Help me solve this mystery!

[andrearamirezo91]

Hey guys!

I'm new on this forum and so excited to learn from you all! My name is Andrea and I've been brewing kombucha at home for about a year now. I'm in love with how versatile kombucha is and how much room there is for creativity and experimentation!

Recently though, I seem to have encountered a small issue. For the second time in a row, only one of my bottles that I have in second fermentation is COMPLETELY flat, while the others are explosively fizzy (I usually get about 4 bottles from each batch of fermented tea - so the other 3 were perfect). I'm using fermentation bottles and they are located in my garage, in a fairly warm place. This kombucha has caramelized hibiscus in there and the tea blend I used was pretty strong, so I am baffled as to why this happened given that all the conditions are right (or so I think) for it to ferment properly. In my previous second fermentation batch, an apple flavored kombucha that I made never carbonated either, while the other bottles that came from the same batch of tea were all fizzy and delicious.

Can anybody think of a reason as to why this would be happening? These two bottles literally never carbonated and I had them there for over two weeks. If they all came from the same batch, have plenty of sugar, and are stored under the same temperature, why is one of them coming out so much different than the rest and how can I fix it?

Thanks in advance

 

[Kickass]

You forgot the priming sugar or there’s a leak around the seal of the bottle/lid. Those are the first two thoughts that come to mind.

 

[andrearamirezo91]

Thanks for your response! Excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by the priming sugar? Is this the sugar that you add to the tea blend during the first fermentation? If so, I am sure I added it because all the other bottles that came from this same batch (I usually get like 4 bottles out of each batch) fermented perfectly. During the second fermentation it received more sugar because the hibiscus flowers I used were previously caramelized. It tastes super sweet right now! I wonder if it's a leak in the bottle though. I have a spare lid at home and will change it tonight to see if this does the job.

 

[rushpapers]

Mix your booch before you bottle. The fermentation vessel is a complex environment with different zones. If you just pull off your SCOBY and funnel into bottles, some bottles will get more of one thing--bacteria, or yeast, or fermentation sugars--then others.

Make sure to sanitize whatever you mix it with.

 

[Kickass]

what do you mean by the priming sugar?

Sorry, I use beer terms because that’s what’s most familiar to me so “priming sugar” may not be a universally accepted term in the kombucha world.

What I was referring to was the sugar (or sugar source) you add after primary fermentation and before bottling that will be converted to CO2 and carbonate your bottles.

As Rushpapers suggested, you might get more consistent results by mixing you kombucha first.

 

[rushpapers]

What kickass is referring to is that your yeasts eat up all the sugar in the 1st fermentation. Without sugar they cannot make CO2 and pressurize the bottles. Before you bottle, mix in fruit juice, or sweet iced tea, or lemonade, at a ratio 1 ounce per 6 ounces of fermented kombucha. Make sure you use something with fermentable sugars.

Another option is to add a little granulated sugar.

That's what "priming" is.

 

[Immocles]

Mix your booch before you bottle. The fermentation vessel is a complex environment with different zones. If you just pull off your SCOBY and funnel into bottles, some bottles will get more of one thing--bacteria, or yeast, or fermentation sugars--then others.

Make sure to sanitizer whatever you mix it with.

I've ran into a similar problem and a quick mix helped for me. Given that 3 of your 4 bottles are carbonated well, I would think a quick mix of the vessel would even things out.

 

[andrearamirezo91]

Thanks guys. I usually use a syphon to empty my kombucha into my fermentation bottles so it already kinda gets mixed up when I insert it and move it around to begin suction. Changed the bottle cap yesterday to see if this helps. If not, I'll try mixing my fermented tea a little more thoroughly and adding some extra kombucha on top of this one when I bottle my next batch. I'll be back with updates

 

[Immocles]

Is there a chance the same bottle was used for both batches? Then it could in fact be the cap/seal that you replaced. Good luck!