Category Archives: Kombucha

Open air vs closed fermentation

I have been wondering whether kombucha needs to ferment in an open air container. Even though a cloth towel is covering the vessel, I know very well that dust, dirt, and micro organisms are able to travel through the “barrier.” Also, the kombucha is sitting in my guest bathroom. And, while the bathroom doesn’t get used, it seems more sanitary if the vessel is hermetically sealed.

In one bucket, I oxygenated the liquid, oxygenated the air, sealed up the top, and then placed an airlock in the hole. In the other bucket, I placed a cheesecloth over the top. After a couple of weeks, the scobies were dramatically different. Clearly, the gelatinous mass is a protection barrier to oxygen.

Brewing kombucha with malt

I wondered if kombucha could eat different sugars than sucrose. So I brewed a batch of kombucha with dry malt extract (DME). It was not a problem at all it seem. Although there is one noticeable difference. When the CO2 is generated and bubbles out of the liquid, the DME is foamier than sugar. And you can see the dried foam along the edges. The taste also has a slightly different mouth feel.

Kombucha bottle bomb

I came home to this nightmare. A bottle of home brewed kombucha exploded sometime during the day. There was dried sour cherry kombucha covering the entire ceiling, cabinets, walls, and floor of my kitchen. It even spurted out onto the carpet if there wasn’t something blocking the explosion.

All I can say is OMFG!

I have placed “buying a blast chamber for bottles undergoing secondary carbonation” to my todo list. I wonder if The Container Store employees would look at me weird if I ask them how blast proof a large plastic box of theirs is?

Kombucha

Three weeks ago, at the Whip In, I bought a pint of Kombucha on draft for $4.00! It was the seasonal brew called Tart Cherry Melon from Buddha’s Brew. When I looked at their web site, I saw that they filled corney kegs! How awesome is that?! Unfortunately, when I contacted them, they quoted me a price of $80 for 5 gallons. This is more expensive than the beer I buy at Black Star Coop! Crazy.

So I investigated brewing my own…

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