Is the ginger beer plant the same thing as water kefir, and just out of curiosity, is water kefir the same thing as milk kefir? I know Raj Apte has done quite a bit of work on the ginger beer plant, but it surrounds a specific culture (DSM 2484) he obtained from a German lab. I was very interested in the work he presented on the ginger beer plant, but I cannot seem to find someone who is selling that culture. However, I can find a number of people selling "water kefir," which is something that I see being used (incorrectly?) interchangeably with ginger beer plant.
I currently have an active milk kefir going, and I would love to add a ginger beer plant as well. I was wondering if I could just order some water kefir and it would be the same.