Secondary Fermentation

[Guest guest]

And, of course, as soon as I said that it had to be because that one bottle

was at room temperature, I had a fountain with a bottle that had been if the

fridge for several days. Same batch: the batch with all the ginger. And

there was a lot of ginger in this liter bottle -- lost about half of it, and

it didn't make a gusher, it just kept coming up and out. Trying to stop it

only worked while my finger was in the bottle. Wrapping my hand around the

top of the liquid didn't help either.

So back to no ginger for now.

And no more saying it never happens: it can and it will.

Joyce

Dallas tX

--

Jubilee Airedales www.jubileeaires.com

Dear Jubilee: The Animal Connection Workshops & Consultations

DWAA , IACP #P-1834, MDSA, AKC Canine Ambassador & CGC Evaluator

[Guest guest]

Toni,

I think I would just throw the pickles away. I nearly bought a jar of

pickles recently so that I could have the jar. the pickles were about $4,

so that was a cheap price for the jar. But then I read the ingredients and

they listed high fructose corn syrup, so I didn't buy it. I don't want to

eat that, nor do I want to give it to anyone else.

I ended up stopping in at a local sandwich shop and asked if they had any

empty jars to spare. The said that their pickles come in a 5 gallon plastic

jug, so I didn't want that. But their hot peppers come in one gallon glass

jars. They were more than willing to set a couple aside for me, and we

picked them up last night. So I ended up getting 2 gallon sized glass jars

free of charge, and saved them from having to be recycled to boot! :-)

--

On 6/8/07, kosherdiet <supermanrayhd@...> wrote:

>

> I learned the lesson about buying pickle jars after spending $10 at

> Target and then just happening by a $4 gallon jar of pickles at

> Costco. Anyone have suggestions on what to do with all these gallons

> of unwanted pickles?

>

[Guest guest]

Suggestion: I bought full jars of pickles and took them to the local

Sunny's stop N go. Gave them the full UNOPENED jar of pickles and they

gave me two EMPTY gallon jars for each full one. They were willing to

do it anytime. Free pickles to them and two jars for me, too

cool.......

All the best.........

Jeff

> I learned the lesson about buying pickle jars after spending $10 at

> Target and then just happening by a $4 gallon jar of pickles at

> Costco. Anyone have suggestions on what to do with all these gallons

> of unwanted pickles?

>

>

[Guest guest]

<< Posted by: " zoe w " ilovegrafix@...

<ilovegrafix@...?Subject=+Re%3A%20Secondary%20Fermentation>

ilovegrafix

<ilovegrafix> Fri Jun 8, 2007 11:53 am (PST) How

many airlocks can you afford?>>

They don't have to be expensive. I make airlocks out of cut up plastic

shopping bags and cut up bicycle inner tube tires, but sturdy elastic bands

would do.

[Guest guest]

In message <f7ggjc+q0bieGroups> you wrote:

> Question.

> Any of you Gurus out there able to confirm, or deny, that it is,

> genuinely and naturally a 2 stage process

Yes, , the 1st phase of brewing is aerobic (air gets to the brew)

and most of the alcohol is being used up in the fermentation. During that

stage most of the sugar is turned into the different beneficial acids.

Stage 2 in the bottle is largely anaerobic, most air excluded until you

burp the bottle to avoid CO2 build up.

If the brew is in good balance of the bacteria and yeasts or tends toward

the bacteria side you will get a lovely maturing of the brew with a fine

champagne like bubble and slightly more alcohol build up ...not very

much even then, though.

> not even think of starting until " Phase One complete " ?

When is complete? It's a very individual choice which happens when the

brew suits your taste buds or your health needs.

I like bottling mine when it is still slightly sweet, because I don't like

the outcome from phase 2 to result in too dry a brew - although I have

had some lovely ones of those.

> " Right Lads, Phase Two

> commence! "

Hahaha, the 'lad' has said her bit

Now will it all the theory fit ...?

I doubt it, but it works for me

My KT guzzlers drink with glee

The merry brew bubbly or still

however be, is simply brill!

