Alcohol Levels
Alcohol: Loved by some, hated by others.
It’s a natural part of the fermentation process that’s created by yeasts cultures. From fruit peels to bread dough and yes, even your own skin… Yeast is present everywhere on every living thing.
And they love sugar.
Measured as a % A.B.V (Alcohol By Volume), alcohol amounts depend on the species of yeasts and other bacterial strains also present in a ferment. This produces small amounts of alcohol like in Kefir and Kombucha (between 0.5% - 2%), or very high amounts, like in Wine (5.5% - 25%) and Vodka (40% - 95%)
The alcohol phase is followed by the vinegar phase, which can be very desirable or less so, again depending on the flavour profiles, and what the fermentor is looking to achieve.
In our Kefir Sodas, because we ferment with real fruit and organic sugars, alcohol levels will vary according to the sweetness of the fruits themselves depending on age and season.
Fresh ferments don’t contain much alcohol as the yeasts are still slowly eating up sugars, but after 2-3 weeks, sweet flavours like Passionfruit and Pineapple may reach about 1-2% A.B.V.
Milder flavours like Dragonfruit and Nutmeg often take longer and never go beyond 1% A.B.V.
Interestingly, Calamansi Lime is a flavour that skips the alcohol phase altogether and turns into a sparkling vinegar instead. It’s the safest flavour for kids, pregnant/breastfeeding mothers, or anyone averse to alcohol.
