Family CuisineFamily Cuisine
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Wednesday, July 6
    • Terms Of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • DMCA
    Family CuisineFamily Cuisine
    • Grilled
    • Fry
    • Sauce
    • Pickles
    • Drinks
    • Salad
    • Porridge – Soup
    • Restaurants Near Me
    • More
      • Saute
      • Roast
      • Steaming – Boil
      • Cakes
      • Desserts
      • Ice cream
      • Vegetarian Dish
      • Kitchen Tips
    Family CuisineFamily Cuisine
    Home»Pickles»Do Lacto-Ferments Contain Alcohol? #AskWardee 127 | Family Cuisine
    Pickles

    Do Lacto-Ferments Contain Alcohol? #AskWardee 127 | Family Cuisine

    August 27, 20217 Mins Read
    Video Do fermented pickles make alcohol

    several large glass jars of fermented foods, including sauerkraut and cauliflower, with text overlay: "Do Lacto-Ferments Contain Alcohol #AskWardee 127 (is alcohol-free even possible?)"

    Do all ferments contain alcohol? Is it possible to ferment without any alcohol produced?

    Reading: do fermented pickles make alcohol

    asked Elizabeth H.

    It’s a question I get a lot (!!!) and I’m happy to answer it today for #AskWardee.

    Subscribe to #AskWardee on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, or the Podcasts app.

    Table of Contents

    • The Question: Do Lacto-Ferments Contain Alcohol?
    • How Lacto-Fermentation Works: Fermented Means Alcoholic, For The Most Part
    • But How Much Alcohol Is In Ferments?
    • How To Minimize Alcohol Production In Ferments
    • More Fermenting Info, Reviews, and Recipes…
    • Additional Fermenting Articles
    • Any Questions Or Comments?
    • Helpful Links
    • What Is The #AskWardee Show?
    • The Details
    • What If You Can’t Make It?
    • Want To Get YOUR Question Answered?
    • Are you concerned about alcohol in ferments? Have you wondered before if all fermented drinks contain alcohol? What have you done about it?

    The Question: Do Lacto-Ferments Contain Alcohol?

    Elizabeth H. asked:

    Hi! I’m interested in starting to use ferments in our home and am doing some research on lactic acid fermentation and wondered if you could help me. I have been looking at your website and from what I understand lactic acid fermentation does not produce alcohol, is this correct? Or does it produce a small amount of alcohol? If it does produce alcohol, is there any type of fermentation that eliminates the production of alcohol completely? Thank you for your help!

    Elizabeth, thank you for your question!

    Because we’re featuring your question today’s #AskWardee, you’re getting a gift — a FREE Mini eCourse! Our team will be in contact with you so you can choose which one you’d like!)

    How Lacto-Fermentation Works: Fermented Means Alcoholic, For The Most Part

    Lacto-fermentation involves the work of lactic acid bacteria consuming the sugars and starches in foods and through that process, creating a fermented food such as sauerkraut. During the fermentation of that food (in this case, cabbage), these beneficial bacteria produce lactic acid, ethanol (a form of alcohol), and carbon dioxide.

    However, there are certain strains of bacteria that produce only lactic acid, not ethanol or alchohol, including Streptococcus thermophiles (used in yogurt), Lactobacillus lactis (buttermilk and cheese), Lactobacillus bulgarius (yogurt), and Pediococcus (sauerkraut). This fermentation is called homolactic fermentation, while the former is called heterolactic. (Source.)

    And often our ferments have some yeast activity going on, too. Yeast fermentation produces alcohol (which converts to vinegar with time).

    Read more: 15 Easy and Clever Uses for Pickle Juice + A Recipe!

    Although I could be wrong about this, I reason that most ferments we do in our homes involve diverse combinations of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, meaning we are nearly always going to produce some alcohol, often without even trying.

    So if you’re still wondering… does yogurt contain alcohol? Even though certain bacteria used to culture yogurt don’t produce alcohol, we’re not normally making yogurt in a closed environment, so there will be other bacteria and yeast present producing alcohol.

