Should I be brewing water kefir with a lid on it?

[Peek-a-boo]

I was just looking at Dom's kefir site and various recipe instructions mention putting a lid on tightly while brewing. The instructions I recieved with my grains suggest covering it with a towel secured with a rubberband.

Curious what you all do? Have you noticed a difference one way or another?

[dogmom327]

I wouldn't put a solid lid on tightly because there's the potential for too much gas buildup. The towel or something similar (like a coffee filter) should be tightly secured if you have any issues with ants, fruit flies, etc. Tight rubber bands work well for this.

[PeggyinNC]

I started off doing the towel/rubberband covering thing, but with brewing kombucha around (I got a scoby in my acv once, somehow!), I decided to just use a regular cover with my water kefir. I do release the built-up gases every so often.

[saratc]

I use a plastic lid but don't screw it on terribly tight. Unless you are using an airlock cap, most plastic lids will allow the brew to degas slowly. My kefir is always "singing." I don't use a towel as we cook a wide variety of foods and make a wide variety of ferments, and I don't want my kefir to pick up other wild yeasts.