questions about viability of grains

[velive]

I have been using some grains I had previously dried out and kept in a bag for awhile to make batches of kefir the last couple of months.

After about 4 batches they seemed to come back to life and the water began bubbling. Everything seemed fine in terms of kefir production, but I noticed the grains were not multiplying as they had before. The amount of grains has remained pretty much the same.

Recently I also began to notice a somewhat bad smell, which I don't remember from the past.

I have read before that the grains can do well for about 4-5 days in the same batch of sugar water. I never try to leave them that long. Gnerally I change the water every 2 days. However, recently I forgot, and left them in the same water for 3 days. Now, for the last two batches, I have not gotten any bubbles at all. The water seems flat. I have the impression it is probably not fermenting.

Does this indicate my grains have died, or what could have happened?

What would be the best method of trying to revive them at this point?

Thanks.

[AlexP]

If they came back strong and alive for a while and then slowly decreased and then started smelling bad, it sounds to me like they are just not handling something right. It's possible that the drying process weakened them and now they can't handle the recipe or water or ingredients well enough to thrive. When grains are strong and healthy, there's a lot that they can handle. What are you feeding them? You may want to try a new recipe and see if that helps. Go by taste instead of bubbles to see how its doing.

Alex