Just sharing

Hello Brewers. Wanted to share a pic of my booch setup. Am only on my fourth batch, but really enjoying!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Home Brew mobile app

Apparently the picture didn't attach..

And here pix of my first bottling for second ferment.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Home Brew mobile app

Nice going!

I have noticed this is an addiction... Already plotting on how/where to add another fermenting crock so I can stagger the brewing and never be out!

The bottling above, some I added watermelon chunks to, another couple got strawberry and still another, ginger. How long do I have to wait for there to be more carbonation? Also, I read about using champagne yeast in kombucha. What would that accomplish?

Thanks all

How long you have to wait depends greatly on what you added, and how active your yeasts are. There is no one answer, but for most thing 2-4 days at room temperature is good, sometimes you have to wait longer though.

I ran a batch with champagne yeast, and while you can do it, just be warned that it goes dry very quickly. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you still have to wait for the acetobacter to do their thing. So the yeast have even more time to dry things out.

Safale S-04 works pretty well or US-05 if you like it a tad more dry

Edit: you may or may not be interested to know, the airlock in my avatar was on a half gallon jug of KT innoculated with K1V-1116

Some show and tell?

The jug in the one photo is not the same one I was talking about above. That one was pumpkin pie KT.

Kyt- it looks as if you have some in water? Why is that? And frankly I have zero idea re the yeast info you gave me. It is way over my head! How and when does one go about adding it? Would I need a second fermenting jug/crock for the yeast step or do I some how add to the bottles?

And wow! Major brewings going on!

Yes you see a temperature controlled aquarium and cooler with regular water in them. The water will not change temps as quickly as the air can so it provides some insulation, if you will. Tropical fish like water in the 70s, which happens to be the perfect range for kombucha. The aquarium heaters are pre-set for 78°F but the water generally stays ~74-76°.

I don't advise using champagne yeast for KT. If you want to try it, use about 1 gram per 3 liter of tea. Using dry packet yeasts you can just sprinkle it right on top and shake or stir for about a minute. Then let sit for about 5 days at around 75°F. This is your primary fermentation. While you could suppliment secondary with some yeast, I'd highly advise learning more about yeasts before trying. You'll risk producing bottle bombs, especially with champagne yeasts because they'll pretty aggressive. If you have a local homebrew shop, stop in and check out the yeasts they have. Some shops carry slants too, but you'll have to make a starter for them if you're making big batches, and they cost more.
In a separate fermentor make some new tea and innoculate with stater liquid from a previous batch, as you normally would. In this experimental container add 1g of dry ale yeast per 3 L of tea (total volume). Shake or stir for 60 seconds to mix and aerate well. Then put your SCOBY in, if you so desire, but it is not necessary. Cover and store as you normally would. Check it in 7 days. Ale yeast attenuation is so you'll be left with at least a little sweetness. If you really want almost no sweetness at all, bordering on astringent, only then use the champagne yeast. This way if you don't like it, you haven't mixed it with your main strain.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Home Brew mobile app

Has the addition of cultivated yeast in the primary helped the failure to carbonate issue your kombucha had been experiencing?

saramc said:

Has the addition of cultivated yeast in the primary helped the failure to carbonate issue your kombucha had been experiencing?

Click to expand...

Actually, not entirely.
Adding fermentables like fruit to secondary, yes, with explosive foam sometimes (no bombs). But for plain, yea some. Like in the swing top I'm drinking right now, you pop the top and there's a noticeable POP!, might even get a little spray in the face (or wall, or monitor, etc.). I can also see bubbles rising to the top, but no fizzing. It has helped greatly with residual sweetness, so I can deal with the KT being mostly still, but the cloying sweetness isn't endurable. I ended up dumping all my bottles to a bottling bucket and inoculating with some ale yeast and bottling again. This did reduce the sweetness, but they aren't carbed much, maybe 1.5 volumes max or something lol This bottle is a product of that operation.
Production is currently on stand-by but I will be starting new batches tonight (full moon). What I think is happening is, my use of distilled water isn't supplying enough trace minerals for the yeasts to replicate. I picked up a bag of yeast nutrient from MOKHB last time I was in there. It's the diammonium phosphate kind. I just don't think tea leaves have enough of the stuff yeasts need to replicate and be strong, like malted barley does. A gallon of beer wort foams like crazy, where my KT doesn't exhibit any signs of activity with the same measure of dry yeast. Save for a few large trapped CO2 bubbles. But I know they're working.

I just keep telling myself, I've been given this problem because no one else would be able to figure it out. Certainly not true in the least, but it keeps me going.

Kyt- you mention the use of distilled water as a possible deterrent to carbonation. This is only my fourth batch so I am a novice- the instructions I received withmy SCOBY said to use distilled water and it is what I have stuck with. If not distilled, what do you think would be a good choice?

I think distilled is the best choice, but it may or may not have drawbacks. I use the same water for making beer with 0 issues.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Home Brew mobile app