How to drink kvass?

Question

I’ve recently received a bottle of gira (i.e. kvass from Lithuania).

With it came a beer mug, so I guess the issue of the glassware is settled. At what temperature should I drink it? If I understand correctly (which I probably don’t, given that everything is written in Lithuanian), the kvass is unfiltered. Should I pour carefully to avoid mixing too much yeast in the glass or, on the contrary, should I ensure that some yeast do go into the glass? Or is it purely a matter of taste?

Finally, at which temperature should it be served?

Answer 1

You need to pour carefully as normally you have quite thick tankage and/or parts of kvass (sometimes bread pieces and crumbs if it`s homemade one) can float in it.

My ancestors (and still my relatives) use limestone cellar to keep temperature-sensitive goods (including kvass) and the cellar`s floor is 3 meters below their ground level. At summer it's chilling cold down there and the Internet says the temperatures there fall into range of 5-10 degrees celsius (pretty much the temperature in a fridge).

Kvass is one of the best beverages for hot summer and if brewed good it`s as tasty as beer and contains almost no alcohol so you can continue doing any type of work you've been doing prior to drinking it (beer does not really have this wonderful feature). However the best one is hand-made at home as kvass sold in supermarkets is not good and sometimes it differs drastically (imagine a difference between a home-made lemonade from a restaurant and any bottle of one from a supermarket).

Answer 2

I think kvas tastes best when it is cold. In Moscow, say, when you are walking around in the summer, you see many stands with cooled containers where you can buy it. This type of kvas is not bad, but the best kvas is often made by some monastery like the one in Sergiev Posad - see the photo. The difference to standard types is huge.