Secondary fermentation

[BradleyMcKee]

I am new to Kombucha, not so new to beer. I have never done a KT secondary fermentation. How does it differ from a secondary for beer? Can I just use a locking jar to infuse flavours or do I need to have a cloth over the mouth for secondary as well?


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[zipper8650]

Cloth is only for primary, remove as much air as you can and seal for secondary. Enjoy!!

 

[kyt]

You can secondary KT same as you would for beer. However, if your secondary is aerobic, it will continue to sour at the regular rate. If you secondary anaerobically, it will continue to sour at a significantly retarded rate due to reduced available oxygen. What flavor is it you're trying to go for?

Do not remove as much air as you can and seal for secondary if you are adding anything fermentable, or have residual fermentables from primary, you'll have bottle bomb conditions.
An air gap is always necessary. Air is compressible, water is not. If your secondary produces CO2 and you don't have a gas gap to compress it in, your bottle could explode.

 

[BradleyMcKee]

I'm looking to do lemon and ginger for one batch and jasmine for another. I can't imagine they would be very aerobic.


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[kyt]

I'm looking to do lemon and ginger for one batch and jasmine for another. I can't imagine they would be very aerobic.


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Aerobic has to do with the types of microbes you're trying to utilize; has nothing to do with the flavors you're adding.

If you leave your secondary in an open container, the acetobacter will continue to convert ethanol into acetic acid at the regular rate, making it more sour/tart.
If you put an airlock on your secondary, the aerobic strains will mostly stop, and the anaerobic strains (if any are present) will work at their regular rate.

 

[BradleyMcKee]

A quick follow up question as two batches just went into secondary. I left both batches a bit longer than I was planning so the had a more vinegary smell than usual. Will secondary help mellow this out or just amplify it?


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[kyt]

A quick follow up question as two batches just went into secondary. I left both batches a bit longer than I was planning so the had a more vinegary smell than usual. Will secondary help mellow this out or just amplify it?


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I wouldn't use the word "amplify", but it's not like beer or wine where flavors would be scrubbed by the yeast. Once the acetic acid is there, it's there to stay. You could add flavorings that help mask or contrast the sour/bitter.
That's about all you can do. The longer you leave it, the more acidic it will become, but in an anaerobic environment, that process is drastically slowed.

 

[cakeface]

When I do 2nd ferment, i flavor an ez-cap 32 oz. bottle with 0.6 oz. of matchstick size ginger, 2 T. of pureed berries (organic, previously frozen) and the bootch, leave about an inch of space and it only takes 1 to 2 days to be perfect. I burp it and check the 1st day, usually needs one more day for great fizz, in about a 76-78 degree environment.