Condiments, Ferments, Pickles, MASTER CLASS

Scratch Vinegar Making

In the World of Fermentation, Vinegar is the Simplest

David Attenborough the British naturalist, once ventured up in a helium balloon to the limits of our atmosphere in search of the last earthly specimen at the threshold of outer space. Five miles above the earth in an atmosphere almost void of oxygen, he found only yeasts and bacteria—the very seeds for making spirits and vinegar and “life.”

I love to hear, “Darn, the wine went bad.” That’s my lead in, “No, the wine went good.”

Vinegars are actually double ferments: they begin as wine or beer, which are yeast-based ferments made under exacting brewing techniques. But wonder of wonders, leave these spirits exposed to air then a new ferment begins. “Acetic acid bacteria,” which are floating everywhere—land in your spirits and vinegar making begins.

Unlike lactic acid bacteria, which exist only in an airless environment, aceto-bacteria use oxygen to convert alcohol into vinegar. That’s it, there’s no real brew meistering required. Where lacto-fermentation is better in cooler settings—aceto-fementation prefers warmer climes.

Vinegar making couldn’t be easier. Expose opened bottles of wine or beer to air.

Why make vinegar, you’re thinking? It’s an easy home-craft that confers health benefits and tastiness not found in most shelf stable vinegars. When you think about it, if you buy a bottle of red wine vinegar for a few bucks, what does it say about the quality of the wine to begin with? If you have a fine bottle of wine that “goes bad,” well now, you are going to have a fine vinegar with “terroir.”

You won’t believe how delicious malt vinegar can be until you ferment some Guiness Stout vinegar.

  • Use scratch vinegars to boost flavor in soups, beans, and stews
  • For a simple salad dressing—toss lettuce with salt, pepper, a drizzle of vinegar, and some oil
  • Raw vinegar is yet another arrow of wild probiotics in your quiver of intentional eating

To Speed Up Fermentation

  • Collect the “mother” from raw vinegars. The mother can be seen as a mass at the bottom of a “raw” bottle of vinegar. You can spot it in some bottles in the supermarket. Most vinegars in stores have been pasteurized and filtered to prevent cloudiness
  • You might add a straw to the jar and occasionally puff on it to increase air flow to the bottom of the jar
  • Cover loosely with paper toweling to ward off insects
  • Some wines have an alcohol content above 12 percent, which will impede the action. I am now diluting wines by 50 percent with filtered water
  • Place in a warm place [non-air conditioned space is better]

L: Mother from an Aged Vinegar M: My 24-Year-Old Mother with a Straw to Add Air R: A Screen Cover Instead of Paper Toweling or Cheese Cloth – Dark Malt Vinegar is Sublime

VINEGAR FROM WINE OR BEER

Beer makes “malt vinegar” the famed partner of British “fish and chips.” I love to ferment beers as the vinegar is milder and the flavor of the beer really shines. Dark stout malt vinegar is a whole other experience. It only takes a week or two complete.

Wine if fermented at full strength takes one or two months. After researching the time difference, I found the answer—wine has an alcohol level of 11-16%, [fortified wines are 20%], which slows down the conversion. Beer, with an alcohol level at near 4% allows the bacteria to convert much quicker.

You may dilute the wine by half with filtered water to speed up the fermentation.

Although you might consider there is no rush, and nothing more to do, but smell and sample.

Half Can of Beer with a Dose of Mother Produced a Mother in Only 48 Hours This Time!

When the vinegar is sour enough to your taste, you can now refrigerate or store at room temperature if in a conditioned space. [You may get harmless mold at the surface that can be skimmed off]. The mother may still continue to form, so you will have cloudy, or slippery discs at the bottom.

I like to collect vinegar bottles [Below] especially those that have a slotted cap to pour out dribbles onto my salad or cooked greens.

In days past, some families would have a large, covered crock with a petcock to house continuous vinegar making. They would occasionally add produce trimmings to the crock as vinegar continuously forms. They drew off some with the petcock.

When the container of beer or wine is fully converted; the mother will eventually settle out and gather to become dormant. This mother can then be used for new vinegar fermentations.

Enjoy Fresh Vinegar:

Click Here for Some Classic Salad Dressings

One time I brewed some hard cider [photo above, left bottle] using fresh apple cider and yeast. Then I added a raw apple cider vinegar mother and converted it to one very tasty vinegar!

Ever the science nerd, I fashioned a vinegar making kit using a straw, paper toweling and a rubber band secured by the metal band lid. To hasten the ferment, puff gently to aerate the contents when you happen by on occasion. Yes, you and your billion buddies!

© 2024 Bill Hettig

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