Kefir Soda

Thanks for checking back at Pure Homemaking, I hope you make yourself at home!

Many people are familiar with the increasingly popular pro-biotic beverage kefr but usually think of the diary version. Dairy kefir is fabulous and amazing beneficial to you, but what if you are looking for something a little light in flavor and texture and more appropriate for sipping on a hot summer day? You could also be looking for an alternative to the nasty poisonous cola type sodas that many American’s are hooked on?

If you have thought about any of the above things or are simply curious what this whole water kefir thing is about then I urge you to give it a try! You will be amazed at how good it can taste and at how fun it is to drink and prepare. Water kefir works much the same way that dairy kefir does in that you have special grains that you add a liquid mixture to and give it a while to ferment into a healthful pro-biotic drink. The difference between milk and water kefir is that with water kefir you use special water kefir grains and the liquid used to ferment is just plain sugar water. See the grains, much like our own body needs sugar to feed off of and to convert to energy. Or in the case of kefir it converts the sugar into several different forms of bacteria and yeast, with the byproduct being CO2 just like the mitochondria in our cells produce. CO2 is also what makes the kefir bubbly. With soda, the sugary syrup is force carbonate much the same way that beer in kegs is done. However when you allow the grains to mix with the sugar water and sit for a while then this process happens naturally and you end up with very little sugar if any in the end.

Here is an explanation about what water kefir grains are and how they work according to Wikipedia (however there are plently of other sources out there, I encourage you to look some up if your into that kind of thing like I am):

Tibicos, also known as tibi, water kefir grains, sugar kefir grains, Japanese water crystals and California Bees, and in older literature also known as Bébées, African bees, Ale nuts, Australian bees, Balm of Gilead, Beer seeds, Beer plant, Bees, Ginger Beer plant, Ginger bees, Japanese Beer seeds and Vinegar bees^[1] are a culture of bacteria and yeast held in a polysaccharide matrix created by the bacteria. As with kefir grains, the microbes present in tibicos act in symbiosis to maintain a stable culture. Tibicos can do this in many different sugary liquids, feeding off the sugar to produce lactic acid, alcohol (ethanol), and carbon dioxide gas which carbonates the drink.

Tibicos are found around the world, with no two cultures being exactly the same. Typical tibicos have a mix of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Pediococcus and Leuconostoc bacteria with yeasts from Saccharomyces, Candida, Kloeckera and possibly others. Lactobacillus brevis has been identified as the species responsible for the production of the polysaccharide (dextran) that forms the grains.[

If you are curious about the alcohol content then you might find this very in-depth experiment by Kelly The Kitchen Kop and her chemist brother. You will see that they came up with >1% ABV so I don’t worry about giving some to my kids. Actually they are the real reason that I started brewing water kefir to begin with-so they could have a soda replacement that was not only not bad for them but GOOD for them.  You do have to pay attention to your ferment times, especially the secondary ferment if you are using juice which does contain sugar. The longer you ferment and the higher the sugar content then the more alcohol you will end up with.

Water kefir grains are funny looking little guys and they will take on the color of whatever you use to ferment them with. They have the same cauliflower shape of milk kefir grains but are translucent instead of white.  Mine are a light brown color because I generally only ever use rapadura sugar for its high mineral content to brew my kefir soda (You can also use sucanat or regular organic sugar with some molasses added). The point is to have a high level of minerals for the grains to feed off of. Using mineral water is recommended for the first few batches of water kefir but once the grains are actively brewing batches you can use regular filtered water if you aren’t on well water. This is especially true if you start with dehydrated grains. I actually recommend that you only use sugar and water for a primary ferment (the you do WITH the grains) and then add flavoring for a secondary ferment in grolsh bottles (AFTER you strain out the grains) to get a good carbonation level, and to make sure that you don’t contaminate or weaken your grains. This is the method that I use and my grains are super healthy and they multiply like crazy. In a month I went from having 1 tbls. of grains to over 2 cups! I give them away and they still multiply.

So with all of that being said…making it is so easy! Really it only takes a few minutes to get your grains brewing and another few minutes to bottle up the water kefir to make it carbonated and to give it a flavor that you enjoy.

Here’s what you need for 1 quart of water kefir:

1 tablespoon water kefir grains

5 Tbls. high mineral sugar (rapadura, sucanat, or a combination of organic granulated sugar and molasses)

Enough filtered or mineral water to almost fill jar

Quart sized wide mouth jar

coffee filter and rubber band to cover jar

Directions:

First combine about a cup of hot water with the sugar and stir it around to fully dissolve the sugar. Then pour the sugar water in the clean jar and add the rest of the room temperature water. Check to make sure that the water is at room temperature and not hot as you can kill your grains. One the water is cool-ish but not cold then go ahead and carefully add the grains, caring that they don’t spill out on the counter. You will need about a generous tablespoon of grains for 1 quart of sugar water.  Make sure that you have about 2-3 inches of head space in the jar and cover it with the coffee filter and rubber band to secure it. Take note of the color of your water. If you used rapadura then it should be pretty dark like mine is in the above picture. In a day or two you will notice that the water is a much lighter color like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

After 1-3 days (length of fermenting time depends on preference and room temperature. The warmer the room the faster the fermentation will take place. I like to let the grains go for 2 days in the primary ferment and no more than 1 day in the secondary ferment when they are in grolsh flip top bottles which I highly recommend if you are going for a fizzy drink. If not then you can stick with regular jars that have a tight-fitting lid.

While your kefir is being made you will notice that it bubbles up some and some of the grains may float up to the top. You might also notice a bit of scum on the top but don’t be alarmed as it’s harmless. You can either skim it off or just mix it back in. It’s most likely just spent yeast and it’s nothing to be concerned with. Some people will add a bit of fruit to the ferment and that’s when you have to be concerned with mold, which is why I avoid mixing anything with the grains. If you do add fruit make sure that it is completely submerged in the water so you don’t attract mold.

Once your water kefir is done you can flavor it. This is the fun part! There are endless possibilities! I will share three recipes for flavoring that we all really enjoy:

Ginger-ail kefir:

In a flip top bottle fill it up about 1/3 of the way with ginger juice that you kind find at the health food store. You can also cut up some small pieces of fresh ginger for a real ginger snap. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 1 day then move the the fridge or enjoy right away over ice.

Kefir Cream Soda:

In a flip top grolsh bottle add 1 tbls. of real maple syrup (grade B preferred) and 1 small tbl. of good quality vanilla extract. Let sit at room temperature for 1 day then enjoy or store in the fridge.

Pomegranate blueberry Kefir Soda:

In a flip top bottle or glass jar with a tight-fitting lid add good quality pomegranate and blueberry juice filling it up NO MORE THAN 1/3 of the way. Adding anymore may cause too much carbonation to fill up and your soda will overflow when you go to open it up. I always open my jars over the sink because you will have this happen from time to time depending on the ratio of juice to water kefir and length of ferment time.

Enjoy! Please share your recipes and experiences and questions! I hope you love water kefir soda as much as we do!

 

This post is shared at Monday Mania 6/27 , Real Food Wed. 6/29,  Simple Lives Thursday #50, and Fight Back Friday 7/1 & 7/8