Feijoa Fizz recipe

Tis the season. Feijoa abundance. This is definitely one of the most abundant fruits at this time of year.

Feijoa's make an excellent homebrewing ingredient as they contain natural wild yeasts on their skin, so you can brew with these wild yeasts without adding commercial yeast strains. That’s my style of brewing ~ wild.

It’s really easy to brew with feijoas, all you need is fresh (unwashed) feijoas, good water (not chlorinated, use spring or filtered water), a good sugar source (I use organic raw cane sugar) and a meticulously cleaned & sterilised glass jar.

Feijoa Fizz is by far the easiest concoction to brew, much like a soda it’s only mildly alcoholic but with a good fizz.

Simply stuff your feijoa skins (unwashed because we want to keep the wild yeast on there) into a sterilised jar, cover with sugar water (the extra sugar kick starts the fermentation, for the 3.78 L jar pictured I use 1 cup of sugar, you can experiment with more or less), loosely cover with a cloth to prevent flies but still allow airflow, & stir vigorously multiple times a day with a sterilised metal spoon (ensuring that all feijoas are underwater and not browning on top).

Keep doing this for 3-5 days until the liquid is bubbling well. (If the liquid starts browning or the feijoas look like they’re rotting, remove them). Taste each day and when you’re happy with the flavor & fizz, strain out the feijoa skins and funnel the remaining liquid into sterilised bottles with tight fitting lids.

Many recipes call for adding extra sugar at this point, which will cause a second fermentation and create more alcohol content & enhance carbonation, but if you’re new to brewing and want to keep it simple, I would simply bottle and enjoy your fizz (actually a soda) as is.

Store in the fridge, leave another day or two before opening and drink within 10 days.

If you’d like to learn more about wild brewing with wild yeasts sources, check out Pascal Baudar and his amazing book ‘The Wildcrafting Brewer’. Such an exquisite book, filled with gorgeous photos and sensational wild recipes.