    It’s just the way it is. To avoid alcohol, one should avoid fermented foods. In other words, fermented means alcoholic.

    But How Much Alcohol Is In Ferments?

    Ok, so alcohol in ferments is hard to avoid. But how much is there? You might want to know this to decide whether or not it’s an amount you are willing to tolerate.

    And there are very good reasons for knowing this because:

    • certain medications shouldn’t mix with alcohol
    • children shouldn’t consume alcohol
    • pregnant moms shouldn’t consume alcohol
    • alcoholics shouldn’t touch alcohol
    • some people have religious reasons for not consuming alcohol
    • and other reasons, too!

    Even though I can’t give you specific amounts (there are so many variables), there are some guidelines that will help you determine which ferments are likely to have more alcohol than others.

    First, fermented fruits and other high sugar/starch fermented foods and beverages are likely to contain more alcohol, from .5% to 2% and possibly even higher, while low sugar/starch ferments such as sauerkraut probably do not have nearly as much.

    If any ferment is fizzy, it could have a higher concentration of alcohol (such as a fizzy kefir or ginger beer or Kombucha). If you’ve been wondering if all fermented drinks contain alcohol, then the answer is yes, at least some. Naturally fermented sodas tend to be fizzy, and made with fruit — both of which encourage alcohol production.

    If a ferment is done in an air-tight container, any alcohol produced is trapped inside and not allowed to disperse or convert to vinegar.

    On the other hand, an open-air ferment may create alcohol initially, too, but the ferment being open allows that alcohol to disperse and convert to vinegar.

    So you see there are a lot of variables!

    How To Minimize Alcohol Production In Ferments

    I am pretty sure you’ve already picked up on some of the “rules” you can follow to keep alcohol production down:

    • ferment low starch/sugar foods
    • if you do ferment sugary foods such as fruits, allow them to sit in the open air for awhile (days?) for the alcohol to disperse and/or convert to vinegar
    • start your ferment in a closed fermenting container (such as Pickl-It or crock with water barrier) but then leave your ferment in the open air for the alcohol to disperse and/or convert to vinegar
    • avoid fizzy ferments (and similarly ferment foods until done but not longer to minimize fizz)

    Read more: how to make sweet icicle pickles | Family Cuisine

    In cast you’re interested, my friend Patty wrote an article, Fermenting In Pickl-It Jars, where she talked about using this closed air fermentation system to reduce alcohol content as well as other things (such as histamines).

    More Fermenting Info, Reviews, and Recipes…

    Check out my Lacto-Fermentation 101 Free Video Series RIGHT HERE.

    And if you haven’t already, CLICK HERE to download our FREE “Fermenting Formulas” Cheat Sheet, where I share formulas so you can create your own safe ferments using the product you have on hand — salsas, relishes, krauts, beverages, and more!

    We also have extensive archives of ferment recipes here!

    Additional Fermenting Articles

    • Troubleshooting Your Ferments (KYF172)
    • Lacto-Fermentation 101 Video Series
    • 7 Fermenting Mistakes You Might Be Making
    • Which Water is Best for Fermenting?
    • Which Kind of Salt Should I Use for Fermenting?
    • Can I Use Alternative Sweeteners in Ferments?
    • How to Tell if Your Kombucha is Moldy (And What to Do About It)

    Any Questions Or Comments?

    If you have other questions or comments about your own experience with fermentation and alcohol production, be sure to leave them in the comments!

    Helpful Links

    • FREE “Fermenting Formulas” Cheat Sheet
    • Lacto-Fermentation 101 Video Series
    • Ferment recipes archive
    • Ohio Stoneware 3-Gallon Crock with water barrier
    • Pickl-It fermenting kits (for converting Fido jars to be able to perform anaerobic fermentation)
    • Pickle-Pro fermenting lids (not air-tight)
    • Lacto-Fermentation eCourse (or Mini eCourse)
    • Fermenting In Pickl-It Jars article
    • Milk Kefir Recipe
    • Honey-Sweetened Ginger Beer Recipe
    • Kombucha Recipe
    • Sauerkraut Recipe

    What Is The #AskWardee Show?

