Need a Kombucha Expert, lots of specific questions

[Stuck_on_Repeat]

New to brewing buch. My goal kombucha is as carbonated and as alcoholic as possible while still being beneficial.
1. Can you tell how fast the kombucha will be ready by the amount of co2 you see bubbling up from under the Scoby?
2. When I add sugar to the tea it starts bubbling. Does that mean the yeast makes alcohol just as fast as it makes the co2?
3. Does carbonation have to take place over a few days? Or can it be forced using just juice and/or sugar and/or fruit? If it starts bubbling a lot and immediately?
4. When do I add Hibiscus? While steeping the tea or second fermentation?
5. If I use 12 cups of water is 12 tea bags too much? I feel like it would be too strong...
6. Mashed or cut fruit?
7. Can you use really sour Buch for starter? Or is it too late?
8. Why can't I use flavored kombucha for starter?
9. Is there something I can use to measure sugar and alcohol content?
10. Where can I get said measuring tools?
11. How likely is a bottle of fermenting kombucha to explode within 24 hours of bottling? When do exploding bottles usually happen?

 

[KatoBaggins]

New to brewing buch. My goal kombucha is as carbonated and as alcoholic as possible while still being beneficial.
1. Can you tell how fast the kombucha will be ready by the amount of co2 you see bubbling up from under the Scoby?

No, it really has little bearing on when it is ready. The best way is just to taste it to see if you like where it's at or not.

2. When I add sugar to the tea it starts bubbling. Does that mean the yeast makes alcohol just as fast as it makes the co2?

I'm not sure what you mean by tea, but no, if you mean you are putting sugar in an already started buch, then more than likely what it is happening is the sugar is just dislodging already CO2. Fermentation doesn't happen that fast, especially in kombucha.

3. Does carbonation have to take place over a few days? Or can it be forced using just juice and/or sugar and/or fruit? If it starts bubbling a lot and immediately?

I does take place over a few days. There is no way to force it. Again, I'm not sure sure what you meant by the "tea" starts bubbling.

4. When do I add Hibiscus? While steeping the tea or second fermentation?

I've found the best time is to add it at bottling. You can better control the amount that tastes the best for you.

5. If I use 12 cups of water is 12 tea bags too much? I feel like it would be too strong...

It might be, but it's a place to start. If you're worried start at a lower number and keep adding tea bags until it tastes right to you.

6. Mashed or cut fruit?

For me, it's frozen. I feel it breaks down the cell walls and allows the fruity goodness to come out better. If you are opposed to this for some reason, then I'd go with mashed.

7. Can you use really sour Buch for starter? Or is it too late?

Not sure what you mean by sour, but if you mean "really tart", then no, it's not too late.

8. Why can't I use flavored kombucha for starter?

You can as long as it's a "live" kombucha and hasn't been pasturized. I think why most people say use plain kombucha as a starter is because you will have some amount of residual flavor in your kombucha left over from the starter. For example, if you used a citrus/ginger as a starter, if might throw off the delicate flavor of hibiscus.

9. Is there something I can use to measure sugar and alcohol content?

Google "hydrometer". This is what a lot of beer brewers use to do exactly what you're asking. There is no reason why it won't work for kombucha.

10. Where can I get said measuring tools?

Your local homebrew store, or online from a homebrew store, or from Amazon as well.

11. How likely is a bottle of fermenting kombucha to explode within 24 hours of bottling? When do exploding bottles usually happen?

Assuming you bottle after your kombucha is ready to drink, it's not very likely. In my experience, there is minimal carbonation in the bottle after the primary fermentation is done. But, if you bottle just after you add the sugar, or add too much sugar at bottling then it is possible to have bottle bombs.

The SCOBY doesn't like it too much when the alcohol level gets to high. It will go dormant. So, don't expect to get a good buzz on from drinking kombucha. For me it gets way too vinegary when it I let if ferment too long (ie, when the alcohol level is higher). And even then, I've not ever noticed getting buzzed from it. I guess you could fortify it with a good vodka if you wanted, but that might actually kill off all that good probiotic action going on in there.

 

[Stuck_on_Repeat]

Thank you so much! That helps a lot!

 

[snarf]

Google "hydrometer". This is what a lot of beer brewers use to do exactly what you're asking. There is no reason why it won't work for kombucha.

