Secondary Fermentation and Bottling Questions

[stephenbp]

When it comes to secondary fermentation:
1. Do you have to leave the bottled kombucha in room temperature before placing in the refrigerator or should it go directly into the refrigerator?
2. Can 12oz beer bottles be used or do you need to use grolsch bottles?
3. For the proper amount of carbonation, how long does the bottled kombucha need to be left in room temperature before you place it in the refrigerator?

Thanks.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Carbonation level and the time it takes to get there depends on temperature, what process you use, how aggressive your SCOBY is, and how much sugar you add. You can fill one plastic pop bottle along with your glass bottles and use the hardness as an indicator of the carbonation level.

Bottles need to be at room temperature to carbonate. It's living organisms (yeast) that produce the carbon dioxide... The yeast slow down or stop when they get too cold.

Beer bottles or any other bottles designed to hold pressure are fine.

Cheers

 

[Bubbles2]

Ginger Soda maker here.... Yes to Plastic bottle, to know when charged. Bottles blow up, me know all to well. Can happen as soon as 5 days if not sooner! I have a batch now 72 hours max at room temp and to the fridge to stop yeast. I assume Kambucha is also the same with No Alc desired and only carb...Hence me getting this going...

https://www.instructables.com/id/Re-charge-your-Flat-2-Liter-Sodas/

No Yeast, or Alc or worries of it blowing up. Store in bottles, charge when wanted or pre charge and park without worry of bombs... Prob on the list now since I wrote Bombs... damnit there I go again.

 

[Bubbles2]

Hey went and checked soda within 40 hours too carbonated. To give an example of yeast used.
a small pinch, a fleck if you will, more like 20 dried yeast pieces, into 1oz h20 to re hydrate for 10 min, pitched into 1 gallon, let stand for 30 minutes, stir and bottled. I opened a bottle just now about 40 hours, gusher! PIA hence the carb kit link shared.
Temp at pitch 109ºf
Temp to ferment 78ºf
40 hrs too much
I bet 30 hrs maybe even 24

 

[RPh_Guy]

@Bubbles2 Kombucha is a lot different than what you're making.

It's a sweet tea fermented with a SCOBY -- A Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. The yeast is not normal brewers yeast; it is less aggressive. The bacteria include lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid bacteria; the later converts some of the alcohol into acetic acid.

 

[Bubbles2]

@Bubbles2 Kombucha is a lot different than what you're making.

It's a sweet tea fermented with a SCOBY -- A Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. The yeast is not normal brewers yeast; it is less aggressive. The bacteria include lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid bacteria; the later converts some of the alcohol into acetic acid.

That maybe an answer to Ginger Soda as well. Thanks for the info. I drink Kambucha but it is prepared in the bottle for me. I have a bottle in the fridge for a couple of years now (weird huh?) that my GF wants to make her own SCOBY to create her own Kambucha.... hence the two years. LOL

 

[Immocles]

Do most folks do the secondary fermentation/flavor straight into the bottle? I was debating flavoring half in mason jars, then funneling that into my flip top bottles, to sift out the various fruits. Or is that overkill?

 

[Man0fsteel]

Do most folks do the secondary fermentation/flavor straight into the bottle? I was debating flavoring half in mason jars, then funneling that into my flip top bottles, to sift out the various fruits. Or is that overkill?

New Booch brewer here. I just finished my first bottling for my girlfriends daughter (she likes it, so I'm trying to make it). I didn't think she'd like the chunks and such so I did the 2nd fermentation (4 separate bottles - 2 were strawberry using green sweet tea in the 1st fermentation, 1 pineapple and 1 pineapple basil, both using black sweet tea in the 1st fermentation - see my avatar pic) and then filtered them thru a chinois before final bottling.

I like the appearance of the filtered kombucha so I'm going to do my 2nd fermentation with fruit in a bigger flip top bottle, then filter into the drinking bottles. The one thing I'd be concerned about is whether a large mason jar could handle the pressure from the carbonation. I think I will put all my 2nd fermentations inside a big plastic box in case one explodes.

Good luck!

 

[Immocles]

New Booch brewer here. I just finished my first bottling for my girlfriends daughter (she likes it, so I'm trying to make it). I didn't think she'd like the chunks and such so I did the 2nd fermentation (4 separate bottles - 2 were strawberry using green sweet tea in the 1st fermentation, 1 pineapple and 1 pineapple basil, both using black sweet tea in the 1st fermentation - see my avatar pic) and then filtered them thru a chinois before final bottling.

I like the appearance of the filtered kombucha so I'm going to do my 2nd fermentation with fruit in a bigger flip top bottle, then filter into the drinking bottles. The one thing I'd be concerned about is whether a large mason jar could handle the pressure from the carbonation. I think I will put all my 2nd fermentations inside a big plastic box in case one explodes.

Good luck!

The couple days in the mason jars to absorb the flavors seems to be working fine for me. I think I let them sit on fruit, or juice, for three days and then move them into bottles. Keeping the fruit chunks out of the bottles has been easier than I had anticipated. Occasionally a rogue cherry gets through, but I try to not let it bother me too much.

 

[Man0fsteel]

The couple days in the mason jars to absorb the flavors seems to be working fine for me. I think I let them sit on fruit, or juice, for three days and then move them into bottles. Keeping the fruit chunks out of the bottles has been easier than I had anticipated. Occasionally a rogue cherry gets through, but I try to not let it bother me too much.

Interesting idea. Do you put the mason jar lid on tight? Or just use the same air permeable barrier for the first fermentation?

I take it there is still enough residual sugar to form carbonation after you bottle them? I bottled 1/2 of my first batch yesterday and the other half this morning. The carbonation in the larger (1L) flip top bottles made for a mess (think shaken champagne bottle) I put the 2nd bottle in the fridge overnight thinking the carbonation wouldn't be as much (it was still pretty bubbly - only 4 days fermenting too, but it's been warm here in southern California)

 

[Immocles]

I don’t tighten completely, and I give it a little burp to release some build up once a day. Then I bottle and let them sit at room temp for about half a day and toss them all in the fridge.