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Kombucha, Kefir, and Beyond: A Fun and Flavorful Guide to Fermenting Your Own Probiotic Beverages at Home
Kombucha, Kefir, and Beyond contains healthy, innovative recipes and instructions to show you how to brew your own delicious, probiotic beverages in your own kitchen.
Fermented foods have taken the world by storm due to their health and real food benefits. They help improve digestion , enable us to better assimilate vitamins and minerals, and strengthen the immune system . And of all fermented foods, drinks are some of the most versatile —and tasty !
You may be able to buy many fermented trips in stores, but making them at home is simple , economical, and makes them even better for you. With just a few ingredients and materials, you can start brewing your own delicious beverages for your family. Kombucha, Kefir, and Beyond is packed with innovative drink recipes, from healthy homemade sodas to traditional kvass and cider , that you can make in your home kitchen and enjoy all year long!
Inside, you’ll
Raise a glass to good health with Kombucha, Kefir, and Beyond .
Fermented foods have taken the world by storm due to their health and real food benefits. They help improve digestion , enable us to better assimilate vitamins and minerals, and strengthen the immune system . And of all fermented foods, drinks are some of the most versatile —and tasty !
You may be able to buy many fermented trips in stores, but making them at home is simple , economical, and makes them even better for you. With just a few ingredients and materials, you can start brewing your own delicious beverages for your family. Kombucha, Kefir, and Beyond is packed with innovative drink recipes, from healthy homemade sodas to traditional kvass and cider , that you can make in your home kitchen and enjoy all year long!
Inside, you’ll
Raise a glass to good health with Kombucha, Kefir, and Beyond .
208 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2017
46 people are currently reading
606 people want to read
About the author
Alex Lewin
32 books27 followersI am an author, software engineer and architect, fermenter, health coach, real food activist, trained chef, raw milk drinker, motorcycle and scooter rider, and urban bicyclist. I write the blog Feed Me Like You Mean It. I think that Ball jars are the ultimate glassware. My heroes include Sandor Katz, Sally Fallon, Vandana Shiva, Kurt Vonnegut, Anthony Bourdain, and Alan Turing.
My first book, Real Food Fermentation, came out in June 2012. It is the first fully illustrated, step by step guide to creating simple fermented foods at home.
I have been featured for my work in numerous publications, including Harvard Magazine, Boston Globe, Edible Boston, Stuff Magazine (Boston), and on public radio.
Andrew Weil was one of the first influences on my food consciousness. He taught me that pharmaceuticals are not generally the answer for chronic health problems. Barry Sears showed me that what we eat, and when we eat it, can have a huge influence on our energy levels. Others have shown me that the Standard American Diet is just that--SAD. For a long time, I read all the health and wellness books I could find. Many of them struck a chord, but I always felt like I was getting only a small piece of the story. Then Sandor Katz revealed to me the magic of fermentation, and Sally Fallon showed me how the rest of the puzzle pieces fit together.
I believe that the key to creating sustainable and healthy food supply chains throughout the world is for each of us to demand real food, local food, and healthy food, and for us to prepare that food in a conscious manner.
My first book, Real Food Fermentation, came out in June 2012. It is the first fully illustrated, step by step guide to creating simple fermented foods at home.
I have been featured for my work in numerous publications, including Harvard Magazine, Boston Globe, Edible Boston, Stuff Magazine (Boston), and on public radio.
Andrew Weil was one of the first influences on my food consciousness. He taught me that pharmaceuticals are not generally the answer for chronic health problems. Barry Sears showed me that what we eat, and when we eat it, can have a huge influence on our energy levels. Others have shown me that the Standard American Diet is just that--SAD. For a long time, I read all the health and wellness books I could find. Many of them struck a chord, but I always felt like I was getting only a small piece of the story. Then Sandor Katz revealed to me the magic of fermentation, and Sally Fallon showed me how the rest of the puzzle pieces fit together.
