Homemade Brewed Drinks: Spruce Beer, Boneset Beer, And Kvass

Here are three recipes of traditional homemade brews.

Modern Spruce Beer

2 quarts of boiling water
1/2 teaspoon oil of spruce
1/2 teaspoon oil of sassafras
2 gallons cold water
1 1/2 pints dark molasses
1 cake yeast, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon oil of wintergreen

Pour the boiling water into a 5- or 10-gallon container. Stir in sassafras, spruce, and wintergreen; mix thoroughly. Stir in the cold water, molasses, and yeast. When yeast is totally dissolved, siphon mixture into a carboy; allow to rest 2 hours. Then bottle in 12-ounce bottles and cap. Allow to settle for 48 hours before serving. Serve well chilled.

Makes

26 (12-ounce) bottles

Early Recipe for Spruce and Boneset Beer

"Boil a small handful each of hops and boneset for an hour or two, in a pail of water; strain it, and dilute it using cold water till it is of the right strength. Add a tablespoon of essence of spruce, sweeten, ferment and bottle it, just like spring beer.
"The essence of hops, checkerberry, ginger, and spruce, place into warm water in suitable proportions, then sweetened, fermented, and bottled, make good beer."

 

The Kvass: A Traditional Russian Beverage

Kvass, or quass, enjoys a traditional fame among the peoples of Russia and Eastern Europe. It is created by fermenting yeast and stale bread (typically rye) with the addition of sugar and sometimes fruit. Using the following recipe, you can produce a drink having

an exotic taste. The flavor of kvass isn't quite like that of any other drink.

Kvass recipe
2 pounds dark rye bread 
8 quarts water
3 tablespoons dry baker's yeast, or 3 cakes yeast
1 quart warm water
2/3 cup honey
3 or 4 sprigs fresh mint

Slice bread thinly, and bake slices in oven at low temperature till they are crisp. Bring 8 quarts water to a boil in a huge pot. Place rye rusks in the water, and allow them to soak 3 to 4 hours. Then strain liquid into another large pot. Dissolve yeast in 1 quart warm water. Add this to liquid from bread mixture. Then add honey. Crush mint, add, and stir well.

Place cheesecloth over the pot, anchoring it with string or tape. Put pot in a warm part of the room, and allow the mixture to ferment for 6 hours. When froth appears, strain the kvass, and funnel it into 12-ounce size carbonated beverage bottles. Use the capper to seal with crown caps. Store in a cool place and let rest 6 days. Chill for several hours before serving.

Makes 21 (12-ounce) bottles.