Re: large quantity mfg question

[Guest guest]

Jeff,

There are five gallon food grade plastic buckets that folks use. I believe

they can be gotten at home brewing stores. Or you can go to your

neighborhood deli, ask them for one and then install a spigot yourself,

which is relatively easy to do. The spigot can be gotten at hardware

stores...(I got mine at True Value, a replacement spigot for a Rubbermaid

beverage dispensing jug) I have had success putting holes in these buckets

using an ordinary spade bit and drill. This way you can also place your

spigot higher up the side of the brewing container and so avoid getting an

accumulation of yeasty strands when decanting. (In my experience)

Also, note that there is a certain amount of controversy regarding brewing

in even food grade plastics, so one must do the research and make one's own

decision regarding that.

Gayle

large quantity mfg question

> hi,

>

> i'm new to this brewing process, too...and i've had nothing but 'good

> luck' so far brewing for me and my 2 sons. every bottle they drink

> from my homebrew saves me $3.49 here in boca raton whole foods.

>

> does anybody know how the 'big brewer(s)' of kombucha are fermenting

> their large quantities? everything i read on the net says that

> it's 'top-secret' and very hush-hush about the actual process. do

> they brew in plastic or glass? how large (how many gallons?) is the

> biggest plastic or glass brewing container and where can i buy some?

> who sells/supplies them? i'd like to brew larger quantities for

> family and friends and this question has stumped me more than any

> other.

>

> any help would be greatly appreciated.

>

> thank you,

>

> jeff

[Guest guest]

>

> hi,

>

> i'm new to this brewing process, too...and i've had nothing but 'good

> luck' so far brewing for me and my 2 sons. every bottle they drink

> from my homebrew saves me $3.49 here in boca raton whole foods.

>

> does anybody know how the 'big brewer(s)' of kombucha are fermenting

> their large quantities? everything i read on the net says that

> it's 'top-secret' and very hush-hush about the actual process. do

> they brew in plastic or glass? how large (how many gallons?) is the

> biggest plastic or glass brewing container and where can i buy some?

> who sells/supplies them? i'd like to brew larger quantities for

> family and friends and this question has stumped me more than any

> other.

I think they're likely brewing it in typical stainless-steel

industrial brewery vats, simply because that's what's on the market

for mass-produced fermented beverages. It's also likely they use a

process method rather than a batch method. In fact, to speed

fermentation, they may do something along the lines of what we

consider " continuous fermentation " , possibly drawing off as little as

forty or fifty percent of the finished ferment before adding more. In

those quantities, the scoby becomes pointless and suspended organisms

take over as the major site of fermetation.

Now, because their processes are so hush-hush, this is all

speculation. However, given what is known of both commercial brewing

in general and kombucha biology in particular, that's where I'd start

if I were asked to design an industrial kombucha plant.

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeff,

I talked with the boss of a little kombucha industry here in Belgium

and he said that they brew in big stailess steel containers, 3 cubic

meters each (3 meters long, 1 meter large and a little bit more than 1

meter high) = about 3000 quarters. They tried to brew in container

higher than 1 meter but this didn't work, the maximum height for the

tea is 1 meter, otherwise there is a lack of oxygen and the

fermentation doesn't go well.

(in Belgium)

2008/2/22, geltman2000 <geltman2000@...>:

>

> hi,

>

> does anybody know how the 'big brewer(s)' of kombucha are fermenting

> their large quantities? everything i read on the net says that

> it's 'top-secret' and very hush-hush about the actual process. do

> they brew in plastic or glass? how large (how many gallons?) is the

> biggest plastic or glass brewing container and where can i buy some?

> who sells/supplies them? i'd like to brew larger quantities for

> family and friends and this question has stumped me more than any

> other.

>

> any help would be greatly appreciated.

>

> thank you,

>

> jeff

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi Jeff,

>

> I talked with the boss of a little kombucha industry here in Belgium

> and he said that they brew in big stailess steel containers, 3 cubic

> meters each (3 meters long, 1 meter large and a little bit more than 1

> meter high) = about 3000 quarters. They tried to brew in container

> higher than 1 meter but this didn't work, the maximum height for the

> tea is 1 meter, otherwise there is a lack of oxygen and the

> fermentation doesn't go well.

Yay! First-hand information!

So, was I correct in my process-versus-batch guess? How do they run

the fermentation vats?

[Guest guest]

Sorry , I don't understand your question: what do

" process-versus-batch " and " vats " mean?

The man said that they get scoby's (he said " mushrooms " ), the room t°

is under control (I didn't ask how many degrees...) and I don't know

how much starter they put in the brewing container.

They tried to ferment tea sweetened with honey only but the taste was

not good, now they have kombucha made with organic white sugar and

kombucha made with dessicated organic cane juice.

I'll see the man again in September at an organic fair, a long time to wait!

(in Belgium)

2008/2/22, Beckman <sehrgut@...>:

>

>

> >

> > Hi Jeff,

> >

> > I talked with the boss of a little kombucha industry here in Belgium

> > and he said that they brew in big stailess steel containers, 3 cubic

> > meters each (3 meters long, 1 meter large and a little bit more than 1

> > meter high) = about 3000 quarters. They tried to brew in container

> > higher than 1 meter but this didn't work, the maximum height for the

> > tea is 1 meter, otherwise there is a lack of oxygen and the

> > fermentation doesn't go well.

