Does this look safe to drink?

I brewed kombucha from what appears to be a healthy Scoby from a woman in Charlottesville. I bought a growler from WholeFoods. My kombucha smelled fine and I began fermenting it with ginger and raspberries. I'm wondering what the white film is in the bottle and if it's the strands we normally see in a bottle of kombucha. I thought I cleaned both the growler and my second bottle well, but I didn't use bleach or a sanitizer.

Probably just yeast settling out. If it smells and tastes okay, and you don't see any mold growing on the surface, it should be fine.

Thank you. I got a really high fever and sickness on Monday and thought it was from the kombucha, but I could have gotten it from anywhere. Can kombucha make you sick?

Drinking a lot of live yeast and/or bacteria can cause some stomach and digestive issues if your system isn't used to it.

Also, I wouldn't use a growler to make kombucha. The bacteria like air contact, and if it's in a tall narrow vessel with a small mouth, the yeast will dominate the culture. You'll end up with alcoholic tea with very little vinegar.

Thank you for your reply. What should I be using to brew? How do I know if my kombucha is ready or has too much yeast and alcohol? I attached a photo of the growler.

Thanks for replying by the way.

These are what I use, been drinking it for several years never had an issue. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1448235659.708939.jpg

I have something similar but it's not big enough. Do you know how to test my current batches to ensure the alcohol content and yeast etc?

I don't want to toss what I already have. I make large batches. Also, do you use five star sanitizer? I just bought it and am curious as to your thoughts on it. Thank you.

Taste it, I have no idea what the ACV is in mine, A theoretical 1% on the high side I can drink one at lunch and have no worry.
When I started I used to sanitize as I do with beer, I no longer bother,just normal clean, I have had no issues, YMMV

drink it and come back, if you dont reply we know what happen we call 911 for you.

x_x

JK how does it smell if taste and smell good is safe for my opinion.

Regards

Thanks for all of the replies. To be honest, I drank one and I wasn't feeling well but it also could have been this other thing I ate. I have more photos! I now have like 6 scobys, which I think is a little bit much. What do you guys think?

As for PH and sugar plus alcohol content, I bought something on Amazon to measure all that. As for safety, how do I know if I will kill myself with this stuff? It doesn't look like mold, but ANY bacteria could form. I am going to switch to an open mouth jar instead of a growler, but can anyone help me?

1) How long do you typically brew?
2) When you ferment, how long and do you keep a scoby in it?
3) What happens if I don't have carbonation after a second fermentation?
4) How do I know if I'll die from this stuff?
5) How do I store the extra scobys?
6) If I am away from home for more than a week, can I keep everything fermenting?

Pictures below. HELP! SOS. I am trying so hard, but I am afraid to drink my hard work.

Wake_up_maggie said:

Thanks for all of the replies. To be honest, I drank one and I wasn't feeling well but it also could have been this other thing I ate.

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Probably all in your head, honestly. You sound overly worried about this whole thing in general. Relax, it's just tea.

Wake_up_maggie said:

As for PH and sugar plus alcohol content, I bought something on Amazon to measure all that.

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What did you buy, may I ask?

Wake_up_maggie said:

As for safety, how do I know if I will kill myself with this stuff? It doesn't look like mold, but ANY bacteria could form.

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You're not going to kill yourself. Mold is pretty easy to spot, and fairly easy to prevent with good practices and keeping your booch in a good environment.

As for bacteria, kombucha's low pH and active yeast/bacteria combo keeps most other stuff from being able to thrive.

Wake_up_maggie said:

I am going to switch to an open mouth jar instead of a growler

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Good idea.

Wake_up_maggie said:

1) How long do you typically brew?

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I'm on a seven day routine. You're timeline will depend on your personal tastes, temperature, etc, but 7 days is a good place to start.

Wake_up_maggie said:

2) When you ferment, how long and do you keep a scoby in it?

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The whole seven days, until it's time to bottle.

The scoby will get bigger over time. Just peel off some the excess layers from time to time.

Wake_up_maggie said:

3) What happens if I don't have carbonation after a second fermentation?

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Try adding a small amount of additional sugar (simple syrup), or 100% fruit juice to the bottles at bottling time. Don't overdo it, if you can have bottle bombs.

How long are you doing your second ferment for?

Wake_up_maggie said:

4) How do I know if I'll die from this stuff?

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Highly unlikely.

Wake_up_maggie said:

5) How do I store the extra scobys?

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I just throw them away.

Wake_up_maggie said:

6) If I am away from home for more than a week, can I keep everything fermenting?

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You can, but if left too long, it will start to become overly strong and taste bad. If that happens, just use some of the batch for starter-tea, throw the rest out, and start your next batch.

Would you mind posting your specific process that you use?

I do a second ferment for 3-5 days. How long do you? Also, do you keep a scoby in the second ferment?

How do you know if bad bacteria is in it?

as for the testing, I bought a triple scale hydrometer from Monster Brew

why do you throw away the extra scobies instead of using them?

1) Unless you are doing your second fermentation in the bottle(s) or other pressure-tight container, you're not going to get much carbonation. How are you doing your second ferment? 3-5 days is usually enough for me to get decent carbonation, though you may need longer if going for a highly effervescent drink.

2) If it tastes and smells bad

3) I've never tried using a hydrometer in kombucha, so take this with a grain of salt, but I've always been told hydrometers are more or less useless in kombucha. I've oly ever used mine for beer and wine as a result.

4) because I don't need them.

Pictures below. HELP! SOS. I am trying so hard, but I am afraid to drink my hard work.[/QUOTE]

It is so simple, not hard work. Keep your stuff clean and keep trying.