Yemoos Nourishing Cultures Forum

My kefir grains have been well and active for the past year, with the last two batches, a definite odd smell, not sure how to describe, and a metallic taste has developed...
I do 1st ferment in clean glass jar (2.5 gal) 24-48 hrs
I feed with white sugar ½ c per gal
everything worked fine
2nd ferment in clean glass jar with fruit addition (usually thawed frozen berries) 24 hrs

The kefir grains look large and healthy (approximately 2cups)

3 weeks ago, I decided to add some raw sugar (1tbs) to 1st ferment - add some minerals, I had only used white sugar before this,
I did not have any mineral concentrate to use.

since that time the grains seem to have a light brown discoloration, the kefir is also light brown , more than normal

any suggestions would be appreciated

It may just be the yeasts developing. Without minerals, the yeast would have greatly suffered and its likely struggling to come back. The grains and liquid will change color based off the sugar color, so that is normal. It may take a few batches to rebalance from what you were doing.

Alex