The second phase has not much chance

to more than just a week t' advance.

It's snapped up soon after phase one

when it is only barely done.

Kombucha is the great addiction,

cures every family affliction

applied internally or out,

so good for slimming, skin or gout!

Have a good night, all ye lads abroad or here

or be ye seated in a different sphere...

Here's some Kombucha cheer!

Blessings,

Margret:-))

--

+------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+

<)))<>< http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk <)))<><

http://www.AnswersInGenesis.com

+----------------- http://www.Gotquestions.org ------------------+

We learn to pray by praying.

[Guest guest]

In message <f7ggjc+q0bieGroups> you wrote:

> Question.

> Any of you Gurus out there able to confirm, or deny, that it is,

> genuinely and naturally a 2 stage process

Yes, , the 1st phase of brewing is aerobic (air gets to the brew)

and most of the alcohol is being used up in the fermentation. During that

stage most of the sugar is turned into the different beneficial acids.

Stage 2 in the bottle is largely anaerobic, most air excluded until you

burp the bottle to avoid CO2 build up.

If the brew is in good balance of the bacteria and yeasts or tends toward

the bacteria side you will get a lovely maturing of the brew with a fine

champagne like bubble and slightly more alcohol build up ...not very

much even then, though.

> not even think of starting until " Phase One complete " ?

When is complete? It's a very individual choice which happens when the

brew suits your taste buds or your health needs.

I like bottling mine when it is still slightly sweet, because I don't like

the outcome from phase 2 to result in too dry a brew - although I have

had some lovely ones of those.

> " Right Lads, Phase Two

> commence! "

Hahaha, the 'lad' has said her bit

Now will it all the theory fit ...?

I doubt it, but it works for me

My KT guzzlers drink with glee

The merry brew bubbly or still

however be, is simply brill!

The second phase has not much chance

to more than just a week t' advance.

It's snapped up soon after phase one

when it is only barely done.

Kombucha is the great addiction,

cures every family affliction

applied internally or out,

so good for slimming, skin or gout!

Have a good night, all ye lads abroad or here

or be ye seated in a different sphere...

Here's some Kombucha cheer!

Blessings,

Margret:-))

--

+------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+

<)))<>< http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk <)))<><

http://www.AnswersInGenesis.com

+----------------- http://www.Gotquestions.org ------------------+

We learn to pray by praying.

[Guest guest]

Lori, quite right.

except my statements about fructose are misleading. Fructose is fermentable,

though not that much kombucha-wise, but it does ferment. Adding fruit will

also ferment causing more gas and alcohol. It appears I left out the part

that Stevia as a sweetener that does not ferment. I meant to use " Stevia " in

place of fructose.

The reference to bacteria is to the Acetobacter type.

Lactobacillus (also bacteria that may be present - or encouraged) do not

require oxygen and may continue to convert sugar and tea to alcohol, lactic

acid and small amounts of acetic acid. This may occur even when bottled

without oxygen and in low temperatures. Lactobacillus are generally dormant

under 60F yet sometimes active at 50F. However, Lactobacillus is also less

active or dormant (or dead) at a low pH - starting around 3.5. So if your

kombucha tea has a pH of 2.5 - 3.0 (typical) then one needs not worry. The

low pH is also important when bottling because it also helps keeps out any

pathogenic bacteria and yeasts that are active in low temperatures (like

those that that attack hotdogs in the fridge/ the slimy stuff, or other

molds that one can notice in the refrigerator in dark places.) sanitizer the

bottle before hand is recommended.

Most brewers agree that we want as high a ratio of gluconic acid as

possible. That's for two reasons that I know of. 1. it mellows out the

harsher acetic acid (vinegar taste) and 2. associated health benefits. The

Acetobacter produce the acetic acid first. The gluconic acid production

(also by the Acetobacter) lag behind. That may be one reason why longer

ferments are smoother than shorter faster ferments.

Peace

Ed Kasper LAc. & family

www.HappyHerbalist.com

.........................................

