My sauerkraut went from bitter to perfect after 12 days in the cellar

I used green cabbage from the farmer's market and a 2% salt brine, but it tasted sharp and off for the first week. After moving the jar to my cooler basement, around 55 degrees, it mellowed out completely. What's the ideal temp you all use for primary fermentation of kraut?

3 comments

3 Comments

blake7924d ago

Read somewhere that cooler temps around 55 to 65 degrees really slow things down for a better flavor. Your basement sounds perfect for that slower ferment. Makes sense why it turned out so good after the move.

charles6404d ago

Wait, 55 to 65 degrees? That's way colder than I ever tried. I always thought you needed it a bit warmer to get things going. My basement is probably closer to 68 most of the time. If it really works that cool, I might have been fighting my own setup for years. Makes me want to dig out an old thermometer and check.

gibson.morgan3d ago

Yeah, 68 is still a good spot for a lot of yeasts, but that cooler range he mentioned is a game changer for certain styles. I had a saison that just would not clean up until I stuck the carboy in a 60-degree corner for an extra two weeks. A cheap stick-on thermometer strip on your fermenter is the easiest way to know for sure what you're working with.