Guest guest Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Some brewers use a small light bulb or candle warmer as a heat source. I think your brew will progress fine regardless of having moved it and disturbing the scoby. After that the existing scoby stops growing and it starts another one. in Texas > > Hey bucha buddies, > > I'm on my first brew, 2 weeks in and I just took a taste test. It's running pretty sweet... I will give it another week. I'm in upstate NY and my apartment sits at around 65 degrees. I have the bucha wrapped in a towel inside a cardboard box. Aside from a heating pad, does anyone have any novel suggestions for keeping it warm? Also, I have a transparent gel on top of the brew. Last week I had to transport the kombucha and that disrupted the baby forming on top but just wondering if the clear gel on top signifies anything? could this mean that my mother is off? thanks! - > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 > Aside from a heating pad, does anyone have any novel > suggestions for keeping it warm? I have recently just started brewing again. I have a 64oz glass jar full of water and put in a small-ish aquarium heater set to about 85 degF. I sat that next to my 2.5 gallon brew jar and pulled a sweat shirt over it so that the brew jar top comes out the neck for ventilation. Works great, the brew is going like gangbusters!! I got the idea from this list so I cannot take credit for it . But I think I need to lower the thermostat, will probably do so this weekend. I think my new brew is well established from the look and smell of things. -- Rodman P.S. on the heater-jar I rubber banded the cord down on the lip, then rubber banded down some cling wrap to near-seal it to save water evaporation, and then pressed the metal lid on as tight as I could w/o damaging the cord and cling wrap. The 64oz jar works as a " heat battery " . The larger the water heat-jar the less fluctuation in temp I would think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 hey Rodman, Sorry you totally submerged the aquarium heater inside the kombucha brew? On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 6:02 PM, iwanttokeepanon wrote: > ** > > > > > > Aside from a heating pad, does anyone have any novel > > suggestions for keeping it warm? > > I have recently just started brewing again. I have a 64oz glass jar full > of water and put in a small-ish aquarium heater set to about 85 degF. I sat > that next to my 2.5 gallon brew jar and pulled a sweat shirt over it so > that the brew jar top comes out the neck for ventilation. Works great, the > brew is going like gangbusters!! > > I got the idea from this list so I cannot take credit for it . But I > think I need to lower the thermostat, will probably do so this weekend. I > think my new brew is well established from the look and smell of things. > > -- Rodman > > P.S. on the heater-jar I rubber banded the cord down on the lip, then > rubber banded down some cling wrap to near-seal it to save water > evaporation, and then pressed the metal lid on as tight as I could w/o > damaging the cord and cling wrap. The 64oz jar works as a " heat battery " . > The larger the water heat-jar the less fluctuation in temp I would think. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 If I read it correctly no, the heater is not inside the kombucha container. What I got out of that was 2 containers. Container 1 - 2.5 gal kombucha fermenting vessel. Container 2 - 64 oz jar with water and heater inside - covered to prevent liquid evaporation. Containers are side by side covered with a sweatshirt to keep the heat in. Kombucha container's top comes out the neck so the kombucha can breath. Clever idea. I just wait longer and/or use more acidic starter. But I am lazy and not motivated enough to create heating elements. My kombucha and kefir take a little longer to get there but they still get there. Jaxi On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 10:47 AM, Rodgers < szczepaniakprojects@...> wrote: > hey Rodman, > > Sorry you totally submerged the aquarium heater inside the kombucha brew? > > On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 6:02 PM, iwanttokeepanon > wrote: > > > ** > > > > > > > > > > > Aside from a heating pad, does anyone have any novel > > > suggestions for keeping it warm? > > > > I have recently just started brewing again. I have a 64oz glass jar full > > of water and put in a small-ish aquarium heater set to about 85 degF. I > sat > > that next to my 2.5 gallon brew jar and pulled a sweat shirt over it so > > that the brew jar top comes out the neck for ventilation. Works great, > the > > brew is going like gangbusters!! > > > > I got the idea from this list so I cannot take credit for it . But I > > think I need to lower the thermostat, will probably do so this weekend. I > > think my new brew is well established from the look and smell of things. > > > > -- Rodman > > > > P.S. on the heater-jar I rubber banded the cord down on the lip, then > > rubber banded down some cling wrap to near-seal it to save water > > evaporation, and then pressed the metal lid on as tight as I could w/o > > damaging the cord and cling wrap. The 64oz jar works as a " heat battery " . > > The larger the water heat-jar the less fluctuation in temp I would think. > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 > Sorry you totally submerged the aquarium heater > inside the kombucha brew? No, Jaxi is right I have 1 jar dedicated to tap water w/ the heater. I don't like the idea of the heater and the cord being in my brew. The sweatshirt insulates the 2 jars together to make the heat transfer possible/more efficient. In the past I didn't use a heat source but that was b/c I had an estabalished CB going and the brew generates its own heat from reproduction and the addition of warm sweet tea weekly helped too. But I still covered the jar w/ my sweatshirt in the cold months to keep all that heat in. -- Rodman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 On Thu 1/12/2012 8:36 AM, in Texas said: <Some brewers use a small light bulb or candle warmer as a heat source.> I've had good success with the medium sized under-tank aquarium heaters that I get from a large pet supply company which I place standing up inside and along the side of a 10-gallon aquarium with two (2) one (1) gallon pickle jars next to each other and a grocery (paper) bag placed over them. Over the aquarium I put towel folded in half which seems to keep the temp inside the paper bag about 84-85° and the temp of the batch at ~82°. This is perfect for me and all I need for what I use. For bottling, I love using the bottles that GT's supplies to Whole Foods, HEB in Texas, and other places like that. They are a good, solid 16oz bottle with reusable lids that seem to last forever as long as you don't tighten them too much right after the bottling process! Namaste', Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.