White Labs and Kombucha?!

[jpoder]

looking through the White Labs website I came across this page. Is White Labs getting into (or already in) the Kombucha SCOBY business? Anyone know if they will be supplying to homebrewers?

http://www.whitelabs.com/food/kombucha.html

 

[SD-SLIM]

I dont believe they are selling it yet...but you can get it from these guys: http://www.organic-kombucha.com/store.html
I have been thinking about brewing with it, but havent pulled the trigger yet...let me know how it goes if you do it!

 

[jpoder]

I'm interested to see if/what they come up with. I am in the process of growing my own SCOBY from a few bottles of GT's. It is coming along nicely, but I can't help think that there is just such a crap-shoot of organisms. I'd like to see a knowledgeable *LAB* come up with a defined SCOBY culture...perhaps a few lines of them...some with different brett strains or other tweaks (I'd like to see a little more funk, a touch less acetic, and a better aroma (not even going to guess at the contributors to that!) Why are most of the suppliers of SCOBYs seem like such hippy outfits. Granted, at least the Organic-Kombucha folks have a picture of a lab...perhaps it really even is theirs, but unlike White Labs they do not have a proven track record (at least to me) of isolating, culturing, and mass-reproducing microbiological products.

 

[mccann51]

I'm interested to see if/what they come up with. I am in the process of growing my own SCOBY from a few bottles of GT's. It is coming along nicely, but I can't help think that there is just such a crap-shoot of organisms. I'd like to see a knowledgeable *LAB* come up with a defined SCOBY culture...perhaps a few lines of them...some with different brett strains or other tweaks (I'd like to see a little more funk, a touch less acetic, and a better aroma (not even going to guess at the contributors to that!) Why are most of the suppliers of SCOBYs seem like such hippy outfits. Granted, at least the Organic-Kombucha folks have a picture of a lab...perhaps it really even is theirs, but unlike White Labs they do not have a proven track record (at least to me) of isolating, culturing, and mass-reproducing microbiological products.

I couldn't of said it better myself. Seems like there's this mentality by kombucha producers and brewers that it MUST be good for you because it's kombucha, and so paying attention to the cultures involved isn't important. My stance: science or GTFO! (well, not really, cause I'm brewing mine from a bottle of GT and High Country, and I'm no microbiologist)

It would be great to see an actual lab (such as White Labs) get in on it; I'd definitely support that, not only for the quality assurance, but because I know that some good knowledge would out of it.