From Brewing to Regional Flavours: Jiucun’s Fermentation Journey

In this episode of Food Talk, we are joined by two guests with academic backgrounds in fermentation engineering, Mary and Liu Xinzheng, to discuss how their passion for home-brewing led them down the path of fermentation.

While studying fermentation engineering at university, their shared love for beer—and a feeling that commercial options didn’t quite hit the mark—prompted them to start brewing their own craft beer. As their creations gained popularity among friends, they decided to launch their own brand: Nine Inches Craft Brewing.

Alongside running their brand, they have travelled extensively to immerse themselves in various fermentation cultures and meet local artisans. From sourcing the finest domestic honey for mead to challenging themselves with ‘peak stinky’ winter melon and trying the ‘pickle-anything’ *Suanye* of Guangxi… different regions breed different flavours. Through these culinary windows, they hope to introduce more people to the world’s diversity.

Mary shares that while developing rice wine, she experienced the entire process from paddy cultivation to brewing, which gave her a profound sense of the ‘joy of the harvest’. To her, whether it is grapes, barley, maize, rice, or Mexican agave, the fact that these can all spontaneously ferment into alcohol under their respective natural conditions reflects the openness and diversity of fermentation culture.

Mary and Liu Xinzheng hope to use their products and records to encourage more people to understand and try a wider variety of fermented foods. While preserving traditional brewing techniques, they introduce a scientific approach from their professional background to optimise processes, thereby maintaining tradition while enhancing quality. They have already published their first book on fermentation culture, *The Wonders of Fermentation Brewing*, with a second volume currently in the works.

Why are people so captivated by fermented foods? Perhaps after hearing about their journey, you too will appreciate the magical flavours bestowed by nature and feel a sense of universal human joy.

Our Guests

Ma Junli (Mary)

Media professional / Creative. Graduated in Food Fermentation Engineering, with 16 years of experience in fashion, culture, and lifestyle magazines. Since leaving traditional media, she has actively explored the creation of markets within art and cultural communities and the implementation of art projects. In 2015, she co-founded Nine Inches Craft Brewing to explore the allure of fermentation culture. Author of *The Wonders of Fermentation Brewing*, she is currently travelling through Southwest China gathering material for her next book on the geography of fermentation.

Liu Xinzheng

Food Fermentation Engineer / Brewer / Photographer. Graduated in Food Fermentation Engineering and formerly worked at the China National Research Institute of Food and Fermentation Industry, holding the title of Senior Engineer. Co-founded Nine Inches Craft Brewing in 2015, where he continues to research and develop new products to explore the possibilities of fermentation. Co-author of *The Wonders of Fermentation Brewing*.

Our Hosts

Wang Hao

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

Xiao Chao

Former Foodthink Project Officer and fermentation enthusiast. His experiments with fermented foods include kombucha, sauerkraut, Sichuan pickles, yoghurt, bread, and more.

Timeline

00:25 Two professionally trained fermentation specialists, after wandering for over a decade, finally took the plunge with craft beer to establish their own fermentation brand, “Nine Inches”.

02:52 The Fermentation Engineering degree they studied at university primarily focused on large-scale industrial processes. However, by getting hands-on, they discovered that anyone can try their hand at “fermentation”; it isn’t as daunting as it seems.

04:56 Driven by a love for beer—and the feeling that commercial options lacked flavour—Mary and Liu Xinzheng began brewing their own craft beer. As more friends grew fond of it, they decided to turn it into a brand.

05:51 While industrial fermentation is efficient and fast, it strips alcoholic beverages of much of their flavour and erases many of the traditional elements.

07:15 By combining traditional brewing techniques with the scientific rigour of fermentation specialists to interpret and standardise the process, it may be possible to optimise production without sacrificing tradition. But can the empirical knowledge of traditional methods truly be applied to industrial fermentation?

13:43 Why do people have such polar opposite reactions to fermented foods: either loving them intensely or fearing them entirely?

16:21 Why are we so captivated by fermented spirits? To develop her rice wine, Mary travelled to the countryside to harvest rice. Witnessing the entire ripening process and connecting with the land before brewing the wine herself allowed her to experience the innate “joy of the harvest”.

19:07 Tea, coffee, and alcohol all require fermentation. The ability to personally witness the transformation from raw ingredients to a fermented product is perhaps the true charm that compels us to create them.

19:49 The personal expression found in fermented foods is akin to creating a work of art.

23:49 Fermentation knows no borders: whether it is grapes, barley, maize, rice, or Mexican agave, local people will instinctively find a way to brew their own spirits.

33:43 Fermentation is a manifestation of biodiversity and microbial diversity, and by extension, a diversity of flavours.

34:34 Beyond producing fermented foods, Mary and Liu Xinzheng continue to explore “fermentation geography,” visiting various regions to uncover the culture behind their local delicacies. By encouraging a broader understanding and appetite for diverse fermented foods, they hope to ensure these pieces of “intangible cultural heritage” are truly preserved for future generations.

40:23 Simply soaking raw ingredients in water and watching them transform into pickles is a magical experience—one that perhaps mirrors what the earliest humans felt when they first discovered fermentation. The joy of the harvest is universal, as is the desire to share it; that is the magic of fermentation.

41:47 Creating a fermentation brand has brought them many loyal customers and the rewarding feeling of being recognised for their work. This is the joy of the artisan, and the reason they persevere.

48:31 Their journey of discovery continues: searching for China’s finest honey to brew mead, braving Ningbo’s “stinky winter melon”—which Mary considers the pinnacle of pungent scents—and trying the “pickles for everything” *suanye* in Guangxi. By stepping out into the world and exploring through the lens of food, they continue to learn.