Milk kefir is caused by a fermentation process that is represented by lactic acid bacteria such as: Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus acidophilus, yeasts such as Candida utilis, Kluyveromyces marxianus (aka Candida kefyr) and Kluyveromyces lactis and some of the few acetic acid bacteria.
A fermentation process usually takes between 24 to 48 hours and the result is a (thick) liquid, slightly acidic drink. It can have an alcohol content between 0.8º and 2º. Therefore, kefir is not suitable for dry alcoholics.
During the fermentation process, various milk proteins and the milk sugar content (lactose) can be broken down. For people with lactose intolerance (milk sugar - intolerance) can be tolerated.