.. Secondary Fermentation

Posted by: " bakequery " bakequery@... bakequery

Sun Aug 26, 2007 12:45 pm (PST)

Let me see if I have this straight. I just read Ed's great

information on secondary brewing. I'd like to ask the older brewers

(and Ed) if I have grasped the concept of secondary brewing

correctly. Thank you in advance for your comments and corrections.

Please see if I have fully grasped this concept.

Here goes:

After one brews their Kombucha they can just put their brewed kt in a

bottle and refrigerate and be done with it. At this point in time

the cool temperature will inhibit any bacterial and yeast growth and

the brew will remain about the way it was when went into the bottle

as long as it is below 40º F. degrees. If one leaves the KT at room

temperature and the bottles have oxygen in them the bacteria will

convert the alcohol to acetic acid, making the brew turn sour, which

we don't want.

Ed's site says: " The yeasts produce alcohol from the glucose which

the bacteria than convert to acetic acid. Both the yeast and the

bacteria compete for the glucose which the bacteria convert to

gluconic acid. "

If instead one removes the oxygen you are able to get a fizzy brew.

This happens as the yeast, (which unlike the bacteria, can work

without oxygen), produces CO2 while eating the remaining glucose.

Again, if we don't care about fizz we can stop there and just place

the bottles in the refrigerator.

However, if we LIKE fizz then we will cut off the oxygen supply so

the bacteria will stop competing with the yeast. The yeast will then

produce the bubbles by turning the remaining sugar into alcohol and

thereby produce gas. Yeast can continue to be active down to 40º F

degrees. As long as glucose remains in the brew and the brew is put

somewhere warmer than 40º we will have gas forming (and danger of

explosion).

If we put an airlock on the bottle by either purchasing one with a

water air lock or by putting a balloon on the top of the bottle we

can allow most of the CO2 to escape until we are left with a brew

that is the sweetness and bubble quality that we like. The air lock

works sort of along the lines of the gas trap under your sink. The

water in part of the looping system allows gas to escape without

allowing any gas (oxygen) to enter. In this way we can get a drier

brew but with more bubbles. It will also have more alcohol.

If we don't want to use the airlock we can just throw add fructose to

retain some sweetness (or actual fruit) into the bottle, thus

increasing the sweetness but not in a form the yeast can eat it. We

then make sure there is no air in the bottle, cap the bottle, and

allow it to sit for about two days.

We can use a plastic bottle as a tester to show us how much gas is

being produced in the glass bottles whioh will tell us if we need to

burp the bottles. After about two days we then put the KT in the

fridge so that we don't have to worry about explosions.

I assume if we are drinking the KT within the week and the

temperature is not too high we may leave the KT out longer but

generally we would not want in order to reduce worry of bottles

exploding.

If we want the brew to be sweet without more gas we add fructose. If

we want more gas and less sweet we add sugar in the form of glucose

or dextrose. As long as any of the glucose remains in the brew, and

the brew is kept at a temperature between 40º - ~75º F. degrees it

will produce gas which means possible explosion.

If we do not want additional alcohol in our KT we can pasteurize the

brew after the second stage ferment by heating it between 140-160º F.

degrees for 10-20 minutes.

Lori

[Guest guest]

Lori, quite right.

except my statements about fructose are misleading. Fructose is fermentable,

though not that much kombucha-wise, but it does ferment. Adding fruit will

also ferment causing more gas and alcohol. It appears I left out the part

that Stevia as a sweetener that does not ferment. I meant to use " Stevia " in

place of fructose.

The reference to bacteria is to the Acetobacter type.

Lactobacillus (also bacteria that may be present - or encouraged) do not

require oxygen and may continue to convert sugar and tea to alcohol, lactic

acid and small amounts of acetic acid. This may occur even when bottled

without oxygen and in low temperatures. Lactobacillus are generally dormant

under 60F yet sometimes active at 50F. However, Lactobacillus is also less

active or dormant (or dead) at a low pH - starting around 3.5. So if your

kombucha tea has a pH of 2.5 - 3.0 (typical) then one needs not worry. The

low pH is also important when bottling because it also helps keeps out any

pathogenic bacteria and yeasts that are active in low temperatures (like

those that that attack hotdogs in the fridge/ the slimy stuff, or other

molds that one can notice in the refrigerator in dark places.) sanitizer the

bottle before hand is recommended.

