First batch of aerated water kefir goes gangbusters

This blog has seen me complain about how all my ferments have been pretty successful lately besides the water kefir which hadn't really taken off. Various issues, I was trying to take care of one and it wouldn't work, I'd try something else and that would help with the issues I was having but nah it'd go back once again. I changed the water, I changed the sugar, I changed the container, I changed the nutrients, I even added the levels of fermentation. And the fermentation time was taken up to the wazoo. The furthest I got was to have it taste vaguely alcoholic but so yeasty and gross.

Since I revived my otherwise sleepy milk kefir jellies with the aeration method I've talked about in the past, figured it was worth replicating for the water kefir too because why not, the jellies are already underperforming and there's no losing I mean what's the worse that could happen. If it turned south I would just abandon the project because it'd been taking too much of my time without any fruitful outcome.

So I used the aerator on the sugar water with kefir.

And it turned out really great! The first round, a super small test batch of grains turned citrusy in a matter of a few days. So I quintupled the volume, and the amount of sugar and it's still going great. It takes a couple of days of aerating the liquid to get good flavor out of it, but the taste is great without any additives and the number of days is actually quite manageable. And I'm thinking if I do it for long enough I can get the jellies strong enough to not need the electric assistance.

Now the only project that's not doing as well as I'm hoping is kombucha. Far far too tart, probably because I overdid the tea. Take it easy with the teabags, and go overboard on the sugar. Have it be more sour than tart or dry. That's the plan ahead.

Plans for kinema and the other soy based ferment are still on the table, I just need my head cleared up with this blog and everything. Gotta write more regularly.