Weird kefir problem...

[Kelilah]

I got some kefir grains from the dairy where we get our raw milk, and I've been making kefir. We love it! Feels so good to drink it, and it's delicious and keeps my depression at bay. Big props to kefir.

This last batch, however... weird. Very weird.

I did what I always do, added the grains to the raw milk, swished it around, set it on the counter away from sunlight for 24 hours. But instead of kefir goodness when I went to strain it, I wound up with this clumpy cheesy stuff floating in a cloudy whey. Had a very strong yeasty smell to it.

I haven't thrown it out yet - what is this, and can I use it? The only thing that was different from before is the fact that the milk wasn't super-fresh - it wasn't spoiled, but it wasn't where I would've wanted to drink a glass of it. I would've used it as an ingredient in something, no sweat. So I guess the kefir grains exacerbated a spoilage process that was already in place? Or was I mistreating my kefir grains and did they die on me?

Does anyone know what happened here?

[Smokering]

Mine do that occasionally - it kind of separates and has a cheesy, holey layer on top and whey below? It mixes back in when I swish it around but quickly separates again.

In my case it's because I left it too long. It's still drinkable, just a bit tangier than normal, and when I sieve the liquid out a bit of caseiny stuff sticks to the grains and I wash it away.

We're using pasteurised milk at the moment, because our farm dried its cows up over winter. I can't remember if it happened when I was using raw milk.

[CookAMH]

I too think it was left just a tad too long. You may find that some batches seem to finish sooner, and then also, as your grains grow, they will culture sooner as well. It can change quickly too, where if you go away from it for a few hours and look again, there's all this whey on the bottom and the cheesey stuff on top. Once I take the grains out, I whisk it. Taht batch will usualy separate again in the fridge but not as much.

I always have to stir mine about 3-4 times during the process, because we use raw milk, so the cream separates and sometimes it seems that is what mostly cultures, so I break it up so the non-cream cultures too. It seems to help make a creamier kefir in the end.

[Kelilah]

Hm. Good to know. Thanks!

[memory maker]

I know in the summer mine ferments a lot quicker and then this happens

[my_baby_love]

Mine comes out like that if I leave it longer. I still use it, no problem, but it definitely tastes much more tangy. When my kitchen is warmer than usual it cultures really quickly, so I know this summer I will really have to watch it.