SC - Cariadoc's books

[david friedman]

Looking at the recipe again, I think the raisins could have been there
for flavoring, at least the one in the Time-Life book.

However, how old are this Plat Bottle Ale recipe and the kvass recipe
that you mention? What kind of yeast source do they call for? If they
call for a packaged yeast, is it possible that they are variations on
a recipe that originally used the raisins for a yeast source, but when
the packaged yeasts became available simply added those and didn't take
out the raisins?

Stefan
 
> Stefan li Rous wrote:
> > If I remember correctly, the skins on grapes and raisins are a good source
> > of yeasts. It may simply be that adding a few raisins was a good source
> > of yeast. Of course nowadays since we can buy dried yeasts the raisins
> > would not be needed for this.
> 
> It's possible. FWIW, both the Plat Bottle Ale recipe and the kvass
> recipe I used did call for other yeast sources for primary fermentation.
> It _is_ possible, I suppose, that you get a different product,
> flavorwise, with the addition of a small amount of a more wine-like
> yeast, but I don't see it as necessary for either the main fermentation
> or carbonation in a bottled product.
> 
> Adamantius

- -- 
Lord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas           stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****