sure, you can use pasteurized. I can't get apple juice any

> other way, as I don't have an apple juicer. If you use fresh-juiced

> I'd guess it would taste a lot better. (Beer is traditionally boiled

> a long time anyway, so a little pasteurization isn't going to

> make any difference).

>

> Hop pellets, and frozen hops from the homebrew store, work fine. I

> got my hop rhizomes from an online homebrew store. Several stores

> seem to sell them in the spring. I got mine (and the EZ Cap bottles)

> from:

>

> http://www.thebeeressentials.com

>

> They don't seem to have them listed right now, it was a special deal

> for the spring, but you might write them. These particular hops

> are SUPERB (a Cascade specie). I had to dig them up because of some

construction

> going on, but if they re-take maybe I'll distribute some.

> Try the site above first though.

>

> Hops are very inexpensive as plants go, but this

> is the first time I've used my own. I used to just buy them

> as needed. I've made a philisophical game out of trying to grow

> as much stuff as I can, but it's not a requirement. My last hops

> vine grew nicely, but didn't make very good beer.

>

> >

>

> Heidi Jean

>

>