I believe that the key to creating sustainable and healthy food supply chains throughout the world is for each of us to demand real food, local food, and healthy food, and for us to prepare that food in a conscious manner.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 9, 2017
Disclaimer: I am a COMPLETE novice when it comes to ferments, whether they be liquids or solids. So this book really impressed me, as it was the first one specifically on my interest, kombucha, that I have read. I have read other books on ferments before, on vinegar specifically, but since that isn't my particular interest, it didn't grab me like this book did. Your mileage may vary depending on your knowledge and skill level, but for this beginner, I really appreciated it.
This book has the history of fermented liquids and an introduction as to why fermented food and drink was so important. It had BEAUTIFUL pictures and clear lists of what you would need to ferment at home on your own. It does go into some chemistry briefly, for those who are interested in the science side of things. The recipes were great, clearly written and simple, a great combination!
I just bought a starter kombucha kit while on vacation and reading this book really helped me have a bit more confidence in not mucking it up too horribly. We are going to start the Great Kombucha Experiment today, in honor of me finishing this book today.
I highly recommend this book if you are a novice like me. It's written in a rather down-to-earth style, with a very good sense of humor, at least, their humor matches mine, so I enjoyed it! Again, the pictures are very clear, the recipes are not too complex and the relaxed writing style helped to calm my nerves. I suspect it might do the same for other beginners like me. 5, bubbly, stars!
My thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds Press for an eARC copy of this book to read ans review.
This book has the history of fermented liquids and an introduction as to why fermented food and drink was so important. It had BEAUTIFUL pictures and clear lists of what you would need to ferment at home on your own. It does go into some chemistry briefly, for those who are interested in the science side of things. The recipes were great, clearly written and simple, a great combination!
I just bought a starter kombucha kit while on vacation and reading this book really helped me have a bit more confidence in not mucking it up too horribly. We are going to start the Great Kombucha Experiment today, in honor of me finishing this book today.
I highly recommend this book if you are a novice like me. It's written in a rather down-to-earth style, with a very good sense of humor, at least, their humor matches mine, so I enjoyed it! Again, the pictures are very clear, the recipes are not too complex and the relaxed writing style helped to calm my nerves. I suspect it might do the same for other beginners like me. 5, bubbly, stars!
My thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds Press for an eARC copy of this book to read ans review.
September 5, 2017
I was pretty excited to see this up on Netgalley the same day I ordered some kefir grains, and even more excited to be approved to read and review it!
Sadly, despite being one of only two drinks billed in the title, this book doesn't really talk much about kefir.
The first 25% of the book talks about why you should drink fermented drinks, the history of culturing food, and the science of fermentation. The last 30% (yes you read that right) contains a limited list of resources for further reading and where to find supplies (basically Amazon, Craigslist, Reddit, and three actual specialists located in the US), and a big index ... on an ebook ... which has a search function. 55% of this book is not a guide to fermenting.
The actual content of that first 25% is pretty pointless. It's largely a repetition of the authors preaching about how great fermented foods are and how terrible modern diets/food/ingredients/basically everything is. This is also sprinkled through the rest of the book and it's pretty tedious. It's also not useful. While there are plenty of scientific studies exploring the benefits of consuming the bacterial species often present in fermented foods (and coming up with tentatively positive results), the reader isn't actually presented with any of that. We're not really presented with anything except pseudo-scientific sounding woo that honestly had me convinced there was no evidence of the value of this stuff until I went digging for this review. It reads like an advert from a fermenting company (one of the authors does own one).
The section on the science behind fermentation is at once too detailed and not detailed enough. It actually tries to teach the basics of biochemistry. While biochemistry is what's happening in your fermenting jars, the vast majority of people wanting to experiment do not want to wade through biochemistry before they get to some actual recipes. More than that, it isn't necessary to understand the molecular makeup of sugars and acids and alcohol in order to make this stuff happen on your kitchen counter. If you ARE interested in the science of it, this book is not detailed enough to be of much interest.
After explaining it all, the authors managed to dismiss these incredibly solid, observable, facts of science as something like just another random explanation for fermentation, alongside old beliefs like 'a spirit did it'. They also liken nuclear reactions to "alchemy". Their snooty attitude towards science is really irritating.
Moving onto the recipes, which is what I actually wanted out of this book, I found it difficult to actually move on because the recipes often digress into preaching some more. Seriously, it was so hard to get through it.
