Making water kefir - first forays
Water kefir, also known as tibicos, is made by a symbiotic community of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY) that exists in little nuggets, known as water kefir grains.
During the process of making water kefir, these microbes break down any carbohydrate-rich liquid (sugar water, fruit juices, coconut water) to produce mainly lactic acid, carbon dioxide and some B vitamins.
So, the sweet sugar water with which you start the process, gradually becomes less sweet, more sharp, more bubbly and full of beneficial bacteria, chiefly lactic acid bacteria. The point at which you halt the process and drink it depends on your own personal taste. The longer you leave it, the sharper it becomes, due to the lactic acid-producing microbes.
Water kefir contains around 10-15 strains of beneficial bacteria and yeasts. For us, it is a healthy and refreshing drink. We drink sensible amounts of it and we enjoy choosing different fruit and herb combinations with which to flavour it.
There is plenty of information on the internet on varying styles and approaches to fermenting water kefir. Have a go and discover which flavour combinations you prefer.
Water kefir recipe
Equipment
A plastic sieve
A funnel I have found that one with a close weave in-built sieve has been very useful.
A number of differing sized kilner jars, the size you need will depend on the amount you are consuming. I need more than one kilner jar because as I strain the first batch, I am reloading for the next batch.
A number of BREWING bottles – having had a kilner bottle explode on me once I sealed the lid for the water kefir to mature, I now only use BREWING BOTTLES for the shut lid stage (when there is likely to be a build-up of carbon dioxide from the fermenting process). Kilner bottles aren’t strong enough, as I discovered the hard way. Having said that, fermenting expert, Sandor Katz, now uses plastic bottles to avoid the risk of injury and this is definitely worth considering.
Cup measures
Water, ideally filtered (fluoride and chlorine are not great for kefir grains).
Sugar, I have always used demerara sugar. Brown sugar apparently has more minerals in it and the grains need minerals.
A mineral source for the grains, I use unsulphured apricots.
The variables involved in fermenting water kefir
Temperature , the warmer it is, the faster they will ferment.
Time, the longer I leave the brew, the less sweet the kefir is because the grains (bacterial and yeast communities) digest the sugar and produce lactic acid. I don’t leave them for so long that they run out of food substrate.
Amount of water, ideally filtered water.
Amount of sugar, this is the food source for the grains.
Amount of grains, more grains, more microbes to consume the sugars.
Mineral supply, this comes from the sugar, the water and the unsulphured apricot I add (other people use other sources). Too many minerals can be problematic, as can too few.
Oxygen, the microbial activity involved in water kefir is anaerobic but you don’t need to worry about submerging the grains to cut off the oxygen supply, it is sufficient that the grains are in the sugar water. I do close the lid on the kilners though, but in such a way that still allows for the release of the CO2 produced during the fermentation process.
Cleanliness, I am not obsessing about the cleanliness of utensils. I either hand wash them in hot water or wash them in the dish washer.
If things don’t quite work out and I can’t see bubbles forming, then the chances are that one of my variables needs tweaking.
Ingredients
4 cups (American measure) of filtered water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup kefir grains
1 unsulphured apricot (mineral source)
Or any multiple of the above depending on your consumption rate!
Method
Put the measured water and sugar into a kilner jar and mix in the sugar to dissolve it.
Then add the water kefir grains.
Add a mineral source, e.g. one unsulphured apricot. Some people like to add a bit of boiled egg shell, these supply the grains with minerals.
Leave the brew with the kilner jar lid shut with the rubber seal on. The rubber seal on a kilner jar ensures that the kilner jar is not airtight, use these, rather than jars where the lid seals the jar. If you are anxious about CO2 build-up, you can just remove the rubber seal to ensure there is a big gap for the CO2 to escape your kilner. There is a lot of fermentation going on at this stage and carbon dioxide is a by-product which needs to be able to escape. Check your kefir regularly. You will get to know whether you need to pop the lid open to release CO2 building up (burping). Mine doesn’t need it at this stage, but it does need burping once bottled.
I leave mine for around 48 hrs, you should see some bubbles form and some of the grains might float to the top during this time.
Leave somewhere room temperature (18-21 °C) and ideally in view. The colder it is, the slower they will ferment, the hotter it is, the quicker they will work. I keep mine in view so that I don’t forget about it in the bun fight that is family life.
After 48 hrs strain off the grains with a plastic sieve. You will probably have more than a 1/4 cup of grains by then as they grow. Repeat the above process with 1/4 cup of grains to make the next batch. You can eat the spare grains (!) or give the grains to your friends. Or your pets. Spread the kefir magic. Our dog adores eating them. You can also freeze spare grains, so as to ensure you have a spare batch in the event that the worst happens and you accidentally throw them away/kill them.
With the kefir I have made, I like to do a second ferment. I take the kefir (the filtered fluid minus the grains) I have made and put it back into a kilner jar, add fruit and herbs of my choice (or more often the choice of the kids) lemon and ginger, raspberry, passion fruit, whatever you fancy.
Leave this second ferment somewhere warm for another 24hrs, I shut the lid for this stage of the process (but still using a kilner jar which allows for CO2 release) and I will occasionally pop the lid to release any CO2 when I remember because there is still a great deal of fermenting taking place. The result is delicious fruit flavoured kefir. And no explosions.
After 24 hrs, I sieve off the fruit (which will now be pretty tasteless) and funnel the kefir into a brewing bottle or a plastic bottle. Close the lid and put it in the fridge for drinking. At this point, your kefir will become nicely carbonated but this also means the bottles need to be “burped” regularly to release the C02 that builds up. I now only use brewing bottles for this stage, because they are made of thick glass to cope with the build-up of C02. Alternatively, consider using plastic bottles. When the bottles go in the fridge and there is no fruit or grains in the kefir, the rate of fermenting drops so there is less risk of excessive C02 build-up but CO2 is still produced and will build up. You will still need to “burp” the bottles regularly.
If the brew is still very sweet when you taste it, that means the variables aren’t quite right – not enough grains or too much sugar or, if you are happy to vary your brew time (I keep this constant), not enough time for the grains to digest the sugar. Personally, I am defeating the aim of supporting the gut health of my family by making this if the result is them consuming a sugary drink. For me, the brew is ready when it tastes of the fruit I have put in the second ferment, it is fizzy but it is NOT sweet. Be aware though, if you leave it too long in the bottle, the yeasts present can produce alcohol, the levels are generally minimal but it is worth knowing!
Burp the brewing bottles. The really important thing to remember is that carbon dioxide is a by-product of the fermenting process so “burp” the bottles regularly (even if they are in the fridge) to avoid the gas building up and exploding the bottle! Have I said that enough times?
If I go away, I either take my kefir grains and kit with me or I put the grains in a big mix of their usual sugar/water proportion and leave in fridge in a kilner jar.
We are all individual, this is the basics of my practice but this wonderful process is totally interactive and involves each of us working out what volume/rate/fermentation time/flavour best suits us and the environment in which we are doing it. That takes a bit of experimenting and it involves trusting our senses of taste and smell and adjusting our process to suit us. This has been a really joyful experience for us.
There is so much information online, enjoy falling into the internet black hole that is fermenting websites. You will see that there are so many different ways to ferment kefir, enjoy finding your own.
