Has anyone ever tried to make sima? Sima: Recipe for Finnish Fermented Lemonade | Ever In Transit - with the brown sugar, the non-descript yeast and the procedure itself it looks like a brewer’s nightmare…
It looks good except for the yeast. I think I would swap out the brown sugar for honey too. I guess the idea of bread yeast is that it makes more co2 than alcohol?
I think it was originally made with honey, so that makes sense. Plus, in Finland they have some special type of bread yeast, that they use to make sahti.
I remember this stuff, but it was spelled with a Z instead of an S and it sucked…
But seriously, it just sounds like homemade ginger ale to me. More like a soda than a brew.
What are the raisins for? For complexity?
Looks tasty. I’d do this in a PET bottle for safety concerns.
Recalling the taste of Zima just induced psychosomatic nausea 20 years later. Thanks for that [emoji12]
You are welcome. It’s the only reason why I posted this. Obviously I’m not going to brew or touch this stuff.
The raisins tell you the stuff is ready when they float on top 
Not sure, some say flavor, some say minerals, some say their skins originally provided the yeast…
I recently started brewing soda with my daughter. This recipe is similar to what we have made. Zima…was just joking with my friend about brewing some…
A few of the recipes I have seen have raisins added to them. There wasn’t a lot of info out there about it but some I found says raisins add flavor, add body and mouthfeel and help with clarity.
I’ll be trying this. I already make a gingerbeer with lemons.
I love sima! I included a recipe for it in my book so I’ve made many, many batches and a whole lot of variations. I like to just refer to it as fermented lemonade. I make it with lemons, sugar and champagne yeast. You can also riff by adding other fruits, like strawberries or raspberries or blueberries, or herbs or spices (lemon & lavender are killer together). Or by making it with other citrus fruits - there are a TON of variations. I’ve served it at many public events and the keg always kicks fast, especially in the summer. It was originally made with honey and bread yeast or other native yeast (meaning not intentionally innoculated) but it’s commonly made with sugar and commercial yeast these days (bread or other). Raisins were originally used in this & many other beverages (kvass, off the top of my head) - they would sink initially & float once fermentation/carbonation occurred - kind of a natural indicator of when it was ready (no hydrometers or PET bottles in the old days, right?). I usually keg my sima but use plastic if I’m doing batches less than 1.75 G (the size of my smallest kegs). It’s a super easy & darn tasty beverage, especially for warmer months.
Thanks for the input, Mary! When you keg, do you force-carbonate? Or is this more along the lines of a homemade ginger beer where the fermentation is intended to create the carbonation?
Nice!
I force carbonate. I do package before fermentation is finished. When I bottle, I condition naturally (another reason I love the plastic bottles) but force carb the kegs. I cold crash when it’s to my liking (taste & gravity) then transfer & force carb. You could naturally condition your kegs but it’s less predictable & takes more time so I don’t typically do it.
Cheers!
I’m definitely doing this in the summer. I like to have non or very low alcohol things around to drink because I will often have beer or mead simply because there isn’t anything else I really like to drink around.
I just don’t have faith in this sugar bread yeast thing. For beer this sux big time. Convince me and I may try it out.
If I tried this I’d use a packet of Lalvin 71B instead. No need to follow tradition exactly if you see a way to tweak it to your tastes, AFAIC.
Yea I never considered doing this with bread yeast and sugar. I would use honey or maybe maple syrup and wine yeast or maybe us-05.
If you have it the tiny amount of bread yeast is fine guys. It wouldn’t be if you were fermenting out a batch completely.
This is a fast yet not vigorous ferment in a low gravity situation- just enough to carbonate and leave the sweetness. The bread yeast actually complements the lemon. Also ginger if you add something like that. Admittedly, I wouldn’t rush to the store just to buy bread yeast to make this.
What’s great about doing it in a PET bottle is you can feel how hard the bottle gets and judge how ready it is.