A few days ago I wrote about my favorite new ferment the ginger bug. To be clear, it’s still my new favorite although I dumped it today and decided to start over. Why you ask? It got what’s referred to as kahm yeast on the surface layer.
What’s kahm yeast? It’s essentially a blanket term used to describe any non-harmful yeast that colonizes the top layer of ferments. It’s pretty common and anyone that’s been fermenting anything for awhile has come across this yeast. There are a few things to encourage it, but it does happen sometimes when things are done right too.
While it’s not harmful to health it has been shown to produce off flavors and smells in the brews and encourages a condition for mold to grow in and is often a precurser to mold. It also tends to mess with the color of the ferment where the yeast lies, making it a darker color most of the time. Many people fight the kahm by skimming it off which I tried to do yesterday, not really expecting results.
The photos are of my jar today, just before I dumped it to feed to the chickens. That while film is just kahm yeast. Mold looks fairly different from kahm yeast, often showing different colors and that characteristic fuzzy patch.
So what can you do to prevent getting it?
Don’t mess with your ferments: This is most certainly my issue. I opened my ginger bug a lot and I paid for it, as I allowed the wrong yeasts to come in and colonize it. Tomorrow morning I’ll restart my ginger bug and I’ll leave it alone unless I’m feeding it.
Clean and sterilize everything that comes in contact with the ferment
Make sure to use proper ratios of sugar and salt to discourage stray yeast from growing.
It’s not a sign that your ferment is ruined but it is a sign to pay attention at the least. Some battle the problem but I chose to get rid of it and start over as I want the best possible flavors out of my ginger bug concoctions. So stay tuned Steemit, it’ll be a bit delayed but the ginger beer posts will come!
