I had mentioned double fermentation in a previous post. I've been double fermenting my kefir by a full 24 hours. The result is a product that separates into whey and a curdled substance that is yucky. It's not bad for getting whey that I use in other ferments, and for making kefir cheese (I haven't written that post, yet). It's not a good drink, though.
First, let's review the growth of my grains. In the past I tried to judge their growth by eyeballing the result. In some cases it was looking like they were shrinking. To be more precise, I started weighing them after each batch of kefir. I am seeing progress, but it is no wonder I wasn't able to notice the growth by eye. Over the last 4 days, the weight of my grains has grown from 7.1 to 9.0 grams. That's pretty good on a percentage basis, but not anything that I could see.
My kefir is getting thicker, too. So, now it was time to try a side-by-side taste test of single fermentation versus double. I divided this morning's finished batch into two containers and set one out for a second ferment. The other one went into the fridge. I left the second ferment out for about 6 hours and then put that one in the fridge.
After they had both chilled, I tasted them both straight up. They were both good enough to drink straight. The double ferment was noticeably sourer, and the single was sweeter. Both were pleasingly thickened--not so thick as yogurt, but thicker than milk. Given the choice, I would take the single ferment. I might try this, again, with flavorings added to the second ferment.
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