Most brewers agree that we want as high a ratio of gluconic acid as

possible. That's for two reasons that I know of. 1. it mellows out the

harsher acetic acid (vinegar taste) and 2. associated health benefits. The

Acetobacter produce the acetic acid first. The gluconic acid production

(also by the Acetobacter) lag behind. That may be one reason why longer

ferments are smoother than shorter faster ferments.

Peace

Ed Kasper LAc. & family

www.HappyHerbalist.com

.........................................

.. Secondary Fermentation

Posted by: " bakequery " bakequery@... bakequery

Sun Aug 26, 2007 12:45 pm (PST)

Let me see if I have this straight. I just read Ed's great

information on secondary brewing. I'd like to ask the older brewers

(and Ed) if I have grasped the concept of secondary brewing

correctly. Thank you in advance for your comments and corrections.

Please see if I have fully grasped this concept.

Here goes:

After one brews their Kombucha they can just put their brewed kt in a

bottle and refrigerate and be done with it. At this point in time

the cool temperature will inhibit any bacterial and yeast growth and

the brew will remain about the way it was when went into the bottle

as long as it is below 40º F. degrees. If one leaves the KT at room

temperature and the bottles have oxygen in them the bacteria will

convert the alcohol to acetic acid, making the brew turn sour, which

we don't want.

Ed's site says: " The yeasts produce alcohol from the glucose which

the bacteria than convert to acetic acid. Both the yeast and the

bacteria compete for the glucose which the bacteria convert to

gluconic acid. "

If instead one removes the oxygen you are able to get a fizzy brew.

This happens as the yeast, (which unlike the bacteria, can work

without oxygen), produces CO2 while eating the remaining glucose.

Again, if we don't care about fizz we can stop there and just place

the bottles in the refrigerator.

However, if we LIKE fizz then we will cut off the oxygen supply so

the bacteria will stop competing with the yeast. The yeast will then

produce the bubbles by turning the remaining sugar into alcohol and

thereby produce gas. Yeast can continue to be active down to 40º F

degrees. As long as glucose remains in the brew and the brew is put

somewhere warmer than 40º we will have gas forming (and danger of

explosion).

If we put an airlock on the bottle by either purchasing one with a

water air lock or by putting a balloon on the top of the bottle we

can allow most of the CO2 to escape until we are left with a brew

that is the sweetness and bubble quality that we like. The air lock

works sort of along the lines of the gas trap under your sink. The

water in part of the looping system allows gas to escape without

allowing any gas (oxygen) to enter. In this way we can get a drier

brew but with more bubbles. It will also have more alcohol.

If we don't want to use the airlock we can just throw add fructose to

retain some sweetness (or actual fruit) into the bottle, thus

increasing the sweetness but not in a form the yeast can eat it. We

then make sure there is no air in the bottle, cap the bottle, and

allow it to sit for about two days.

We can use a plastic bottle as a tester to show us how much gas is

being produced in the glass bottles whioh will tell us if we need to

burp the bottles. After about two days we then put the KT in the

fridge so that we don't have to worry about explosions.

I assume if we are drinking the KT within the week and the

temperature is not too high we may leave the KT out longer but

generally we would not want in order to reduce worry of bottles

exploding.

If we want the brew to be sweet without more gas we add fructose. If

we want more gas and less sweet we add sugar in the form of glucose

or dextrose. As long as any of the glucose remains in the brew, and

the brew is kept at a temperature between 40º - ~75º F. degrees it

will produce gas which means possible explosion.

If we do not want additional alcohol in our KT we can pasteurize the

brew after the second stage ferment by heating it between 140-160º F.

degrees for 10-20 minutes.