>

> Yay! First-hand information!

>

> So, was I correct in my process-versus-batch guess? How do they run

> the fermentation vats?

[Guest guest]

> Sorry , I don't understand your question: what do

> " process-versus-batch " and " vats " mean?

" Process " production is continuous, similar to the continuous

fermentation many of us practice with kombucha. " Batch " production

would be akin to the " fill up a jar and let it sit " method of kombucha

production.

The " vats " are the stainless fermentation vessels the producer uses.

> The man said that they get scoby's (he said " mushrooms " ), the room t°

> is under control (I didn't ask how many degrees...) and I don't know

> how much starter they put in the brewing container.

*happily pictures hundreds of scobys floating around in a vat of kombucha*

[Guest guest]

Hi and EveryOne,

Thank you for sharing such interesting information with us.

They must use a very high grade of stainless steel. Usually Kombucha,

being acidic, should not touch metal because the two interact. For

example people have used metal pans and had them turn black from

Kombucha and others have reported that their Kombucha tasted bad from

being in metal.

It is recommended that people use glass to brew at home, rather than

stainless steel. " please don't try this at home:-)) "

Peace, Love and Harmony,

Bev

-- In kombucha tea , " (in Belgium) "

<cathcartes@...> wrote:

>

> Sorry , I don't understand your question: what do

> " process-versus-batch " and " vats " mean?

> The man said that they get scoby's (he said " mushrooms " ), the room t°

> is under control (I didn't ask how many degrees...) and I don't know

> how much starter they put in the brewing container.

> They tried to ferment tea sweetened with honey only but the taste was

> not good, now they have kombucha made with organic white sugar and

> kombucha made with dessicated organic cane juice.

> I'll see the man again in September at an organic fair, a long time

to wait!

>

> (in Belgium)

>

> 2008/2/22, Beckman <sehrgut@...>:

> >

> >

> > >

> > > Hi Jeff,

> > >

> > > I talked with the boss of a little kombucha industry here in

Belgium

> > > and he said that they brew in big stailess steel containers, 3

cubic

> > > meters each (3 meters long, 1 meter large and a little bit more

than 1

> > > meter high) = about 3000 quarters. They tried to brew in container

> > > higher than 1 meter but this didn't work, the maximum height

for the

> > > tea is 1 meter, otherwise there is a lack of oxygen and the

> > > fermentation doesn't go well.

> >

> > Yay! First-hand information!

> >

> > So, was I correct in my process-versus-batch guess? How do they run

> > the fermentation vats?

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi and EveryOne,

>

> Thank you for sharing such interesting information with us.

>

> They must use a very high grade of stainless steel. Usually Kombucha,

> being acidic, should not touch metal because the two interact. For

> example people have used metal pans and had them turn black from

> Kombucha and others have reported that their Kombucha tasted bad from

> being in metal.

>

> It is recommended that people use glass to brew at home, rather than

> stainless steel. " please don't try this at home:-)) "

Commercial-grade stainless steel is non-reactive, and preferred for

this reason. The " touch no metal " dictum is generally applicable as

most household metal implements are reactive (meaning, they have some

components that under normal use can combine with acidic foods to

become soluble.

Anything that produces a metallic taste in acidic food should not be

used for kombucha, both because the acid brings metals into solution

which may be ingested, and because metal ions can be toxic.

True food-grade stainless steel (not nameless made-in-China crap from

most large chain stores) imparts no more flavour to food than glass

(entirely unreactive), and much less than even food-grade plastics.

However, unless you have means to procure with certainty non-reactive

metal cookware, you're much better off treating " touch no metal " as a

no-exceptions rule.

[Guest guest]

Because the container is so large, that is why you will see that the

KT was brewed for 30 or more days, etc.

Sunny

> >

> > hi,

> >

> > i'm new to this brewing process, too...and i've had nothing but 'good

> > luck' so far brewing for me and my 2 sons. every bottle they drink

> > from my homebrew saves me $3.49 here in boca raton whole foods.

> >

> > does anybody know how the 'big brewer(s)' of kombucha are fermenting

> > their large quantities? everything i read on the net says that

> > it's 'top-secret' and very hush-hush about the actual process. do

> > they brew in plastic or glass? how large (how many gallons?) is the

> > biggest plastic or glass brewing container and where can i buy some?

> > who sells/supplies them? i'd like to brew larger quantities for

> > family and friends and this question has stumped me more than any

> > other.

>

> I think they're likely brewing it in typical stainless-steel

> industrial brewery vats, simply because that's what's on the market

> for mass-produced fermented beverages. It's also likely they use a

> process method rather than a batch method. In fact, to speed

> fermentation, they may do something along the lines of what we

> consider " continuous fermentation " , possibly drawing off as little as

> forty or fifty percent of the finished ferment before adding more. In

> those quantities, the scoby becomes pointless and suspended organisms

> take over as the major site of fermetation.

>

> Now, because their processes are so hush-hush, this is all

> speculation. However, given what is known of both commercial brewing

> in general and kombucha biology in particular, that's where I'd start

> if I were asked to design an industrial kombucha plant.

>