Guide to Kombucha Second Fermentation Process Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Guide to Kombucha Second Fermentation Process Recipe? ›

Second Ferment Process

- Pour your kombucha into the bottle through a muslin cloth lined funnel. - Seal the bottle tightly (a flip top cap is the easiest) and leave at room temperature for 2 -3 days to carbonate. - Taste test, if it is not as bubbly as you want, leave it out for another day or two.

Second Ferment Process

- Pour your kombucha into the bottle through a muslin cloth lined funnel. - Seal the bottle tightly (a flip top cap is the easiest) and leave at room temperature for 2 -3 days to carbonate. - Taste test, if it is not as bubbly as you want, leave it out for another day or two.

-Increase sugar in your secondary fermentation. You can do this by adding fruit, fruit juice or sugar. I'll add ¼-1 tsp sugar per 16 oz bottle if my flavoring doesn't have any natural sugars in it. -Fill your secondary fermentation bottles closer to the top leaving an inch of space between the kombucha and the top.

Burping is essentially just opening your bottles ever so slightly during the second fermentation process to release air or “excess pressure” in the bottle. Many brewers recommend burping bottles every day, or every other day while your bottles are fermenting at room temperature.

Some popular fruit juices used during second fermentation are: Apple juice, grape juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, and pomegranate juice. Again, the sky is the limit! You can even juice fruits on your own and add a custom juice combination to your brew!

Kombucha First Fermentation, Second Fermentation & Refrigeration. To be thorough, the first fermentation and secondary fermentation are never refrigerated.

The direct answer is that you never need to replace your SCOBY if well taken care of, but when it comes to the pellicles (or “mothers” as they are so lovingly referred to), those can be thinned out with each brew.

The usual amount of sugar is about 4 or 5 grams, or a level teaspoon, of brewing sugar per pint or 500 ml bottle. When scaling this measurement up for a 5-gallon barrel, you will need 160g-200g of dextrose for secondary fermentation. It is worth noting that by pressurising this way you are making a “real ale.”

I'm not getting carbonation in my kombucha after secondary fermentation. Don't worry too much; carbonation can be finicky. Often temperature has much to do with it, but sometimes the yeast just don't want to perform for you. Just keep on brewing, and it should come with time.

If you've been able to produce a successful batch of first fermented kombucha and you've gone over a week without any mold in your brew vessel, it's very unlikely that you'll develop mold during second fermentation in the bottle.

Can you add honey to second fermentation kombucha? ›

The fun part is that the sugar you add to the bottles can basically be any sugar you want! This means you can add strawberries, mango, ginger, passion fruit, tomatoes, honey, maple syrup, etc… You can really get creative and make whatever kombucha flavors you want!

Yeast has this habit of settling down at the bottom of our brew vessels during first fermentation. So if you don't stir your kombucha liquid before you bottle, that yeast won't be evenly distributed throughout your liquid or throughout your bottles.

For F2, you want good-quality, food-grade glass that's thick enough to handle high pressure contents. And equally important is the cap. You want a cap that can be secured tightly enough to make an airtight seal. That's what'll allow you to trap the carbonation into the liquid as your brew ferments in the bottle.

For each of these options, the old bottle or container will need to be thoroughly cleaned and dried prior to use as a second fermentation container. You will also want to make sure that the container does not have any damage, and the lid will need to fit tightly in order to maintain the carbonation.

If a SCOBY forms during the second fermentation, you can filter it out when serving, eat it, save it, or toss it. It's up to you; let's go over each. If you notice a new SCOBY in your bottle, you can easily filter it out of your kombucha before drinking.

A new SCOBY may form on the surface of each batch you brew, but even if it doesn't, you can keep re-using your “homemade” SCOBY until it no longer produces delicious kombucha. You can also learn about SCOBY care and storing it in a SCOBY Hotel here.

Secondary fermentation is the process of taking your “finished” beer from your fermentation bucket, and transferring it to another container, usually a glass carboy, for a period of aging typically ranging from two days to several months. There are pros and cons to doing a secondary fermentation for your beer.