Kefir or sour milk?

[MamaGwynn]

I'm making kefir for the first time. I've got some grains that equal to probably a little under a Tbsp. I used about 1 1/2 cups raw whole milk out of the fridge the first batch, let it sit for 24 hours, and it never thickened or started to smell like yogurt or buttermilk. It just got sour and smelled like sour milk (and tasted like it, blech). Am I doing something wrong here? I changed the milk last night, added about the same amount. It's been sitting a little over 12 hours and hasn't changed, can't tell what it's going to do.

Is kefir temperature sensitive? It's been chilly outside but we've had the heat on 70. Do the first couple of batches usually go awry? The grains weren't dried or anything. They were in a little bit of kefir and in the fridge when the person gave them to me.

[dogmom327]

There could be a couple of things going on. First, unless you are using the exact same milk the other person was, it can take few batches for the grains to adjust. Occasionally they do work right away but it's more likely to take a few batches to adjust. In the mean time, the milk will sour rather than culture. Just dump it out and give the grains fresh milk every 24-36 hours or so.

The second possibility is that it needs more time. Kefir is temperature sensitive so cooler temperatures will mean the kefir will take longer to culture. Generally though you are looking at 18-48 hours to make kefir.