Lori

[Guest guest]

I have a question about the secondary fermentation process. If we use

an airlock cap, do we still need to burp the bottles?

TIA! Jill!

[Guest guest]

I have a question about the secondary fermentation process. If we use

an airlock cap, do we still need to burp the bottles?

TIA! Jill!

[Guest guest]

For the second fermentation I never burp the bottles, I also only use

glass bottles/jars for 1st and 2nd fermentation. I like to make sure on

the 2nd fermentation that the bottles are airtight, to make it

naturally carbonate better. I like the fizz and bubbles. also on the

2nd fermentation I let the airtight bottles sit out for about 5 days

before putting them in the fridge. Hope this helps

Marilou

>

> I have a question about the secondary fermentation process. If we use

> an airlock cap, do we still need to burp the bottles?

>

> TIA! Jill!

>

[Guest guest]

For the second fermentation I never burp the bottles, I also only use

glass bottles/jars for 1st and 2nd fermentation. I like to make sure on

the 2nd fermentation that the bottles are airtight, to make it

naturally carbonate better. I like the fizz and bubbles. also on the

2nd fermentation I let the airtight bottles sit out for about 5 days

before putting them in the fridge. Hope this helps

Marilou

>

> I have a question about the secondary fermentation process. If we use

> an airlock cap, do we still need to burp the bottles?

>

> TIA! Jill!

>

[Guest guest]

In message <fbrd4o+fbimeGroups> you wrote:

> I have a question about the secondary fermentation process. If we use

> an airlock cap, do we still need to burp the bottles?

>

Hiya Jill,

IMO, an airlock on a bottle during the secondary fermentation stage would be

futile, because this would hinder the build-up of fizz, as all the CO2

gases would bubble out and away from the airlock, so a flat brew would

result.

Of course, you could try it with two bottles of identical brew, one with

an airlock, one properly stoppered and see what difference in taste you will

get.

If you do the experiment, I would be interested in the outcome!

with best wishes kombuchaly,

Margret UK :-)

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In message <fbrd4o+fbimeGroups> you wrote:

> I have a question about the secondary fermentation process. If we use

> an airlock cap, do we still need to burp the bottles?

>

Hiya Jill,

IMO, an airlock on a bottle during the secondary fermentation stage would be

futile, because this would hinder the build-up of fizz, as all the CO2

gases would bubble out and away from the airlock, so a flat brew would

result.

Of course, you could try it with two bottles of identical brew, one with

an airlock, one properly stoppered and see what difference in taste you will

get.

If you do the experiment, I would be interested in the outcome!

with best wishes kombuchaly,

Margret UK :-)

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In message <fbrd4o+fbimeGroups> you wrote:

> I have a question about the secondary fermentation process. If we use

> an airlock cap, do we still need to burp the bottles?

>

Hiya Jill,

IMO, an airlock on a bottle during the secondary fermentation stage would be

futile, because this would hinder the build-up of fizz, as all the CO2

gases would bubble out and away from the airlock, so a flat brew would

result.

Of course, you could try it with two bottles of identical brew, one with

an airlock, one properly stoppered and see what difference in taste you will

get.

If you do the experiment, I would be interested in the outcome!

with best wishes kombuchaly,

Margret UK :-)

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I was just reading on Dom's kefir sight about " secondary fermentation "

of freshly made kefir. What I can't quite discern from the

instructions is why I would want to do this - i.e., what are the

benefits of secondary fermentation vs. just drinking freshly made first

batch kefir. Can anyone enlighten me on this subject.

Thanks,

Theresa

[Guest guest]

Hi Theresa,

It might be for the kefir grains sake. Some people like their kefir really

strong and it wouldn't be good for the kefir grains themselves to be in the

fermenting jar that long.

Anyone else have an answer?

Marilyn,

who likes her kefir mild and who thinks prebiotics are just as important as

probiotics. Therefore, I strain on time leaving a little lactose in the

kefir

On Nov 10, 2007 12:49 AM, theresasmiley <stunning5@...> wrote:

> I was just reading on Dom's kefir sight about " secondary fermentation "

> of freshly made kefir. What I can't quite discern from the

> instructions is why I would want to do this - i.e., what are the

> benefits of secondary fermentation vs. just drinking freshly made first

> batch kefir. Can anyone enlighten me on this subject.

>

> Thanks,

>

> Theresa

>

>

[Guest guest]

> I find lens site by googling KT balance

Ah! I didn't put two-plus-two together, associating Len

w/ Kombucha balance... Thanks, ! :-)

>

> Vicki-

>

> I agree with u 100%. Very well said. Wanted to post something similar but

could not think of a diplomatic way to put it. Ur post was eloquent. I find lens

site by googling KT balance len porzio and it pops up first. Its a geocities

site.

[Guest guest]

Polly, a couple of your questions piqued my interest, so

I went surfing!

> As far as the plastic bottle...

> ...do any of us actually know whether glass or plastic

> will hold up under pressure better?

Check out this warning from an " Instructables " post:

" WARNING: If you wait too long to drink it the bottles can

explode from excessive carbonation. They can puff up til the

soda bottle is round on the bottom and rings like a bell

when you tap it.

" Three of mine got like this and blew up at once. They blew the

side out of the rubbermaid tub they were in, splattering

kombucha all over the ceiling, and making a very loud noise... "

From: http://tinyurl.com/oorzlq

Hmmm, imagine which ceilings would be covered if she had NOT

housed them in a plastic tub! ;^>

> Anyone know how commercial sellers of ktea avoid explosions?

Happy Herbalist says this:

" Commercial ferments usually use stabilizers like Potassium

Metabisulphite, Sorbistak-K or sulfites to control the ferment... "

From: http://tinyurl.com/ch7dmh

eeew!

Some other points my search turned up... Harald Tietze

recommends sealing " with corks, to prevent the bottle from

exploding. " Found that interesting.

Also was amused to see similar carbonation threads on other

KT lists:

kombuchatea.tribe discussion

http://tinyurl.com/qrxupx

Kombucha carbonation - Wild Fermentation group discussion

http://tinyurl.com/pqo6ah

(Plus I've seen similar discussions on " low carb friends, "

blogs, etc.)

Inquiring minds... ;-)

Vicki in Orlando

>

> The simple solution: If you double ferment,

> > put the bottles in a plastic container. You can find one capable of

> > holding 24 GT-type bottles for $6 at Wal Mart.. Well worth considering

> > what this can prevent... Some people " burp " their brew, this is good but

> > the best advice would be NOT to leave the bottle in a place where

> > explosion could lead to injuries... Another nice technique is to put the

> > same brew in a plastic bottle and the rest in glass container.. The

> > plastic bottle will " tell " you how strong the carbonation is and when

> > they burst it is usually harmless.. if that were to happen it means that

> > the brew in the glass bottles are at the stage of

> > carbonation.. time to drink them and to slow the fermentation rate by

> > refrigerating them..

[Guest guest]

plastic is better to 2nd ferment because you can squeese the bottle and see if

the carbonation has builded up, you cannot tell with glass, but hey you can burp

them each day or severa times a day... 

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

Dianna Holland

From: alt_ideas <alt_ideas@...>

Subject: Re: Secondary Fermentation

kombucha tea

Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 2:11 PM

Polly, a couple of your questions piqued my interest, so

I went surfing!

> As far as the plastic bottle...

> ...do any of us actually know whether glass or plastic

> will hold up under pressure better?

Check out this warning from an " Instructables " post:

" WARNING: If you wait too long to drink it the bottles can

explode from excessive carbonation. They can puff up til the

soda bottle is round on the bottom and rings like a bell

when you tap it.

" Three of mine got like this and blew up at once. They blew the

side out of the rubbermaid tub they were in, splattering

kombucha all over the ceiling, and making a very loud noise... "

From: http://tinyurl. com/oorzlq

Hmmm, imagine which ceilings would be covered if she had NOT

housed them in a plastic tub! ;^>

> Anyone know how commercial sellers of ktea avoid explosions?

