Fermentation or, Why You Should be Grateful for Yeast

I’ve decided yeast is the source of all happiness. Let me explain.  

I was chatting with a friend about sourdough starters and how they work. I’m no scientist, but I have a rudimentary understanding so I was trying to explain to her in simple terms. Basically, the flour and water in the starter act as bait for yeast that lives in the air. The yeast is drawn to it and eats it. Munch, munch, munch.... as the yeast eats, it farts and creates the bubbles. So, basically, sourdough bread tastes like yeast farts.  

From there, we expounded and connected the same yeast farts to the fermentation process in alcoholic beverages. 

Who knew farts could bring so much joy to life?  

We all laugh at farting. From the time we’re 8 or 9, until we’re folding ourselves into the end of our lives, farting is the funniest thing the human body does.  

But, let’s talk about fermentation for a minute. Not all fermentation creates alcohol. Sourdough bread will not make you tipsy. Many cheeses ferment as well, but they won’t make you fail a breathalyzer. No, the kind of fermentation I’m thinking about, the kind we love, the kind that produces alcohol, is created, for the most part, by yeast. In alcohol, the yeast eats and converts sugars into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. If you’re ever seen a fermenting vat of wine, it bubbles, just like a sourdough starter. The difference is the sugars.  

For the bread, the naturally occurring yeast in the air is drawn to the flour and water. It goes to work on the starch and what is produced is the yummy heartiness and flavoring you get from sourdough bread. It’s similar in cheese making. But when there is sugar, as there is in grapes and other fermentable bases, yeast makes alcohol.  

So, to circle us back to farts, just because they’re finny, when you’re eating sourdough bread, you’re enjoying the hard work the yeast has done on the starches. When you’re munching on that cheese, it’s texture and flavor are a product of the yeast. And when you’re enjoying your favorite alcoholic beverage, that same yeast has worked to create it.  

Bread, cheese, wine.... these things make me happy. Without yeast.... well, I would be a lot less happy.  

Go now and make yourself that charcuterie plate!  

Cheers and drink responsibly!  

What are you saving it for?

Over the years, I’ve accumulated a small collection of my favorite wines – nothing pretentious or well know, but delicious to my pallet nonetheless. And like most folks, I like to save my favorites for special occasions. Usually.  

A few years ago, I was given a very fine and well-known bottle of champagne. I held on to it for a month or so, hoping for some kind of special occasion to manifest. Waiting. Waiting.... And then I said to myself, screw it. What if I die tomorrow having never tasted this champagne? I enjoyed it that night with a pepperoni pizza. I have to tell you, the pairing was outstanding and to this day, I still have champagne with pizza from time to time.  

I have carried that lesson with me since then. Good wine, unless you’re an investor, is meant to be enjoyed. Yes, some wine will become better if you leave it for a few years in the bottle. But when it’s ready, I must insist that you enjoy it. Think of the bottle of wine discovered buried in some ruins of some far away city. Do you think the ghosts of that city are happy to have died without drinking that wine? No... they haunt the halls and forests, full of anger and frustration because they let the wine go to waste. They howl in the night with thirst, rattling their wine keys and pounding their fists on the walls.  

So, do yourself a favor, avoid being haunted. Enjoy the wine.  

Take that bottle you’ve been saving and open it. Do whatever you must to find a good pairing. Ask your friends, call l your favorite local wine shop, use Google. Or, accidentally discover that it pairs well with grilled cheese on your own homemade sourdough bread. Perhaps you enjoy it without food, alone in your garden with just the birds and the sunset.  

In any case, enjoy it. Life it too short to not open the wine.  

Cheers and drink responsibly!  

A Spring Cocktail

Spring has sprung! I was chatting with a friend today about what cocktails seem to embody spring. More specifically, what spirits seem to deliver a sense of freshness that one might also associate with how spring feels?  

We decided it was gin. Yes, gin.  

Now, I’m not known to be a fan of gin. I have always found the juniper overpowering. I was fortunate enough to tour a gin distillery in London and the drink served after the tour was absolutely delicious. It was a simple gin & tonic, but it was made well, with balance and quality ingredients. I decided right then and there that I should be open-minded to gin and perhaps give it another shot.  

So, for spring I’m suggesting a gin cocktail to celebrate the freshness of the flowers, the breezes in the air, and the chance to delight in nature before the murderous heat of summer takes over.  

I've been loving a version of the Bees Knees from a local bar. The traditional a Prohibition Era cocktail is made with gin, honey or honey syrup, and lemon juice.  My local joint adds rosemary to the mix and it’s honestly quite delightful. I made this at home last week and even though I’m not certain I matched their recipe, what I created as delicious.  

Anna’s Bees Knees recipe  

! Shot of quality gin 

1 Tablespoon Honey Rosemary Syrup (50/50 water warmed in a saucepan, add rosemary then strain and cool) 

Stir and pour over ice 

My friend and I worked out a drink we decided we’d call a Spring Fling. For my taste, I would muddle the ingredients, add the gin, then strain that over crushed ice and finish, but you could leave the muddling in the glass for a more colorful presentation.  

Spring Fling recipe 

Muddle cucumber & mint with sweet lavender syrup  

1 shot of quality gin, pour over muddling  

Strain over ice in a tumbler glass 

Top with a splash of rose champagne 

Garnish with mint sprig  

Cheers and drink responsibly.