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Finally got a stable ferment going after 3 failed batches
Turns out I was keeping my jars too warm right by the furnace vent. Ambient temp was hitting almost 80F and killing the good bacteria before they could establish. Once I moved everything to the basement corner that stays around 68F my sauerkraut batch settled nicely after day 4. Anyone else wrestle with temperature swings in an old house?
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the_shane3mo ago
68F is actually on the cool side for tepache which usually likes it closer to 77F.
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phoenix8455mo ago
Kept jars on top of the fridge for two years thinking the warmth would speed things up. That was a big mistake. Ended up killing every batch of tepache before it could even start bubbling. What kind of thermometer did you end up using to dial in that 68F spot?
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bailey.sandra5mo ago
I got a cheap little digital one off Amazon for like eight bucks. It just has a probe on a wire so I can leave it sitting right in the middle of the fermentation bucket. The key for me was finding that spot in my basement that stays dead steady at 68F no matter what the weather is doing outside. Any warmer than that and I start getting a weird sour smell instead of that sweet pineapple funk.
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