The recipes themselves, what small part of the book they constitute, are great. They're clear, detailed enough that you won't be left confused, and varied. I had no idea you could ferment fruit into soda yourself! I'm not sure I want to blend sauerkraut into a drink, but there are plenty of options for unusual beverages and suggestions for more.
None of the recipes are overly complicated and apart from a few requiring hard-to-source ingredients, I would expect most people to be able to tackle these in their kitchen. If there's one thing I've learnt from this book, it's that fermenting stuff really isn't difficult.
That said, recipes for the fermented foods in this book can be found in just as simple a format, for free, online. On websites that contain far more information. In fact, the authors frequently tell you to go search for recipes online because they didn't put them in the book. I'm really glad I didn't pay money for this.
Sadly, despite being one of only two drinks billed in the title, this book doesn't really talk much about kefir.
The first 25% of the book talks about why you should drink fermented drinks, the history of culturing food, and the science of fermentation. The last 30% (yes you read that right) contains a limited list of resources for further reading and where to find supplies (basically Amazon, Craigslist, Reddit, and three actual specialists located in the US), and a big index ... on an ebook ... which has a search function. 55% of this book is not a guide to fermenting.
The actual content of that first 25% is pretty pointless. It's largely a repetition of the authors preaching about how great fermented foods are and how terrible modern diets/food/ingredients/basically everything is. This is also sprinkled through the rest of the book and it's pretty tedious. It's also not useful. While there are plenty of scientific studies exploring the benefits of consuming the bacterial species often present in fermented foods (and coming up with tentatively positive results), the reader isn't actually presented with any of that. We're not really presented with anything except pseudo-scientific sounding woo that honestly had me convinced there was no evidence of the value of this stuff until I went digging for this review. It reads like an advert from a fermenting company (one of the authors does own one).
The section on the science behind fermentation is at once too detailed and not detailed enough. It actually tries to teach the basics of biochemistry. While biochemistry is what's happening in your fermenting jars, the vast majority of people wanting to experiment do not want to wade through biochemistry before they get to some actual recipes. More than that, it isn't necessary to understand the molecular makeup of sugars and acids and alcohol in order to make this stuff happen on your kitchen counter. If you ARE interested in the science of it, this book is not detailed enough to be of much interest.
After explaining it all, the authors managed to dismiss these incredibly solid, observable, facts of science as something like just another random explanation for fermentation, alongside old beliefs like 'a spirit did it'. They also liken nuclear reactions to "alchemy". Their snooty attitude towards science is really irritating.
Moving onto the recipes, which is what I actually wanted out of this book, I found it difficult to actually move on because the recipes often digress into preaching some more. Seriously, it was so hard to get through it.
The recipes themselves, what small part of the book they constitute, are great. They're clear, detailed enough that you won't be left confused, and varied. I had no idea you could ferment fruit into soda yourself! I'm not sure I want to blend sauerkraut into a drink, but there are plenty of options for unusual beverages and suggestions for more.
None of the recipes are overly complicated and apart from a few requiring hard-to-source ingredients, I would expect most people to be able to tackle these in their kitchen. If there's one thing I've learnt from this book, it's that fermenting stuff really isn't difficult.
That said, recipes for the fermented foods in this book can be found in just as simple a format, for free, online. On websites that contain far more information. In fact, the authors frequently tell you to go search for recipes online because they didn't put them in the book. I'm really glad I didn't pay money for this.
September 3, 2020
This book was interesting and had a lot of good information (and A LOT of variety among the recipes). I read it from start to finish, but I haven't followed any of the recipes.
1. The tone of the writing was faintly irritating to me; I'm not sure why.
2. The authors literally say that drinking fermented drinks is healthier (and possibly more important) than drinking water...yeah. They have no proof to back up this statement.
3. There are not pictures of each drink.
Overall, I'm glad I read this and I'm very interested in trying tepache the next time I buy a pineapple, but the book itself is just okay. I found the kombucha section most interesting, because I am in the process of my first kombucha batch right now, but it wasn't very detailed, as other reviewers have mentioned.
1. The tone of the writing was faintly irritating to me; I'm not sure why.
2. The authors literally say that drinking fermented drinks is healthier (and possibly more important) than drinking water...yeah. They have no proof to back up this statement.
