Fermentation -- Length of time?

[khumbu76]

Hey all - I've been a longtime (beer) brewer and long time reader of Homebrewtalk.

My wife an I are going to jump into kombucha. Since we already have a pretty extensive brew kit, we are thinking of kegging right off the bat. Does anyone have any input on the following?

-Is it a good idea to jump into 5-gallon batches or do you think we should start with micro batches? Is there much of a difference between the two aside from just volume?

-We will be using a thermwrap on our fermentors to keep the temps optimal, what has been the average time for fermentation for a 5-gallon batch? Ive been reading about 1 month in the primary and 2 weeks in the secondary. Sound about right?

Thanks all!

 

[RPh_Guy]

-Is it a good idea to jump into 5-gallon batches or do you think we should start with micro batches? Is there much of a difference between the two aside from just volume?

I personally prefer to experiment with small batches just to make sure the process is good. That said, there's really no issue with starting with 5 gal.
I suspect a larger batch will probably take longer to finish unless you aerate it.

-We will be using a thermwrap on our fermentors to keep the temps optimal, what has been the average time for fermentation for a 5-gallon batch? Ive been reading about 1 month in the primary and 2 weeks in the secondary. Sound about right?

I can't really say.
The usual factors all affect fermentation speed: temperature, aeration, pitch rate, acidity, nutrients, amount of sugar, and the behavior of the strains in your specific unique culture.
Yeast & bacteria don't have calendars and don't follow a schedule

Hope this helps!
Cheers

 

[dmtaylor]

I made kombucha just one time. It tasted perfect at 3 weeks, then I chilled and bottled. A year later, stored in the fridge, it still tasted perfect and did not gush. I was as surprised as anyone. Perhaps I just got lucky. I will make some again eventually.

 

[khumbu76]

I personally prefer to experiment with small batches just to make sure the process is good. That said, there's really no issue with starting with 5 gal.
I suspect a larger batch will probably take longer to finish unless you aerate it.

I can't really say.
The usual factors all affect fermentation speed: temperature, aeration, pitch rate, acidity, nutrients, amount of sugar, and the behavior of the strains in your specific unique culture.
Yeast & bacteria don't have calendars and don't follow a schedule

Hope this helps!
Cheers

Thanks, RPH Guy. Looks like it's time to just dive in and take some notes along the way! Cheers!

 

[khumbu76]

I made kombucha just one time. It tasted perfect at 3 weeks, then I chilled and bottled. A year later, stored in the fridge, it still tasted perfect and did not gush. I was as surprised as anyone. Perhaps I just got lucky. I will make some again eventually.

A year later? Wow! I don't think it would last too long in our house, my wide is a bit of a kombucha fiend. But good to know that bucha can chill for a decent amount if needed. I had no idea it had that kind of longevity!

How large was that batch that you made?

 

[dmtaylor]

A year later? Wow! I don't think it would last too long in our house, my wide is a bit of a kombucha fiend. But good to know that bucha can chill for a decent amount if needed. I had no idea it had that kind of longevity!

How large was that batch that you made?

Just 1 gallon. It was the last bottle that somehow I lost in the back of the fridge kind of thing.

 

[khumbu76]

Right on -- easily done! Thanks, dmtaylor.

 

[ScobeyDoo]

When I brew, I do a 6 gallon continuous brew. I find that when I first start out, I am better off if I start with a 3 gallon batch, let it ferment for about a week and then top it up with another 3 gallons of sweet tea. Now I have 6 gals fermenting. Then about a week later it's about right. Then every week I draw off 3 gallons of fermented buch and replace it with the next 3 gals of sweet tea.
I find 22-23 degrees celsius to be my optimal temp spot but if fermentation is lagging a bit sometimes I will boost the temperature a degree or two for a day and then return it to my normal 22-23 range. If it gets too yeasty tasting or cloudy, reduce the temp. If it isn't and it's taking too long, increase the temp.

Ultimately, tasting it will let you know when it is ready to your taste point of acidity.

 

[khumbu76]

When I brew, I do a 6 gallon continuous brew. I find that when I first start out, I am better off if I start with a 3 gallon batch, let it ferment for about a week and then top it up with another 3 gallons of sweet tea. Now I have 6 gals fermenting. Then about a week later it's about right. Then every week I draw off 3 gallons of fermented buch and replace it with the next 3 gals of sweet tea.
I find 22-23 degrees celsius to be my optimal temp spot but if fermentation is lagging a bit sometimes I will boost the temperature a degree or two for a day and then return it to my normal 22-23 range. If it gets too yeasty tasting or cloudy, reduce the temp. If it isn't and it's taking too long, increase the temp.

Ultimately, tasting it will let you know when it is ready to your taste point of acidity.

Thanks so much for the info. That sounds like a great method. Cheers!!

 

[JAReeves]

When I brew, I do a 6 gallon continuous brew. I find that when I first start out, I am better off if I start with a 3 gallon batch, let it ferment for about a week and then top it up with another 3 gallons of sweet tea. Now I have 6 gals fermenting. Then about a week later it's about right. Then every week I draw off 3 gallons of fermented buch and replace it with the next 3 gals of sweet tea.
I find 22-23 degrees celsius to be my optimal temp spot but if fermentation is lagging a bit sometimes I will boost the temperature a degree or two for a day and then return it to my normal 22-23 range. If it gets too yeasty tasting or cloudy, reduce the temp. If it isn't and it's taking too long, increase the temp.

Ultimately, tasting it will let you know when it is ready to your taste point of acidity.

I love this idea of continuous fermentation for kombucha. Do you have trouble after a while with sediment or the SCOBY getting too thick? I am thinking of setting my 3G carboy up with this, but not sure if it would work correctly, given the smaller opening at the top. I currently do 1G batches in a wide mouth jar.

 

[ScobeyDoo]

I love this idea of continuous fermentation for kombucha. Do you have trouble after a while with sediment or the SCOBY getting too thick? I am thinking of setting my 3G carboy up with this, but not sure if it would work correctly, given the smaller opening at the top. I currently do 1G batches in a wide mouth jar.

Yes Sediment will begun to buildup over time in the bottom of the vessel but after a few cycles, when bottling a 3 gal batch, I draw off the remaining 3 gal and scobey to a fresh 6 gal vessel and discard the sediment. At this time if the scobey is getting too thick (displaces liquid excessively), I will trim the scobey in thickness as well.

For a while before I started using my 6 gal food grade buckets with stainless spigots, I was using a stainless conical bottom fermenter that my son had previously used for beer fermentation. It had a valve at the bottom that I could briefly open to draw off the sediment at the bottom when I needed to.

 

[thebuchaman]

Personally. I brew in one, two gallon increments. At the most. Each gallon being it's own independent system. I'll have the 1st ferment jar, and a 2nd flavoring ferment jar with an airlock for each gallon brew setup. I also have an open top 2nd ferment jar for recipes which call for it.

My recommendation would be to start small. It's easier to manage and make fine adjustment.