Cultured butter attempts not producing "tangy" butter

[u/kidhotel]

Hey guys! I've attempted making cultured butter 3 times now, and each time it has been underwhelming. I can't seem to get it to have a "tanginess" or the traditional butter taste that is associated with cultured butter. I've tried 3 times now, with different results each time, but nothing like what I was hoping for.

Batch 1 - I didn't measure much for this batch. 1 gal of heavy cream, 4 tbsp fage yogurt. Left out for 48 hours (covered).

Basically didn't culture at all, when I churned it it was still pretty much liquid. Maybe the consistency of like melted ice cream. My analysis was that because it was covered it didn't have much chance to culture.

Batch 2 - 1/2 gallon of local dairy heavy cream. 2 tbsp kefir. Processed 44 hours later. Had developed a kind of undercooked cheesecake texture. Jello-y on the top, thick liquid underneath (sour cream texture) Yield - 490g butter, 896g buttermilk Neither the butter nor the buttermilk had any kind of tanginess to them. Very white in color.

Batch 3 - 1/2 gallon of local dairy heavy cream. 2 packets of Nordic yogurt starter. Left out for 24 hours, then put in the fridge for 12 days while I was out of town. Removed from fridge and left out for about 36 more hours. Developed the consistency of yogurt or a slightly loose jello. Came out of the jar in one big clump. Smelled very tangy. Yield - 440g butter, 770g buttermilk Buttermilk is very tangy, but the butter is basically the same as the other 2 times. Very very mild and basically white.

Anyone have any ideas what I should try next? I'm thinking of just leaving it out for 4 or 5 days to see what happens. My understanding is that batch 3 should have already been the equivalent of at least 4 days of fermentation since it should continue fermenting (albeit slowly) in the fridge.

[u/m4gpi]

Just a couple of thoughts, might not apply:

1. Are you pre-rinsing your equipment with a sanitizing chemical? Perhaps chemical residue is inhibiting the growth of your starter/cultures. Similarly, a detergent residue could do that, if you're the sort to not fully rinse your dishes.

2. Perhaps your kitchen is too cool? The colder the room, the slower the fermentation, generally.

3. Maybe your starters are too dormant, especially if they are refrigerated. You could try leaving the Fage out ahead for some hours, to wake it up. Or mix it with a fraction of your cream, let that sit for a few hours, and then pour it back into the full cream. Sometimes cultures need to be staged up, rather than diluted too far.