Visit my website and virtual store at http://www.bacteriapimp.com
Water kefir is the most difficult of all the kefirs to brew successfully the secret is the water I can't say this enough and I just want to touch on this a little. Water kefir is tough but it is very sensitive to chemicals and it needs nutrients. Water can have chemicals that will weaken water crystals and water needs to have its natural minerals to feed and sustain healthy crystals. If you think your water has what it takes think again because if it does not your water crystals will not succeed.
Now; the ratios of sugar to grains and water to grains. Wait not so fast. What is good for the water kefir grains is not always what is good for you. Maybe you don't want a very sugary result from your brew; I will tell you this, a longer fermentation period is not the answer because the amount of sugar that water kefir will take out of the brew is minimal so don't count on that. What you have to do is compromise not by using more sugar than you would prefer but either rotating your grains or rotating who you are brewing for.
If you are brewing for you, a good recipe that does not have that much sugar but still is enjoyable is equal amounts sugar grains to half the amount of sugar to grains; so, a half cup or 4 ounces of grains with 4 ounces or as little as 2 ounces of sugar. Now the water; the big question, how much water? 8 to 16 times as much water to grains and 8 to 16 times as much water to sugar.
let's say you have 4 ounces of grains you can use as little as 2 ounces of sugar or you can use 4 ounces of sugar and up. Now the water when you are brewing for your taste with 4 ounces of grains and between 2 and 4 ounces of sugar could be from 16 to 64 ounces. however you like it in those parameters and the grains will stay healthy, how much sugar do you think the grains need? They don't need that much.
The ratio of water to sugar is 8 and all the way up to 16 to 1 water to sugar and water to grains is 4 up to 8 to 1. If you use 4 ounces of grains you need to use from 32 to 64 ounces of water. And 2 to 4 ounces of sugar or more
Use dried fruit in a pouch don't put the grains in the pouch put the fruit in the pouch. The grains need the nutrients not only from the natural water you will use but also from the dried fruit and put in lemon peel and if you ferment for long periods put in lemon juice to offset the alkalinity of the solution and do that for kombucha too. When you brew for you it will taste better with about a 24 hour brew as opposed to a 48 hour brew but you will have to see what you like. I can tell you what the grains like.
The grains want a lot of sugar and a long fermentation time. They will reproduce and grow when they have those basic things and also the good water and nutrients. They love ginger and maybe you do not so you can do two things. You can ferment for the grains one cycle giving them lots of of sugar ginger and time to ferment and then the nest cycle you can brew for you using less sugar and time to get it the way you like it. You can divide the grains up in two and rotate. You have to be happy and the grains need to stay healthy. If you are doing it right your grains can more that double in size within 48 hours, if your doing it wrong your grains may get weaker and weaker until they die or they can die right away; but, as a rule if your grains are not expanding at least doubling every week then they are dying.
To get more of the bubbles you want cover your jar with an airtight lid and release the lid every once in a while to release the pressure. It is best to use a bail wire jar, I just happen to sell them and don't shake your water grains leave them alone and then when you have the result put them in an airtight jar to save the bubbles your worked so hard to get. Then enjoy your brew and share it with people you love and don't worry so much
No comments:
Post a Comment