Kombucha Brewing

I just brewed my first batch and I am so excited for this to be my new hobby. I'd love to hear some first hand knowledge anyone has built up.

Hidyho.

A few months ago I was watching a YouTube video of a woman bottling her kombucha. She had bottlecaps that would bulge when the carbonation was just right.

I looked for those tonight via searching on Google but couldn't really find the right thing.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

This would be perfect for my kombucha and water kefir tester bottles.

Here's my notes from starting to brew kombucha

Just discovered there is a community around this. Excited to see this and would love to give Kombucha brewing (?) a go.

Do you have any tips / recipes for a beginner like me to get started?

Turned out great. A little inconsistent because I forgot to stir before bottling

My first batch of kombucha. Strawberry, basil, jalapeno

I'm going to try my first batch of kombucha today with my SCOBY/starter made from a store bought bottle

I’ve made a few batches now, and while I figured out getting better carbonation, my kombucha just isn’t very sour. Or tart, or whatever the right name is. I started drinking things like Health Ade and other brands you commonly see in stores, and they’re far more tart than what my homemade kombucha ends up being.

Do I just need to wait even longer before bottling? Last time I went about two weeks, and it’s really warm here right now. My brew room is over the garage, and much warmer than the rest of the house. I’m afraid to wait too long!

For anyone who wants to try grape juice, I use one with 15.6g sugar / 100ml, and I use 50ml of the juice in 500ml bottles, then I top them up with kombucha. That means the total sugar per bottle is 7.6g, you can try using between 5-8g, depending on the amount of carbonation you want.

I find at this sugar level, leaving them for 3 days in 25-28c yields a perfect level of effervescence.

The taste is great, reminds me of sparkling wine.

So I tried making Kombucha (Apple Cider Vinegar? Not sure what to call it) using only two ingredients: apple juice, and my kombucha culture.

Recipe:

• Like 3.6L or so of apple juice
• 400ml Kombucha starter

Add both ingredients in a sanitized (use StarSan or similar) glass jar, let sit for 3 days then begin tasting until it to your liking. When its reached that level, bottle and let it carbonate for about 3-4 days.

To my surprise, it worked absolutely fantastic! Not only does the kombucha culture seem to thrive in the apple juice base (ferments quicker than normal for some reason), but the end product is delicious. A nice mix between sweet apple juice and tart apple cider vinegar while having a light carbonation.

10/10 would recommend.