    The #AskWardee Show is the live weekly show devoted to answering your niggling questions about Traditional Cooking: whether it’s your sourdough starter, your sauerkraut, preserving foods, broth, superfoods or anything else to do with Traditional Cooking or your GNOWFGLINS lifestyle.

    I share tips and resources, plus answer your questions about Traditional Cooking!

    The Details

    When: Wednesdays at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern

    Where: Traditional Cooking School on Facebook Live or @TradCookSchool on Instagram Live

    What If You Can’t Make It?

    Don’t worry. You can catch the replays or listen to the podcast!

    • Come back here to familycuisine.net; all replays will be up within hours of airing live; the print notes are always posted at the same time I go live.
    • Go to Traditional Cooking School on Facebook to view the Facebook Live replay or go to @TradCookSchool on Instagram on your phone or tablet (Instagram recording only lasts 24 hours).
    • Subscribe to the #AskWardee podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, or the Podcasts app. While you’re there, be sure to leave a rating and review!

    Want To Get YOUR Question Answered?

    Here’s how to submit your question. If we answer it on #AskWardee, you’ll get a gift!

    • Tweet your question to @TradCookSchool on Twitter; use hashtag #AskWardee
    • Send an email to wardee at AskWardee dot tv — add #AskWardee to your email so I know it’s for the show

    Please do NOT add future questions for #AskWardee to the comments of this post because they might get missed!

    Read more: how to make quick lemon pickles indian style | Family Cuisine

    Are you concerned about alcohol in ferments? Have you wondered before if all fermented drinks contain alcohol? What have you done about it?

    Previous Articlehow to prepare lobster tail for steaming | Family Cuisine
    Next Article can i make sweet pickles with lemon juice | Family Cuisine
    Vũ Thế Thiện
    • Website
    • Facebook

    Vũ Thế Thiện - Founder, Coder, SEOer at familycuisine.net. Passionate about coding, information technology, likes to cook delicious food for the family in the kitchen

    Related Posts

    How do you make onion pickles | Family Cuisine

    August 28, 2021

    How to make homemade cinnamon pickles | Family Cuisine

    August 27, 2021

    How to make hot garlic dill pickles | Family Cuisine

    August 27, 2021

    how to make canned spicy dill pickles | Family Cuisine

    August 27, 2021

    how to make persian cucumber pickles sliced | Family Cuisine

    August 27, 2021

    Pickled Avocado (aka How to Preserve Avocados!) | Family Cuisine

    August 27, 2021
    Top posts
    Roast potatoes and carrots in air fryer Roast

    Roast potatoes and carrots in air fryer

    July 6, 2022

    Air Fryer Carrots and Potatoes. The right way to air fry carrots and potatoes get…

    Strawberry pretzel salad with pecans

    Strawberry pretzel salad with pecans

    July 6, 2022
    Best rated tea kettle

    Best tea kettle 2022: 6 top stovetop kettles

    July 6, 2022

    Boar’s head deluxe roast beef

    July 6, 2022
    Stew beef and rice recipes

    Stew beef and rice recipes

    July 6, 2022

    How long to cook a pork crown roast

    July 6, 2022
    Family Cuisine
    Facebook Pinterest YouTube Tumblr Twitch
    • Terms Of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • DMCA

    If you have a DMCA complaint, please reach out to familycuisine.net@gmail.com for immediate resolution. Thank you!

    Family Cuisine - Instructions, how-to, recipes for delicious dishes every day for your loved ones in your family

    Adress: 196 Nguyen Dinh Gian, Dong Ve, Thanh Hoa, Vietnam
    Email Us: familycuisine.net@gmail.com
    Phone: +84334390000

    © Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.