Is my Water Kefir working?

I've had quite a few people contact me asking if their Water Kefir crystals were okay. After 24 hours, their brew is still flat, the crystals aren't doing anything, and the fruit sunk to the bottom.

Even though the crystals rehydrate and are ready for use after 24 hours, it may take them longer to become fully active. Your first batch won't be the same as the rest, but your second batch should be normal. Also, many websites refer to the "dancing crystals" and the carbonation, but don't really explain much more than a passing comment. Keep reading to get a better idea of what's really going on.

The Dancing Crystals
Your Water Kefir crystals will "dance about" as they brew, floating up and down and hovering about, as well as sitting silently at the bottom. This is a "slow motion" thing though, and not likely something you will see happening.

When you check on your brew, what you are likely to see is most of your crystals sitting at the bottom. You may see a few floating at the top, and a couple hovering somewhere in the middle. If you're lucky, you'll spot one zipping to the top or drifting back to the bottom, but don't count on it unless you watch your brew often.

The fruit you use in your brew may change places also. Figs and raisins, for example, typically sink to the bottom when you first put them in, and will float to the surface several hours later. They may even sink back to the bottom before your brew is done.

Carbonation
"It's been brewing for 3 days and is still flat!"

Just like soda pop, Water Kefir will be flat unless it's in a sealed bottle. You can produce a carbonated beverage by brewing it in a tightly sealed jar (screw the cap on as tight as you can get it by hand, without straining or grunting). This can be dangerous though, as it is possible to build up enough pressure to break the jar.

The best way to make your brew carbonated is through a secondary fermentation process. It's pretty simple really, just bottle your Water Kefir and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Be sure to refrigerate it afterwards though, or you could build up enough carbonation to shatter the bottle.

You can bottle Water Kefir the same way you do beer or wine. My personal favorite is to put it in EZ-Cap bottles. Grolsh beer comes in similar bottles.

Flavor
After 24 hours, your Water Kefir will be a very sweet flavored water. It will, for the most part, taste like what you put in it to brew. After 48 hours, it will become more tart. It won't taste like "fig juice" any more, but you can still make out the flavors of your ingredients. After 72 hours, it will be very tart. It will taste almost artificial with a hint of a chemical flavor.