Panic panic... PH too high

SSBrew - 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
2

2badcards

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2017
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
I have started brewing Kombucha in November and first two batches were good, at I think and hope, they tested right. Well, they tasted kind a right to me ;)

Then, I learned more about the PH of the drink and start measuring it.
What I discovered is that my brew is going fast to around 4 PH and after a few days is going up to around 5PH.

After keeping a brew one month and getting only 5PH I decided a change was needed so... I changed the scoby, also I have added a brewing belt to get the temperature higher.

My first batch... the same!
Actually was tasting like vinegar and had app 5PH.

But I sacrificed myself and drink in a mix with some juice.... have to mention that my first batches were tasty without any juice...

What is wrong?
I can tell you what I am using but I guess is the regular recipe, also the scoby is looking right (the one before too) and I tend to leave the new scooby too in the brewing jar.
Also the temperature now I keep it around 24-26 C.

Help!
 
A month? I think it is 9-10 days. I let my first batch go about 15 days and it was super-tart. I figure after a month you are looking at vinegar.
 
@Hanna_Brewing: Hi
I do have a digital scale, twice calibrated.
I am sometimes using it on my still water or vinegar and the results are the expected one. But I have to say I have same suspicion (or hope).

@Anamalier: usually takes a little over one week, is true. If I taste it, the sugar is almost gone ... but the PH is rising to around 5.
When I kept it for a month was to check what will happen with the PH, etc. all seemed ok except for the PH, the scoby was looking fine, no mold, etc.
 
Update: bought a new PH digital scale and my kombucha is actually now vinegar :D 2.1PH.
Should I still drink it with some juice?

Whatever... nasty with this unreliable PH scales. Boiling new tea as we speak and I will use this strong kombucha vinegar as the base...
any suggestions are welcome.
 
I have read that the pH drops and can tick back up, then drop again. So 2 weeks might be good, 3 weeks higher, 4 weeks lower again. 2.1 is very low, but still drinkable if you mix it with juice.
 
Hi Eric, interesting conclusions...
as said my kombucha was fine, the PH stick was broken.

I have now a batch with 2.something PH and goes very well with some juice...
Still I like it more when is drinkable without the need of mixing it with something else so this batch will brew without the heating belt and will post my results here.

Question: what are your doing when you start a new brew?
After I get some of the kombucha, I tend to leave the scoby and the baby (which is a huge scoby!) and maybe one litre of kombucha liquid and add 3 litres of new tea.

Should I better clean the environment, what is the best to have a tasty kombucha?
 
one cup (mug actually) for 3 litres of tea.

I found to be the standard in most of the recipes I could read online.
 
I save 2 cups (1 pint) of the old tea in the jar, then add about 3.5 quarts/liters of fresh tea sweetened with 1 cup of sugar (making about 1 gallon total). Then I put the SCOBY back in. Usually I tear off the baby from the mother and use the baby.

Every once in a while, I clean it out.
 
I see, will do the same next batch, removing the old scoby
Now I am leaving London for a week and my actual brewing is already a week old, not sure what is best to do with it (I cannot take it with me) :)
 
I brew for a month many times. If it is a week, and you leave for a week, that's only 2 weeks. It might be more sour than you like, but you can mix it with fresh sweet tea or juice to get the right flavor.
 
Sounds right. The good side of a sour kombucha is that will not end too soon, when is perfect for my taste and I do not need to mix with juice is never enough...
 
I like to do a variety when I bottle - add an ounce of juice to some 12 oz bottles, leave some plain, add some sweet flavored tea to some. I kegged my last batch with blueberry pomegranate juice, and it was good right from the keg, but my wife preferred it with a shot of juice.
 
My ph is almost always 4 and doesn't change much during the fermentation. I use test strips. I have never had a brew fail.
My brews usually take 6-7 days at a room temp of 18 to 19C (66 to 68F) because my wine room is that cold. I flavor the booch when fermentation is still slightly sweet.

I do 25 liters at a time! I do this because I make a lot of wine and beer and my equipment is handy and I'm experienced at big batches. I bottle about 20 one liter bottles each cycle.

Paul
 
It probably changes but not enough to affect the strip. How often do you brew?
 
last brew again 2.1 Ph as I was away for more than a week (around 2 weeks of fermenting)

This kombucha/vinegar works well with lots of juice (1/2 to 2/3 juice) but now I am having a fresh new batch, will keep a close eye on it and will use it when is around 3.5 Ph ...
 
2badcards said:
last brew again 2.1 Ph as I was away for more than a week (around 2 weeks of fermenting)

This kombucha/vinegar works well with lots of juice (1/2 to 2/3 juice) but now I am having a fresh new batch, will keep a close eye on it and will use it when is around 3.5 Ph ...
Click to expand...

My experience is that as long as the Ph stays lower than 5.5 you are safe from mold. As the Scoby ferments the sugars into alcohols and biotic materials the Ph will usually remain steady or drop slightly. I simply use the taste to decide when to stop and not the Ph because you can still have significant sweetness levels even with a Ph of 2 so taste is, IMHO, a better test of when to stop and bottle.

YMMV

Paul
 
You are absolutly right, after 2 or 3 days I already have the ph around 2.3, I guess I used too much vinegary kombucha as base :(

Should I add more tea (I have space in the jar?)

How can I get back to a normal environment?
 
I would add tea. Does it taste sour already?

I also think if you have vinegar (with the bacteria that's making a lot of acetic acid), you need to balance out the bacteria more, so you get lactic acid as well. If you keep starting with a culture that's strong in something you don't like, it probably just keeps growing. Can you get a bottle of commercial booch and add that?
 
Can you get a bottle of commercial booch and add that?
Click to expand...

Do you think or tested this approach? The commercial kombucha is usually mixed with juice...

Haven't tested it yet, I will today and add more tea (as an experiment).
If it doesn't work I will search for some clean commercial booch.
 
2badcards said:
Do you think or tested this approach? The commercial kombucha is usually mixed with juice...

Haven't tested it yet, I will today and add more tea (as an experiment).
If it doesn't work I will search for some clean commercial booch.
Click to expand...

I know this will help from experience. I've grown batches from commercial bottles and used it to correct or kick start other ferments. You'll be balancing out the culture with that one (because yours might be all or mostly one kind that is producing acetic acid). You need lactobacillus and other bacteria, along with the yeasts.

Some commercial booch has juice in it, but some will just be flavored with flavored tea. You might find some plain. Just be sure it is live and active cultures.
 
Now sure how to check that it's live and active... I am based in London, would be interesting to know where I could buy some plain kombucha...

Amazon doesn't help in this matter :)
 
It should say live cultures. Do you have a health/natural food store? Is Whole Foods there?
 

Similar threads

F
Six days in. Does this look right?
Replies
0
Views
363
forwardslip
F
O
Is this kombucha still good to use?
Replies
6
Views
440
onnaj
O
A
Checking in on First Batch Progress
Replies
6
Views
904
Yooper
Yooper
Cannonball Jones
Am I leaving my first fermentation too long?
Replies
6
Views
2K
Cannonball Jones
Cannonball Jones
brewdon
Not sure if this “Pellicile” is healthy
Replies
5
Views
467
hottpeper13
H
Williams Brewing 300

Latest posts

Back
Top