Kefir grains to sugar water ratio

[gmq]

Most places, I'm reading that 4tbsp grains is the proper ratio to ferment 1/2 gallon to 1 gallon of water kefir. It seems to me that in order to make the gallon of water kefir at the same strength/culturedlevel as 1/2 gallon, it would require 8tbsp of grains. Thoughts on this? I then read on your website in the FAQ that in order to make a gallon of water kefir in a 24 hour period, it would take 2 cups grains. So, as long as the sugar to is added/dissolved to account for and feed the added grains, you can increase the brewspeed/strength of the water kefir? Is there an upper limit to this rule before it's non-beneficial to the grains and resulting water kefir? Thanks for help in fine-tuning my understanding of brew methods.

[AlexP]

The basic ratio is about 1 tablespoon of grains to 1 tablespoon of sugar to 1 cup of water. It can vary and 4 tablespoons can usually ferment 1 to 2 quarts (1/2 gallon) or so if desired. Larger quantities of water and sugar tend to make the ferment and grains a little more yeasty. For 1 gallon the ratios are somewhat the same. Since there is a larger volume of sugar water and the grains are all clumped together, its a little harder for the grains to get access to all the sugar, so you can typically use a larger amount of grains when you scale up. The grains can suffer though as they are not evenly spaced and some grains may not get enough access to the sugar. 1 gallon batches are usually okay though, but if you go even larger than that, then the grains can suffer more significantly. Wider jars are better than skinny jars as it spreads the grains out more and they have better access.

Alex