Batch 17 went yeasty and fizzy because I added sugar AND fermented warm. This batch: zero added sugar, one ripe Korean pear blended into the paste, and the crost went straight into the kimchi fridge at 4°C for 48 hours before coming up to 18°C for a short bright ferment.
| Ingredient | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Napa cabbage | 3 heads (~4 kg) | 20% brine, 4 h, rinse ×2 |
| Korean pear, ripe | 1 large, blended | The only sweetener |
| Gochugaru | 120 g | Jeollado, coarse+fine 7:3 |
| Fish sauce (anchovy) | 90 ml | Added cold, after paste rests 30 min |
| Garlic / ginger / jujube | to taste | Jujubes grated, the one trick from my aunt |
Day 0: paste sweet-floral from the pear, almost candyish raw. Day 2: paste mellowed, edges rounding. Day 4 (today): the target — clean sour note on the back of the tongue, pear gone without trace, fish sauce behaving properly behind rather than on top. Carbonation: zero. This is the best day-4 of any batch so far.
Verdict so far: the pear is doing the slow, even feeding job sugar was doing badly, and without the sugar spike the yeast never got its opening. Will update Day 14 and at 6 weeks.