From Brewing to Exploring Regional Flavours: Nine Inches’ Fermentation Journey

This episode of Food Talk features two guests formally trained in “fermentation engineering” – Mary and Liu Xinzhen – who join us to share how their journey from home-brewing craft beer set them on the path of fermentation.

Having studied fermentation engineering at university, their love of beer and frustration with what the market offered led them to brew their own craft beer. As friends’ approval grew, they decided to launch their own craft brewery – Nine Inches Craft Brewing.

Beyond running the brewery, they travel across the country to gather inspiration, exploring different fermentation cultures and meeting fermentation artisans. They seek out the best honey in China to make mead, take on the Stinky winter melon – “the very peak of stinkiness” – and try suanye, the Guangxi specialty “that can pickle everything”……Different regions give rise to different fermentation flavours, and through these windows of food, they hope to help more people appreciate the diversity of the world.

Mary says that while developing their rice wine, she experienced the entire process from growing paddy rice to brewing, which gave her a profound sense of “the joy of harvest”. In her view, whether you grow grapes, barley, maize, paddy rice, or Mexico’s agave, each can spontaneously ferment into alcohol under its own natural conditions – a testament to the openness and diversity of fermentation culture.

Mary and Liu Xinzhen hope that through their products and documentation, they can help more people understand fermentation and encourage them to try a wider range of fermented foods. Building on the foundation of traditional brewing techniques, they bring the scientific rigour of their fermentation engineering background, seeking to refine the process while honouring tradition and improving quality. They have now published their first book on fermentation culture, Incredible Fermentation and Brewing, with a second already in the pipeline.

So why are people so passionate about fermented foods? Perhaps after hearing about their fermentation journey, you too can understand the magical flavours bestowed by nature and feel the universal joy we all share.

This Episode’s Guests

Ma Junli (Mary)

Media professional / Creative. Graduated in food fermentation engineering, with 16 years of experience in fashion culture and lifestyle magazine media. After leaving traditional media, she has been actively exploring market-making in arts communities and the realisation of art projects. In 2015, she co-founded Nine Inches Craft Brewing, exploring the allure of fermentation culture. Author of Incredible Fermentation and Brewing, she is currently conducting fieldwork in the Southwest region, gathering material for the next book on fermentation geography.

Liu Xinzhen

Food fermentation engineer / Brewer / Photographer. Graduated in food fermentation engineering and formerly worked at the China Food Fermentation Industry Research Institute, holding the title of senior engineer. In 2015, he co-founded Nine Inches Craft Brewing, continuously developing new products in the brewing field and exploring the possibilities of fermentation. Co-author of Incredible Fermentation and Brewing.

This Episode’s Hosts

Wang Hao

Editor at Foodthink. A fermentation novice who often gives up halfway.

Xiao Chao

Former project officer at Foodthink and fermentation enthusiast. Fermented foods tried include kombucha, sauerkraut, Sichuan pao cai, yoghurt, bread, and more.

Timeline

00:25 Two people formally trained in “fermentation engineering” took over a decade of twists and turns before finally launching their own fermentation brand, Nine Inches, starting with craft beer.

02:52 The fermentation engineering major at university mainly covers large-scale industrial fermentation. It was only when they started experimenting themselves that they realised anyone can try their hand at fermentation – it isn’t as difficult as it seems.

04:56 Because they loved drinking beer and the commercial options weren’t up to scratch, Mary and Liu Xinzhen started brewing their own craft beer. As more friends expressed how much they enjoyed it, they simply turned it into a brand.

05:51 Industrialised fermentation processes are efficient and fast, but they strip beverages of much of their flavour and cost them much of their tradition.

07:15 On the foundation of traditional brewing techniques, bringing the scientific rigour of their fermentation engineering background to interpret and standardise the process may well achieve optimisation while preserving tradition. Can the empiricism of traditional methods be applied to industrialised fermentation?

13:43 Why do people have two extreme reactions to fermented foods: either passionately loving them or intensely fearing them?

16:21 Why are we so captivated by fermented alcohol? While developing their rice wine, Mary went to the countryside to harvest paddy rice, witnessed the entire maturation process, reconnected with the land, and then brewed the rice wine herself – a process that naturally evokes “the joy of harvest”.

19:07 Tea, coffee, and alcohol all go through a fermentation process. Being able to personally experience the transformation from raw ingredients to fermented food may be precisely what draws people to roll up their sleeves and try it themselves.

19:49 The personalised expression of fermented food is akin to creating a work of art.

23:49 Fermentation knows no borders: whether it’s grapes, barley, maize, paddy rice, or Mexico’s agave, local communities will spontaneously ferment them into alcohol.

33:43 Fermentation is about biodiversity, microbial diversity, and also flavour diversity.

34:34 Beyond producing fermented foods, Mary and Liu Xinzhen continue to research fermentation geography, exploring the cultures behind fermented foods in different regions, hoping to help more people understand fermentation, encourage them to embrace a diverse range of fermented foods, and ensure that these “intangible cultural heritages” are truly passed down.

40:23 Put vegetables and simple ingredients into water, and they transform into pao cai on their own. This magical experience may well be the shared feeling that first drew humans to make fermented foods. The joy of a harvest is universal, and the desire to share is the same – this is the charm of fermentation.

41:47 Building a fermentation brand has introduced them to many loyal consumer friends, and they have consistently enjoyed the feeling of being appreciated – this is the joy of being a craftsperson, and the reason to persevere.

48:31 Continuing their fieldwork: seeking out the best honey in China to make mead, taking on the Ningbo Stinky winter melon – “the very peak of stinkiness” in Mary’s eyes – and trying suanye in Guangxi, the dish “that can pickle everything” – stepping out the door to explore, and understanding the world through the window of food.