3. There are not pictures of each drink.
Overall, I'm glad I read this and I'm very interested in trying tepache the next time I buy a pineapple, but the book itself is just okay. I found the kombucha section most interesting, because I am in the process of my first kombucha batch right now, but it wasn't very detailed, as other reviewers have mentioned.
August 15, 2017
"Kombucha, Kefir, and Beyond" explains how to safely make your own fermented drinks. The authors talked about why you should drink fermented drinks, provided an evolutionary history of fermented drink consumption, gave a simplified version of the science of fermenting foods, and described the tools that you need or might like to have to make your own fermented drinks.
They provided about 24 recipes that use fermented foods--plus other ingredients--to make a drink. Most of these were in the fermented cocktails section. The rest of the recipes were how to ferment a food, some part of which can be used as or made into a drink. They started with 6 master recipes for making ginger bug, yogurt, milk kefir, whey, vinegar, and water kefir.
The next chapter was about tea fermentation (kombucha and jun). Next were 6 recipes for vegetable drinks using brine from fermented beets, cucumbers, or radishes and making a juice out of kimchi and such. Next were 7 recipes for making bubbly sodas by fermenting hibiscus, coconut water, grapes, lemons, limes, oranges, or fruit juices. The last chapters covered recipes for fermenting mildly alcoholic drinks: 5 beer recipes (including root beet and ginger beer), 10 wines and ciders (including berry wine, apple cider, pear cider, mead, and rice wine), 4 Mexican drinks, and 18 fermented cocktails.
The instructions were easy to follow and most should be easy to do. They don't require expensive equipment or ingredients. I've made yogurt and kefir in the past, and I felt like they gave good instructions for those. It looked like the other recipes were as useful. I plan to try the ginger bug, apple cider (non-alcoholic version), and coconut water soda recipes soon.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
They provided about 24 recipes that use fermented foods--plus other ingredients--to make a drink. Most of these were in the fermented cocktails section. The rest of the recipes were how to ferment a food, some part of which can be used as or made into a drink. They started with 6 master recipes for making ginger bug, yogurt, milk kefir, whey, vinegar, and water kefir.
The next chapter was about tea fermentation (kombucha and jun). Next were 6 recipes for vegetable drinks using brine from fermented beets, cucumbers, or radishes and making a juice out of kimchi and such. Next were 7 recipes for making bubbly sodas by fermenting hibiscus, coconut water, grapes, lemons, limes, oranges, or fruit juices. The last chapters covered recipes for fermenting mildly alcoholic drinks: 5 beer recipes (including root beet and ginger beer), 10 wines and ciders (including berry wine, apple cider, pear cider, mead, and rice wine), 4 Mexican drinks, and 18 fermented cocktails.
The instructions were easy to follow and most should be easy to do. They don't require expensive equipment or ingredients. I've made yogurt and kefir in the past, and I felt like they gave good instructions for those. It looked like the other recipes were as useful. I plan to try the ginger bug, apple cider (non-alcoholic version), and coconut water soda recipes soon.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
August 15, 2017
An interesting read, however it was a bit intimidating for me -- when I see scientific formulas, I'm brought back to my highschool classes and slightly break out into hives :)
I can understand the need for very detailed information/history about fermenting drinks, but after reading the book, my takeaway was that it's healthy, however I was unable to retain 99% of the information (but I know it's my brain!). For me, it read almost like a textbook -- and I think it's for those who really, truly want to ferment their own drinks :)
I can understand the need for very detailed information/history about fermenting drinks, but after reading the book, my takeaway was that it's healthy, however I was unable to retain 99% of the information (but I know it's my brain!). For me, it read almost like a textbook -- and I think it's for those who really, truly want to ferment their own drinks :)
April 19, 2019
I found the science of fermentation interesting. I've just made my first batch of kombucha and felt I needed the security of having a book to refer to. I don't regret getting it, as it has been helpful and informative. However, I probably will not use most of the recipes, and instructions online would have sufficed.
September 19, 2017
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Being a devoted kombucha lover, this was an excellent book for me. It is definitely a guide for either beginner or experienced fermenters, with a lot of creative flavoring offered.
