beer! and consequently, marmite.
three days ago daniel and i boiled malt, hops, spices and pumpkin together in his gigantic steel stock pot. we had decided, based on my unreasonably large horde of pumpkins to make some pumpkin beer. it had been fermenting in a large plastic bucket, and it was now time to decant the liquid off of the layer of yeast into a glass jug to let it ferment further. when we got to the bottom of the bucket there was a really thick firm layer of yeast sludge.
and so it began.
it was thicker and firmer than we had ever seem before. when making wine, the sludge that gathers on the bottom is still fluid, and one must be very careful not to stir or tip the bucket to avoid syphoning off the yeast. the beer had a nearly solid layer on the bottom, and we could tilt the bucket and pour the beer off of it.
it smelled delicious, we had spiced it like pumpkin pie.
daniel tasted the sludge.
"oh!" he exclaimed, shocked. "it actually tastes DELICIOUS"
i didn't believe him.
so i was completely shocked when i tasted it.
it was yummy. sweet and spicy, slightly malty. it tasted of beer, but was mostly sweet and fragrant.
"so, this is what gets made into marmite?" i wondered "this is the yeast sludge beer brewing byproduct that gets made into marmite, right?"
daniel confirmed my suspicions.
we set the airlock in the plug, and heaved the five gallon jug into the living room so it could continue to become beer.
the sweet delicious sludge was thick on the bottom of the bucket.
"you'll think less of me if i actually eat this sludge" daniel supposed, correctly, prodding the golden beer-smelling sludge with a spoon.
"i wonder how you make marmite.." i said.
we joked about it briefly. we dipped our fingers in and tasted the sweet spiciness and thought about the beer.
then i googled.
marmite is made through a secret process that involves salting and cooking the yeasty beer sludge. it also involves celery.
it is similar to Vegemite. but not the same.
our sludge was pale and golden. marmite is dark, like tar. i have never eaten marmite. i have never had any desire to even get close to a jar of marmite. i trusted daniel was always up for all sorts of crazed cookery and kitchen chemistry.
"i am going to make this sludge into marmite!" i declared.
the sludge was hard to scrape out of the bottom of the bucket, and it looked like there was about 2 cups of it.
into a small saucepan it went, along with a tablespoon of salt.
i put the burner on high and started stirring.
it immediately started foaming up, before it was even warm. i stirred harder, but the yeast sludge was rapidly increasing in volume. it would not be stirred down.
we transferred it into a much larger saucepan.
i turned the heat down slightly.
it kept expanding as it heated, and also got thinner, less viscous.
it soon filled the large pot. i threw in another bit of salt.
soon it came to a boil and then settled down.
it started getting darker in colour. it was now the light brown of peanut butter. it was way thinner then it had been.
we conferred over the boiling pot, and decided to continue cooking, and to see if it would become thick and dark with some more cooking.
sure enough, it gradually changed colour and became thick and sticky.
we were both afraid to taste it.
we had about 3/4 of a cup of thick dark brown "marmite"
we tasted it.
it had changed completely. it was no longer sweet or beer like. it had become savoury and strong flavoured.
we put it into a jar and wondered who we knew who actually had eaten marmite on purpose. neither of us had ever had it. we didn't know what it was supposed to taste like. it might taste like this stuff does.
we now have a jar of homemade marmite.
it was a learning experience. now, i know when the revolution or zombie apocalypse comes and i must rely on my own skills for food and drink, i will be able to brew my own beer. AND make my own disgusting proteinacious spread.
who wants to try it?
and so it began.
it was thicker and firmer than we had ever seem before. when making wine, the sludge that gathers on the bottom is still fluid, and one must be very careful not to stir or tip the bucket to avoid syphoning off the yeast. the beer had a nearly solid layer on the bottom, and we could tilt the bucket and pour the beer off of it.
it smelled delicious, we had spiced it like pumpkin pie.
daniel tasted the sludge.
"oh!" he exclaimed, shocked. "it actually tastes DELICIOUS"
i didn't believe him.
so i was completely shocked when i tasted it.
it was yummy. sweet and spicy, slightly malty. it tasted of beer, but was mostly sweet and fragrant.
"so, this is what gets made into marmite?" i wondered "this is the yeast sludge beer brewing byproduct that gets made into marmite, right?"
daniel confirmed my suspicions.
we set the airlock in the plug, and heaved the five gallon jug into the living room so it could continue to become beer.
the sweet delicious sludge was thick on the bottom of the bucket.
"you'll think less of me if i actually eat this sludge" daniel supposed, correctly, prodding the golden beer-smelling sludge with a spoon.
"i wonder how you make marmite.." i said.
we joked about it briefly. we dipped our fingers in and tasted the sweet spiciness and thought about the beer.
then i googled.
marmite is made through a secret process that involves salting and cooking the yeasty beer sludge. it also involves celery.
it is similar to Vegemite. but not the same.
our sludge was pale and golden. marmite is dark, like tar. i have never eaten marmite. i have never had any desire to even get close to a jar of marmite. i trusted daniel was always up for all sorts of crazed cookery and kitchen chemistry.
"i am going to make this sludge into marmite!" i declared.
the sludge was hard to scrape out of the bottom of the bucket, and it looked like there was about 2 cups of it.
into a small saucepan it went, along with a tablespoon of salt.
i put the burner on high and started stirring.
it immediately started foaming up, before it was even warm. i stirred harder, but the yeast sludge was rapidly increasing in volume. it would not be stirred down.
we transferred it into a much larger saucepan.
i turned the heat down slightly.
it kept expanding as it heated, and also got thinner, less viscous.
it soon filled the large pot. i threw in another bit of salt.
soon it came to a boil and then settled down.
it started getting darker in colour. it was now the light brown of peanut butter. it was way thinner then it had been.
we conferred over the boiling pot, and decided to continue cooking, and to see if it would become thick and dark with some more cooking.
sure enough, it gradually changed colour and became thick and sticky.
we were both afraid to taste it.
we had about 3/4 of a cup of thick dark brown "marmite"
we tasted it.
it had changed completely. it was no longer sweet or beer like. it had become savoury and strong flavoured.
we put it into a jar and wondered who we knew who actually had eaten marmite on purpose. neither of us had ever had it. we didn't know what it was supposed to taste like. it might taste like this stuff does.
we now have a jar of homemade marmite.
it was a learning experience. now, i know when the revolution or zombie apocalypse comes and i must rely on my own skills for food and drink, i will be able to brew my own beer. AND make my own disgusting proteinacious spread.
who wants to try it?