I tend to crave fermented foods in phases. I’ll go months where I can’t seem to drink enoughwater kefir. Fast forward a bit it’skombucha, orsauerkraut, orGreek yogurt. A while back I started to cravekombuchaagain. I dutifully bottled up four dozen bottles of freshly fermented kombucha and organic juice, drank a few bottles and promptly lost my craving. Leaving the bottles to hang out in the increasingly warm garage. A few months later I found them. Whoops! I grabbed a bottle I placed a towel over the top, applied downward pressure and opened each bottle. Let’s just say the towel and the pressure kept me from having to clean the ceiling multiple times. Four months of fermentation with added juice yielded a few interesting results…
First, I Noticed That While All The Bottles Had Developed Significant Levels Of Carbonation, Whether They Were Bubbling Out (Resulting In Losing Half The Contents In Many Cases) Or Whether They Just Had A Nice Carbonated Texture Really Depended On The Juice I’d Used.
More specifically, juice with relatively high sugar content produces a lot more bubbles. Not surprising of course since the sugar is consumed by the still active yeast and bacteria (even after the scoby has been removed) and creates carbon dioxide. In particular, the bottles containing 100% cranberry juice (very little sugar) to flavor the kombucha fared the best in terms of not spilling most of their contents into the sink. My favorite flavoring, pineapple juice, didn’t do so well. Second, I noticed that the bottles with more sugary juice (such as my beloved pineapple) had over-fermented. Apparently I have developed a skill for making something that tastes a whole lot like beer—and not the more pleasant varieties! So down the sink went quite a few bottles.
Now You May Be Asking Yourself Why Over Fermented Kombucha In This Case Tastes Like Nasty Yeasty Beer Instead Of, Say, Vinegar.
If you leave kombucha on the counter with the scoby too long, you get something that taste like vinegar and can be used to replace vinegar in recipes. But the addition of the juice in this case fed the active yeast and bacteria in the kombucha. Combined with the warm environment, the yeast and bacteria continued to grow out of control with plenty of new sugar to keep them fed and happy. These bottles all contained a ratio of around 1 part juice to 3 parts kombucha. Juice has a very high concentration of sugar (with the exception of the pure cranberry juice) and that much sugar actually has the ability to form a fairly significant level of alcohol. Frankly though, even if you want to create alcohol, this isn’t the way to do it. Not pleasant tasting at all! Remember, adding juice for a second fermentation won’t produce any significant amount of alcohol if you are consuming them in a reasonable amount of time. In this case I was thinking Eric and I would each drink a bottle a day meaning the four dozen bottles would have been consumed in just a few weeks. Four months in a warm garage is what did us in.
So What Should You Do If You Ever Find Yourself In This Position With Bottles Of Over Fermented Kombucha?
First, open with care using a towel over the top and downward pressure. Let them bubble over in the sink until they stop. Second, smell them. If they smell like kombucha, great, odds are good they can be consumed. If they smell like yeast or beer, might as well dump them out and get a head start on washing bottles. We all have a batch of something here and there fail for one reason or another not taste good. It’s okay! These learning experiences only help us figure out better ways to do it next time.
Now You May Be Asking Yourself Why Over Fermented Kombucha In This Case Tastes Like Nasty Yeasty Beer Instead Of, Say, Vinegar. If you leave kombucha on the counter with the scoby too long, you get something that taste like vinegar and can be used to replace vinegar in recipes.
Contamination. As kombucha is a result of natural fermentation, improper handling or poor control of the environment may lead to contamination. Kombucha contaminated with other bacteria or yeasts may not be as healthy, or may even be dangerous to drink.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that drinking approximately 4 ounces (oz) of kombucha per day “may not cause adverse effects in healthy persons.” Note that most kombucha bottles sold at the store are more than 4 oz. Check recommended serving sizes before chugging down a whole container.
What can you do with over-fermented kombucha? Use it as a strong starter kombucha for your next batch. I like to keep a bottle of starter in the fridge as a backup (in the event of mold, or if I want to share some starter with a friend).
When your dough is over-fermented, the scores will not “open up” during baking but instead will flatten and melt into the dough. Scores don't really open up. The resulting bread will be flat and not have a good oven spring. The crumb can look dense and compressed, especially towards the bottom of the loaf.
It is important to start with drinking small quantities to see how your body reacts to the beverage. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that four ounces of kombucha can be safely consumed one to three times a day. Overconsumption can lead to headache, nausea, gastrointestinal distress, or ketoacidosis.
Some research has been done in labs that shows kombucha tea has tremendous healing properties, including everything from being probiotic to antioxidant and antibacterial. It is touted as being beneficial for heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and liver damage.
A diet rich in high-sugar beverages such as kombucha is a breeding ground for bacterial imbalances such as Candida overgrowth. Candida overgrowth causes various health issues, including vagin*l infections, seasonal allergies, digestive issues, skin problems, and nail fungus.
Once you have a healthy SCOBY, you can use it to start multiple batches of kombucha by transferring some of it along with some starter tea to each new batch. So, you typically only need one SCOBY for multiple batches.
This is fine if they're getting too large or if you'd like to split them up to move some to a SCOBY hotel/share with a friend. You can't hurt your SCOBY by ripping it or cutting it. Its shape doesn't matter since new ones will always take the shape of the surface of whatever container you place it in.
while the normal brewing time for a batch of kombucha is 7-30 days, it is possible to allow a batch of kombucha to brew for up to 6 weeks, as long as the culturing area is not too warm.
So yes, since kombucha is a fermented food, there is the potential for alcohol to be present in certain types of kombucha. The longer the kombucha ferments, the more potential it has to contain/increase those trace amounts of alcohol. But just because it has the potential to do that, doesn't mean it actually happens.
If your kombucha has been stored in the refrigerator or an iced cooler and still has a strong vinegar smell or flavor, it's completely safe to consume. If you find the vinegar flavor isn't to your personal preference, all is not lost! Kombucha is great for cooking, too.
Introduction: My name is Jeremiah Abshire, I am a outstanding, kind, clever, hilarious, curious, hilarious, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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