Home fermented fizzy raspberry drink?

April 25, 2024 5:50 PM

I'm obsessed with BSA's raspberry sour, a non alcoholic beer that tastes like sour raspberries with a hint of beer or grain or something. I want to make something similar.

It doesn't have to be exact. I don't need it to taste like beer at all, I just want a fizzy sour raspberry drink with a hint of... unpleasantness? to make it a beverage you'd sip slowly, like wine or coffee instead of guzzle like a raspberry italian soda. I'm thinking something like kombucha or water kefir?

I'm also ok with a higher alcohol content than NA beer, although not by much - I'm not avoiding it for medical or sobriety reasons, it just makes me feel gross. I don't plan to drink a ton of this stuff though, I usually have one, rarely two of those beers in one night.

posted by wheatlets to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

I haven't tried it but this sounds like a job for a shrub. Random recipe example here.
posted by Cheese Monster at 6:09 PM on April 25 [4 favorites]

I agree shrub but to make it best you have to catch some light fermentation. So sort of like the last recipe above eg mix equal parts fruit at white sugar by volume. Macerate heavily, cover loosely, but then leave at room temp for 2-4 days, stirring daily. Then add 0.5-2 parts vinegar, wait another half day or three, then strain and bottle. If you use two parts or more of vinegar it should be shelf stable for several months to a year. You don't get any appreciable alcohol, like 0.1-0.5%, around what's in NA beers.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:57 PM on April 25 [4 favorites]

I've made raspberry water kefir, and i think that may be sweeter than you want. If you want to try, decant some kefir and do a secondary ferment in the fridge with just the raspberry juice (no pulp or seeds, trust me on this).

You could also try making tepache with raspberries. Get a fresh pineapple, and cut off the skin and core (you can use the actual nice part of the pineapple for something else), and place the skins and core in a large glass jar with 4 cups of water, 1/2 cup of sugar, and a pint of mashed raspberries. Let it ferment, covered with a dishcloth secured by a rubber band, for a couple days or until it's as fizzy and fermented as you want. Strain and store in a sealed jar in the fridge. You can do a second ferment with the same fruit by adding another round of water and sugar. It may take an extra day or two to fully ferment.
posted by ananci at 7:16 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]

If the shrub isn't the right answer, try mashing raspberries or adding raspberry juice to kombucha at the time you drink it.
posted by k3ninho at 1:49 AM on April 26 [1 favorite]

You could also add cold barley tea to any of the above for a more beer-y base note, and bitters for more of a 'drink slow' feeling.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:17 AM on April 26