Being a devoted kombucha lover, this was an excellent book for me. It is definitely a guide for either beginner or experienced fermenters, with a lot of creative flavoring offered.
May 9, 2018
So many tasty recipes with great information not always covered in other books about culture care. Way beyond the basics with fantastic recipes from Mexico included i had never heard of before. Clear and easy instructions with something new even for the hardcore fermentista.
November 14, 2020
Fermented food and drinks.
Read
May 2, 2021Only read the kombucha section. A bit too chatty and non-specific for me.
July 1, 2023
Great. Wish it was on my shelf.
June 17, 2025
Theory, recipes and interesting facts for people learning or experienced in fermentation
February 13, 2022
A bit disappointed in this book. It's 200 pages long, and you don't get to actual fermentation until page 80 or so. Also, despite the title being "Kombucha, Kefir and Beyond," there are only maybe 12-15 pages that discuss kombucha and kefir recipes, including both milk and water kefir. The photography is nice, and the information on supplies one might need is helpful, but I felt like they took a huge number of pages to convey a small quantity of information.
November 13, 2017
Oh dear. I do so very much hate giving bad reviews. Let's get this over with quick, okay?
There's a long history about fermented drinks and some soapbox-y type stuff about health benefits and American obesity and how these drinks are the answer. There's long, complicated, boring sections on this as well as in chemistry and beverage science. I'm not going to say I don't care, because I understand the importance of food science and knowing how your actions produce the food/drink you're making. But this was the majority of the book, which is not what I expected (or wanted).
The title has "flavorful" right in the name. But unfortunately, the few recipes that were included were either very basic, or not appetizing to me personally in the least. I wasn't inspired by any new tastes. There's also some that have pretty hard to find (at least, if you're not using the internet) ingredients, like worm salt.
The "resource" guide included Craigslist and Reddit.
Maybe you'll have better luck with this book than I did. For me, I didn't take anything away from this. The second star is because I appreciated the effort of the science and history parts, even if it's not what I wanted from this book.
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.
There's a long history about fermented drinks and some soapbox-y type stuff about health benefits and American obesity and how these drinks are the answer. There's long, complicated, boring sections on this as well as in chemistry and beverage science. I'm not going to say I don't care, because I understand the importance of food science and knowing how your actions produce the food/drink you're making. But this was the majority of the book, which is not what I expected (or wanted).
The title has "flavorful" right in the name. But unfortunately, the few recipes that were included were either very basic, or not appetizing to me personally in the least. I wasn't inspired by any new tastes. There's also some that have pretty hard to find (at least, if you're not using the internet) ingredients, like worm salt.
The "resource" guide included Craigslist and Reddit.
Maybe you'll have better luck with this book than I did. For me, I didn't take anything away from this. The second star is because I appreciated the effort of the science and history parts, even if it's not what I wanted from this book.
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.
November 26, 2017
So many fizzy drinks to chose from
A couple of months ago I started cultivating milk kefir at home from fresh kefir grains. Now, I am also interested in cultivating kombucha, and this book will help me with that . Cultivating fermented beverages at home saves me a lot of money and the beverages taste so much better and fresher than their store bought counterparts. When opening the book, I was surprised about the variety of fermented beverages that can be made at home. There are so many fizzy drinks to chose from. Every recipe is different. The first recipe I will make is the Orangina. Root beer and ginger beer are next on the list. And next time I have guests, I will make the country wine with fresh fruit. I have weaned myself from canned sodas and am happy to have found so many tasty alternatives in Kombucha, Kefir, and Beyond.
A couple of months ago I started cultivating milk kefir at home from fresh kefir grains. Now, I am also interested in cultivating kombucha, and this book will help me with that . Cultivating fermented beverages at home saves me a lot of money and the beverages taste so much better and fresher than their store bought counterparts. When opening the book, I was surprised about the variety of fermented beverages that can be made at home. There are so many fizzy drinks to chose from. Every recipe is different. The first recipe I will make is the Orangina. Root beer and ginger beer are next on the list. And next time I have guests, I will make the country wine with fresh fruit. I have weaned myself from canned sodas and am happy to have found so many tasty alternatives in Kombucha, Kefir, and Beyond.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews