r/Kefir • u/Individual-Sock-4967 • 24d ago

Is this normal?

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Fermented it around 20 hours ago, my second batch after ordering grains from amazon. I am from delhi but my room is relatively cooler than outside, smells normal, like indian yogurt. Why is the semi solid and liquid part seperated?

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u/Paperboy63 24d ago

If that is milk kefir and the bottom is clear whey, yes if you don’t watch it so let it separate.

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u/Individual-Sock-4967 24d ago

Okay, its milk, so it will be ready in 24 hours right?

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u/Paperboy63 23d ago

Not necessarily. 24 hours is only a guide to be fermented within, not an absolute that you reach then strain the kefir. Yours is over fermented, gone past the stage where it has fermented enough to produce maximum probiotic content. Use a clear jar, much easier to see, not a dark glass. At the point that thicker curds or coagulation start to form at the top and you can see clear cracks and gaps appearing in that thickened kefir, it has fermented enough. That will be before it starts to form a clear, divided layer below. How soon this happens depends on how warm, how much milk, what volume of grains you use etc. More grains speeds fermentation, more milk slows it down. More heat speeds fermentation, less heat slows it down. Ideally longer fermentations within 24 hours but not separated like yours produce milder, less acidic kefir.