Kombucha tastes like alcohol. Is that normal

[Gina Schultz]

I recently started making kombucha. Let the first couple batches sit 8 or 9 days with first fermentation and 3 or 4 days with 2nd fermentation. Tastes like alcohol after first and second fermentation. It has good fruit flavor but a strong alcohol taste, not the sour tang like store bought kombucha. Temp around 73° with good ph. Does it need a longer first fermentation? Or will that just create more alcohol?

My original scoby was partially frozen when it arrived. Not sure if that would kill off the bacteria that eats the alcohol. All new scoby growth looks healthy and normal.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Hi and welcome to HBT!

There are three fermentations taking place in kombucha:

1. A minority of the sugar is converted to lactic acid.
2. A majority of the sugar is converted to alcohol.
3. The alcohol is converted to acetic acid. (This only begins once all the sugar is converted to alcohol.)

The bacteria likely just need more time/warmth/oxygen to convert the alcohol into acetic acid.

Receiving a partly frozen culture shouldn't be a problem.
You don't actually control the fermentation timeline. Just be patient and let the microbes handle it.

 

[Gina Schultz]

Thanks, time and warmth are easy fixes. By more oxygen do you mean I should cover containers with something that allows more air flow or does that go along with time?

 

[RPh_Guy]

I suggest to loosely cover with foil. The goal is to let in air but keep out the contaminants floating in the air.

There are also more advanced methods you could use for continuous aeration if you wanted to get fancy.

 

[Gina Schultz]

Thanks