kvass

Another thing I enjoyed having in Ukraine was kvass, a non/low alcoholic fermented drink made from stale rye bread. To me it tasted a bit like dark beer, but a little sweeter, and with a pleasant sour bread smell. Naturally, I want to try making some at home. It seems like implementations of it can vary widely, with some recipes simply including water, bread, yeast, and sugar, while others are more like soda and include "molasses, coffee powder, chicory root extract, St. John’s bread extract, prune juice, carbonated water and the usual sweeteners and preservatives." We'll see how a homebrew version compares to that served by restaurants and street vendors in Ukraine.