Second fermentaion question.

[Smgbad]

Just bottled my first Kombucha batch (gallon) for second fermantation, and here are the steps i took. Making sure I did everything correctly. Desired end result is a very fizzy Kombucha with strong ginger overtones.

I split it into two 1 Litre glass bottles with the locking stoppers after adding around 3-4 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger to the bottoms of each bottle. Filled them all the way to the top (no room for extra air) and sealed them. I then put both bottles intot he fridge where I am planning on testing their fizziness in about 3 days.

I tasted the Kombucha while bottling it (stealing about a cup), and it tasted GREAT. Like lightly sweetened tea with strong lemony overtones (which is weird because at no point was lemon added... lol).

I then made a new batch of tea, waited for it to cool (for the most part) and added about cup of the old batch and the original Scoby to it (which immediately sank to the bottom unlike last time). I also cleaned the gallon jar with ACV and rinsed it with water, and made sure to wash my hands before touching the Scoby. The new Scoby was very thin and pathetic looking in comparison to my original starter, so I pitched it (as I don't currently own a secong 1 gallon glass jar).

Does this all sound correct, or have I failed by adding too much ginger or refrigerating the bottles for the second fermentation?

 

[RPh_Guy]

In order to bottle carbonate, you need to add a measured amount of sugar and then leave them sealed at room temperature so that the yeast can ferment the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

There are calculators to determine the amount of sugar to add.
https://www.morebeer.com/content/priming_sugar_calculator
2.2-2.5 vol CO2 is good.

 

[Smgbad]

thanks for the assist RPh_guy. Totally missed the part about adding sugar... So I've been 2nd fermenting on my counter for 6 days past the 10 day original fermentation for absolutely no reason... Hope it's still good. Sucks it wont be fizzy. I'll try again when time to bottle my next batch from it's 1st fermentation later this week. Only issue with that one is that the scoby fell to the bottom once introduced to the tea this time, whereas it floated nearly 9 days last time. Hopefully that's normal.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Doesn't matter if it floats. RDWHAHB

 

[hottpeper13]

DO NOT USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR for sanitizing your gear , it contains vinegar eels that will contaminate the scoby. Only use white distilled vinegar on your hands and gear. Also I found if you want that sharp ginger flavor and bite the Penzyes dehydrated China # 1 crack is the way to go ,and if you can let them condition in the fridge after second ferment for about 3 weeks their awesome.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Or, just don't use vinegar at all since it's not antiseptic.

 

[flxdkd]

How about bbrite?

 

[RPh_Guy]

How about bbrite?

B-Brite (AKA OxyClean and generics) is a decent cleaning agent.
You can soak your equipment with it to help remove residue. It requires a thorough rinse after use.

Cheers