Odd story at the Bbc..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-33839742


So Vegemite is the upside down and inferior version of Marmite (sorry antipodeans). Both made by-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autolysis_%28biology%29

In the food industry, autolysis involves killing the yeast and encouraging breakdown of its cells by various enzymes. It is used to give different flavors. For yeast extract, when this process is triggered by the addition of salt, it is known as plasmolysis.

So any yeast is long dead, and the high salt content in Vegemite (and Marmite) would kill any yeast in booze it's added to. So is someone just winding up the Bbc?

No idea but I do wonder why anyone would use this delicious delicacy like that, far superior to Marmite which is the food of the devil.

Vegemite is lovely and thick. Marmite has gone all runny and very messy.

Well, even if the yeast in vegemite is still viable, you don't need to buy vast quantities of it. One jar would kick off a brew and when thats finished simply harvest the yeast from the sediment off the bottom of that brew for your next. Either the BBC is being wound up or the Aussie authorities are, mind you never underestimate the need for "The Man" to be seen to be doing something, even if that something is totally OTT and pointless.

Vegemite is delicious!, Marmite is way too runny.

That's what I don't get. Unless you were making VegeVodka, it'd be easier to stick with fruit or fruit juice and it's not exactly difficult to find yeast.

Oh, and Marmite > Vegemite!

(Then again, not had Vegemite in years. Personally I found it a bit sweeter than Marmite)

Surely it's the other way round. You use yeast to make your brew and then get yeast extract from the resulting sludge?

Maybe the Vegemite is for flavour rather than a source of yeast? By the time it's diluted, I doubt the salt content would be enough to kill the fresh yeast. It's probably easier to use a spoon of that than boil up hops. And the smell wouldn't attract passing cops.

You can also produce booze from supermarket potatoes. Perhaps they should licence them rather than sell spuds freely?

No idea what it's doing to the moonshine, but half a teaspoon of Marmite/Vegemite adds a nice kick to gravy.

I prefer Vegemite to marmite too! It's more rounded in flavour - what is it? I mean to look up ingredients but forget.
If abroad and they only had Marmite I'd buy one but over here I always go for Vegemite. As some of you have said it's probably a tad sweet & less runny. ( sorry haven't mastered multi quoting on here yet.) 😳

And there's more!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-33843910


Whereas Marmite makes me mellow. And alliterate

Have you tried Marmite XO? Its more rounded in flavour imho. Rather like an aged whiskey (if I can dare to make the comparison!)

Maybe. I've heard of molasses being used in the process to give a dark caramel flavour and colour. Vegemite just seems too bitter & savoury to me but then again I suppose it depends on how much is used.

why would you brew with vegemite?

is it just for a yeast starter? can they not get a bottle of guiness in Australia. You can start a brew with that. You used to be able to anyway. A few beers used to contain live yeast. Worthington white shield is a good one, I think.

it's a lovely beer. I can't remember seeing it on the shelves in Asda though.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worthi...s_White_Shield

mind you, maybe not so easy
http://byo.com/hops/item/1333-round-...t-from-bottles

Gemma- the areas where this is alledged to happen are supposed to be 'dry', so no, beer wouldn't be easily available. Though I'dve still thought other sources of yeast would be more useful than vegemite by the truckload.

oh, I see. Thanks for confirming. I bet they could use baking yeast to make beer. It won't go quite as strong as beer yeast though.

That's the bit I don't get. Vegemite is kind of anti-yeast given it's made from dead yeast and has high salt. And yeast is one of those things that's everywhere in nature. It may not be the best brewing yeast, but natural yeasts will allow fermentation.

But this has prompted me to look into home distallation now that's legal. Not sure I'll be making Marmite Vodka any time soon, much as I love Marmite

There's something a bit odd about this. Why can't they just go into a shop and buy sachets of brewers' yeast, which is cheaper than Vegemite? Failing that, baking yeast would do a better job than Vegemite, (which I don't think would work at all anyway). Then there are brewers' yeast tablets, widely sold as Vitamin B supplements – I don't know if they would work, but assuming that Vegemite does actually work, they would also. You don't actually need prepared yeast to make hooch anyway. You can make a potent cider, simply by mashing up a load of apples and sealing them in a barrel for a year. The natural yeasts that will have settled on them are all that's required.

A lot of traditional wines simply use the natural yeast on the grapes - that sort of whitish bloom you see on darker grapes is yeast.
Some beers also use natural yeasts, but its all a bit hit 'n miss so a starter of known yeast would normally be used.

With regard to the original story - it may all be internet bull anyway:
No Vegemite watch

It does give just a hint though that treatment of indigenous people in "the lucky country" may not be all it could be...

I tried Vegemite once and couldn't stand it. I always liked Marmite on toast (especially with peanut butter), but the extremely high salt content is very bad for your blood pressure.

Yes it is relatively high in salt, but you only need a very small amount so overall the salt intake should be pretty low - just don't go scooping it out of the jar!