Happy Herbalist says this:

" Commercial ferments usually use stabilizers like Potassium

Metabisulphite, Sorbistak-K or sulfites to control the ferment... "

From: http://tinyurl. com/ch7dmh

eeew!

Some other points my search turned up... Harald Tietze

recommends sealing " with corks, to prevent the bottle from

exploding. " Found that interesting.

Also was amused to see similar carbonation threads on other

KT lists:

kombuchatea. tribe discussion

http://tinyurl. com/qrxupx

Kombucha carbonation - Wild Fermentation group discussion

http://tinyurl. com/pqo6ah

(Plus I've seen similar discussions on " low carb friends, "

blogs, etc.)

Inquiring minds... ;-)

Vicki in Orlando

>

> The simple solution: If you double ferment,

> > put the bottles in a plastic container. You can find one capable of

> > holding 24 GT-type bottles for $6 at Wal Mart.. Well worth considering

> > what this can prevent... Some people " burp " their brew, this is good but

> > the best advice would be NOT to leave the bottle in a place where

> > explosion could lead to injuries... Another nice technique is to put the

> > same brew in a plastic bottle and the rest in glass container.. The

> > plastic bottle will " tell " you how strong the carbonation is and when

> > they burst it is usually harmless.. if that were to happen it means that

> > the brew in the glass bottles are at the stage of

> > carbonation. . time to drink them and to slow the fermentation rate by

> > refrigerating them..

[Guest guest]

-suppose it was not plastic but glass and a child or animal was walking by....

-- In kombucha tea , " alt_ideas " <alt_ideas@...> wrote:

>

> Polly, a couple of your questions piqued my interest, so

> I went surfing!

>

> > As far as the plastic bottle...

> > ...do any of us actually know whether glass or plastic

> > will hold up under pressure better?

>

> Check out this warning from an " Instructables " post:

>

> " WARNING: If you wait too long to drink it the bottles can

> explode from excessive carbonation. They can puff up til the

> soda bottle is round on the bottom and rings like a bell

> when you tap it.

>

> " Three of mine got like this and blew up at once. They blew the

> side out of the rubbermaid tub they were in, splattering

> kombucha all over the ceiling, and making a very loud noise... "

>

> From: http://tinyurl.com/oorzlq

>

> Hmmm, imagine which ceilings would be covered if she had NOT

> housed them in a plastic tub! ;^>

>

> > Anyone know how commercial sellers of ktea avoid explosions?

>

> Happy Herbalist says this:

>

> " Commercial ferments usually use stabilizers like Potassium

> Metabisulphite, Sorbistak-K or sulfites to control the ferment... "

>

> From: http://tinyurl.com/ch7dmh

>

> eeew!

>

> Some other points my search turned up... Harald Tietze

> recommends sealing " with corks, to prevent the bottle from

> exploding. " Found that interesting.

>

> Also was amused to see similar carbonation threads on other

> KT lists:

>

> kombuchatea.tribe discussion

> http://tinyurl.com/qrxupx

>

> Kombucha carbonation - Wild Fermentation group discussion

> http://tinyurl.com/pqo6ah

>

> (Plus I've seen similar discussions on " low carb friends, "

> blogs, etc.)

>

> Inquiring minds... ;-)

>

> Vicki in Orlando

>

>

>

> >

> > The simple solution: If you double ferment,

> > > put the bottles in a plastic container. You can find one capable of

> > > holding 24 GT-type bottles for $6 at Wal Mart.. Well worth considering

> > > what this can prevent... Some people " burp " their brew, this is good but

> > > the best advice would be NOT to leave the bottle in a place where

> > > explosion could lead to injuries... Another nice technique is to put the

> > > same brew in a plastic bottle and the rest in glass container.. The

> > > plastic bottle will " tell " you how strong the carbonation is and when

> > > they burst it is usually harmless.. if that were to happen it means that

> > > the brew in the glass bottles are at the stage of

> > > carbonation.. time to drink them and to slow the fermentation rate by

> > > refrigerating them..

>