Hydrometers are very useful in brewing beer, but are utterly useless in making kombucha! I think pretty much the only way to find out something about what exactly is in your brew, is sending it off to some lab...

 

[KatoBaggins]

Hydrometers are very useful in brewing beer, but are utterly useless in making kombucha! I think pretty much the only way to find out something about what exactly is in your brew, is sending it off to some lab...

Admittedly, I haven't used it for figuring out the alcohol level of kombucha. I've brew beer to get buzzed. I brew kombucha for the taste and the probiotics, so I've never seen the need to do it. However, I see no reason why it wouldn't work, except if you did not de-gass the kombucha of it's CO2. That would give you a false reading, just like it does with beer. I suppose a refractometer might be better in this case?

Am I missing something?

 

[theDREWery]

Kombucha isn't probiotic, that would be anything with lacto/pedio ferments. Kombucha is an acetic ferment.

 

[snarf]

However, I see no reason why it wouldn't work, ...

Do you know why and how a hydrometer works in the case of beer? If you do, well then it's simple: the basic premises underlying the beer brewing process simply don't apply to kombucha. There are different processes going on!

 

[snarf]

Kombucha isn't probiotic, that would be anything with lacto/pedio ferments. Kombucha is an acetic ferment.

The World Health Organization's 2001 definition of probiotics is "live micro-organisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host" (Source: Wikipedia). Why and how does kombucha not satisfy this definition??

 

[KatoBaggins]

Do you know why and how a hydrometer works in the case of beer? If you do, well then it's simple: the basic premises underlying the beer brewing process simply don't apply to kombucha. There are different processes going on!

Snarf, I'm just trying to help SOR out. He seems new to the totality of the the brewing process. You could have just said the acetic acid produced by the SCOBY will hinder an accurate alcohol reading. No need to get testy.

BTW- I agree with you on the above quoted definition of probiotic.

 

[snarf]

You could have just said the acetic acid produced by the SCOBY will hinder an accurate alcohol reading.

Yes, but that would have been boring. I'm Dutch, so I guess I can be a bit direct...

 

[theDREWery]

Acetic acid bacteria don't add to the body's digestive process or immunology, whereas lacto and pediococcus do. The main health benefit from kombucha is just the acetic acid itself, and antioxidants from the tea as well.

 

[ericbw]

Do you know why and how a hydrometer works in the case of beer? If you do, well then it's simple: the basic premises underlying the beer brewing process simply don't apply to kombucha. There are different processes going on!

I'll bite. In brewing, a hydrometer measures the density of the liquid. We assume that some of the density of the liquid (wort) is sugar that can be eaten by yeast or bacteria.

So when we subtract the density after fermenting from the density before fermenting, we get an amount of density that has been consumed and turned into alcohol. We can calculate alcohol content based on how much sugar was consumed.

What is happening in kombucha that differs from the process with beer or wine? I'm not arguing that they are the same, I am asking what part of that process is different.

 

[snarf]

In beer brewing the main process is sugar being converted to alcohol and CO2. In kombucha brewing there's many other processes going on as well. For example glucose is being transformed to gluconic acid and alcohol is converted to acetic acid. All these processes have a different effect on the density of the liquid. About ten years ago I did some measurements with a hydrometer and if I remember correctly, the result was that the density stays more or less the same during the kombucha brewing process (some CO2 goes out, but some O2 is coming in).

 

[dye4me]

I disagree with katos response to item 7. Using overly sour or tart (vinegar) mature tea for starter is fine, just reduce your amount of starter tea to %5. What your are trying to do is lower the sweet teas ph to make a good growing environment for your scoby. Several older sources actually cite vinegar and sweet tea as a substitute for your starter tea if none is available.

 

[EBP]

Just to add...Hydrometers don't work for observing alcohol content in kombucha because it's actually a specific gravity measurement. Really a kind of sugar/lack of sugar measurement. At the beginning of the fermentation there is max sugar in the solution and therefore the hydrometer is more buoyant. At the end of fermentation there is less sugar and the hydrometer sinks. The assumption in beer making is that the missing buoyancy is from conversion to alcohol, but in kombucha the alcohol is mostly converted to acetic acid. So what looks like an alcohol reading is actually a alcohol/acetic acid mix reading.