So, I know I've seen threads about harvesting yeast from bottle conditioned beers, but for the life of me I can't find the relevant threads using the search, so sorry if this has already been posted.
Anyway, this isn't exactly about beer, but I think you beer brewers would know the most about this. I've come across this asian drink called "Kombucha", which, from what I can tell, is sweetened tea fermented into vinegar. I'm in love with the stuff and want to make it myself. Problem is, I don't know where to buy the yeast. Luckily for me, the local health food store sells bottled Kombucha which contains chunks of the yeast cake (or SCOBY as the kombucha brewers call it ie Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast). The bottle says that the strands of culture are "live and raw," so i think there's hope in harvesting them (it is carbed, so I think it's been bottle conditioned). Do you guys have any hints on how I could go about this? I'm thinking I'll dilute it in a 1/2 gallon jug and add some table sugar (from what I can tell, this is the type of sugar used in most kombucha recipes). Then I'll give it a few days to proliferate with some foil over the top. I'll then use this as a starter for a 5 gallon batch. So a few things:
1) Can you recommend any exact numbers on how much sugar and water should be in the starter?
2) Is my procedure for harvesting the yeast correct?
Thanks!
Anyway, this isn't exactly about beer, but I think you beer brewers would know the most about this. I've come across this asian drink called "Kombucha", which, from what I can tell, is sweetened tea fermented into vinegar. I'm in love with the stuff and want to make it myself. Problem is, I don't know where to buy the yeast. Luckily for me, the local health food store sells bottled Kombucha which contains chunks of the yeast cake (or SCOBY as the kombucha brewers call it ie Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast). The bottle says that the strands of culture are "live and raw," so i think there's hope in harvesting them (it is carbed, so I think it's been bottle conditioned). Do you guys have any hints on how I could go about this? I'm thinking I'll dilute it in a 1/2 gallon jug and add some table sugar (from what I can tell, this is the type of sugar used in most kombucha recipes). Then I'll give it a few days to proliferate with some foil over the top. I'll then use this as a starter for a 5 gallon batch. So a few things:
1) Can you recommend any exact numbers on how much sugar and water should be in the starter?
2) Is my procedure for harvesting the yeast correct?
Thanks!