White Beetroot

Vegetablesvariety

White beetroot is a pale-fleshed form of the table beet. It lacks the red betalain pigments of common beetroot, so its root is creamy white inside. In drinks it supplies the earthy-sweet character and fermentable sugars of beet without the deep red color.

How white beetroot is prepared

Used in lacto-fermented beet sour and beet kvass, fresh-pressed vegetable juices, beet wine and other country wines, and as a flavoring in fermented teas and craft sodas. It is chosen when a pale or clear drink is wanted, or when other ingredients should set the color.

Lacto-Fermentation

Fermentation by lactic-acid bacteria, which convert sugars into lactic acid for a clean, savory acidity.

Beverages using this technique · 3
FERAL
N°1 White Beet Hop Szechuan Pepper
Still white0% ABV
prepared as Lacto-Fermented White Beet Juice

FERAL uses Lacto-Fermented White Beet Juice in N°1 White Beet Hop Szechuan Pepper: white beet juice fermented with lactic acid bacteria.[6][7][8]

Service signal Works as a liquid component.

FERAL
N°2 White Beet Ginger Allspice
Still white0% ABV
prepared as Lacto-Fermented White and Red Beet Juice

The current label gives the beet base as 15% white beet and 1% red beet juice from concentrate.[9][10][11]

Service signal Works as a liquid component.

FERAL
N°6 Cook The Mountain
Still white0% ABV
prepared as Lacto-Fermented White Beet Juice

FERAL uses Lacto-Fermented White Beet Juice in N°6 Cook The Mountain: white beet juice fermented with lactic acid bacteria.[12][13][14]

Service signal Works as a liquid component.

In depth

Origins of the pale beet

The beet is descended from the wild sea beet. It was first cultivated in the ancient Middle East and Mediterranean, chiefly for its leaves, and by Roman times it was probably also grown for its swollen root. Gardeners later selected roots in a range of colors. Deep red came to dominate the table, while golden, striped, and white forms persisted as heirlooms. The white table beet is the same species as the red one but lacks the red pigment betanin. That single difference shapes its role in drinks: it brings beet flavor and sugar without dyeing everything crimson.[1]

Beet sour in Slavic and Jewish kitchens

The oldest widespread beet drink-ingredient in Eastern Europe is beet sour. It is made by steeping sliced beets in cooled boiled water and letting naturally present bacteria ferment them for several days, often with a crust of stale rye bread to speed things up. The result is a tart, faintly sweet, slightly viscous liquid, called kvas in Slavic languages and rosl in Yiddish. It was used mainly to sour borscht. In Jewish households it was often made without bread so it would be fit for Passover. These traditional sours were made with red beets and prized for their ruby color. Contemporary fermenters who make the same brine with white beets get a pale, straw-colored sour with a similar tang.[2]

Kvass and gira traditions

Kvass is the low-alcohol fermented drink of northeastern Europe. It is classically brewed from rye bread or rye malt, but the tradition has always allowed other fermentables. In Lithuania, where the drink is called gira, it could be made from almost anything that would ferment, beetroot juice among them. Beetroot kvass is recognized as a distinct variation. It is sipped as a sour, savory tonic rather than a sweet refresher. White beets fit easily into this household practice and produce a lighter-looking drink with the same lactic sourness.[3]

Drinkable soups and cold beet broths

In the lands of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the line between soup and beverage was often blurred. Polish clear red borscht can be served as a hot drink in a two-handled cup. Cold summer beet soups were thinned with kefir, soured milk, bread kvass, or beet kvass, and these sour fermented liquids were everyday summer fare from peasant to noble tables. Such dishes depended on red beets for their signature pink and magenta hues. White beets appear in modern reinterpretations, where cooks want a creamy, pale cold broth or a clear savory sipping liquid.[4]

Beet wines and coloring

Beets have also gone into alcoholic and lightly alcoholic drinks. Their sugars can be fermented into a country-style beet wine. Red beet juice had another use as well: in the mid-17th century it was commonly added to wine to deepen its color. The white beet reverses that role. Home winemakers and fermenters value it as a sugary, earthy base that will not overpower the color of a drink. Their ferments can then stay golden or take on the hue of added fruit and herbs.[1]

Contemporary low- and no-alcohol uses

Today white beetroot turns up in fresh-pressed vegetable juices, small-batch lacto-fermented tonics, shrubs, and craft sodas. It also appears as a secondary flavoring in fermented teas such as kombucha, where juices and vegetables are commonly added after the main fermentation. Bartenders working with alcohol-free drinks use white beet juice or white beet kvass to add earthy sweetness and savory depth to clear or pale serves without the staining of red beet. It remains a niche ingredient, mostly sourced from heirloom growers and farmers' markets rather than produced at scale.[5]

Part of Beetroot