Does Kombucha Continue to Ferment While Bottled
If you read our previous post on how to brew kombucha , you know that kombucha is a two-part process consisting of primary and secondary fermentation. The primary fermentation is where kombucha is made but will be plain and flat. The secondary fermentation or 2F is when kombucha is bottled, flavored, and carbonated. In this post, we're taking the finished kombucha from the primary fermentation and bottling it up, flavoring, and carbonating.
Why do you need to bottle your kombucha?
Bottling your kombucha serves a few purposes. First, bottling is required to create carbonated kombucha. When using the proper bottles, bottling provides an airtight environment where carbonation can build up but not escape. When co2 cannot escape, it forces the co2 back into your kombucha, which in turn, carbonates it. Carbonation adds so much to the finished product in terms of brightness, texture, and flavor. In addition to carbonation, bottling is the step where you add flavor, more on this later. Bottling also provides secure storage to place in the fridge neatly or to travel if you want to bring your kombucha to work or share with a friend.
What kind of kombucha bottles should you use?
Airtight bottles! When choosing kombucha second fermentation bottles, the most important thing is that they are airtight. There are a variety of kombucha bottles that will provide an airtight seal, so it's best to decide what will best suit your needs when determining the best kombucha bottles!
Do you bring your kombucha with you on the go, work, school, or when running errands? Then I'd recommend using smaller bottles, so it's easier to travel with them. These 16oz flip-top bottles are great for kombucha' on-the-go because you can be sure the lid won't twist off in your lunchbox/purse.
When is it time to bottle your kombucha?
Bottling occurs after the primary fermentation has finished. The first fermentation is complete when the pH is between 2.5 and 3.5, and you have achieved your preferred flavor balance of sweet and tart. This process typically takes about 7-21 days, depending on temperature. At this point, we have finished kombucha, but again it will be plain and flat. If you prefer an uncarbonated, plain kombucha, then simply bottle and place in the refrigerator to cool before drinking. If you prefer to flavor and carbonate your kombucha, you'll need a kombucha second fermentation in the bottles.
How to get the carbonation
To get carbonation in our kombucha, we need to feed the yeast sugar in a closed environment like an airtight bottle. Adding sugar, fruit, or juice to the bottles during the 2nd ferment will feed the yeast. As the yeast begins to consume the sugars, they will release co2. In the primary fermentation, the co2 escaped through the opening in your brewing vessel. Allowing the co2 to release is why you will never have carbonation after the primary fermentation. Now, since this time around we have an airtight chamber, the co2 has nowhere to go. Now, the co2 will build up inside the bottle, which in turn forces or dissolves the c02 into your kombucha, which carbonates it. Carbonation and flavoring go hand in hand. We can get creative when adding sugars to carbonate. If we want plain kombucha, add cane sugar. If we would like peach kombucha, add sugar i.e., fresh peaches or peach juice. Bonus – the fruit or fruit juice both flavors and provides the sugar needed for your yeast to carbonate. After adding sugar/flavorings to the bottles, we'll let them sit out, tightly capped, for 1-7 days at room temperature. Don't forget to burp your bottles!
What does it mean to "burp" your kombucha bottles?
As you may have noticed, we are capturing carbonation in a glass bottle. In other words, the co2 is building pressure inside a sealed container. Burping kombucha alleviates pressure as this can get ugly if we allow this to build for too long. An essential step in this process is to "burp" your bottles once per day. Burping is to done check on how the pressure is building and release the excess co2. To burp, pop open the cap and then put it back on, allowing the release of excessive built-up CO2. If you don't do this, you may wake up at 4:30 AM to the sound of the infamous "bottle bomb" and waterfalls of kombucha dripping down your cabinets (I speak from experience).
If you're burping and not much is happening, keep the caps on for a few days to allow the carbonation to build up or assess the temperature and make adjustments as necessary.
HOW TO BOTTLE YOUR KOMBUCHA
When it comes to bottling your kombucha, I have a few words of advice:
- Use a funnel
- Do it over the sink
- Use a pitcher if you have one, it makes pouring easier
For one gallon of kombucha, you'll need about 7, 16 oz bottles.
- With clean hands, remove the SCOBY from your brew jar and place it in a clean container. Measure out 1 1/2 to 2 cups of kombucha from your brewing vessel and add it to the container with the SCOBY. This will be the starter for your next batch.
- Take your clean bottles and add whatever fruit/herb/spice combos you'd like right into the bottom of the containers. Keep in mind you have to get the fruit out eventually, so chop/mash everything accordingly.
- Place the bottles in the sink.
- Using a funnel, slowly pour your kombucha from the brew jar into the smaller jars, leaving about one inch of headspace from the top. You're welcome to strain out the yeast strings if you're not into the texture.
- Tightly cap bottles and give them a little rinse.
- Keep bottles at room temperature for 1-7 days, somewhere you can see them, so you don't forget to burp them.
- Once you have carbonation built up, you can place the bottles in the refrigerator to chill and halt the fermentation.
Are you not getting carbonation built up even after seven days? Check out this post on how to get fizzy kombucha for some tips.
Have extra SCOBYs building up? See what to do and how to store extra SCOBY's.
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34 Comments
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Source: https://fermentaholics.com/bottle-your-kombucha/
I am going to try this. Sounds really nice. Now, just need to remember to burp once a day!
Yes! haha! Just leave it on your counter where you will see it :)
Ruthie, this is so awesome. Congrats on all your moves. This site is beautiful and so well written. Good luck with everything!
Ashley from the Good Vibe Tribe!
Aw thank you Ashley! Miss you, hope all is well with you and Cody!
Hi! Thanks for the really helpful blogs! I'm about to start a secondary fermentation and wondered if you leave the fruit/skins/seeds in the kombucha or strain it when it's ready?
Hey Emmy! Thanks for reading! You can really do either. For me it depends on what type of fruit/flavorings I'm using. If it's strawberries or blueberries for example, I usually leave them in and I'll eat them. If it's lavender and rose hips, I'll strain it just before I drink it. You can always strain the fruit out and toss it in a salad or something, too! Hope this helps, Cheers :)
After the second fermentation is complete, do you still have to burp them every day when they are put in fridge?
No, once the bottles are refrigerated the fermentation process slows dramatically and so CO2 build up will no longer be an issue.
We have bottled our brew and are now burping them daily. It seems the bottles are starting to develop scobies of their own. Is this normal?
If you're getting SCOBYs in your bottles, it just indicates that your bottles aren't airtight. This is okay, just know that if air can escape, so can CO2 meaning you won't get a ton of fizz. To combat that, you can give the yeast more sugar so they can produce more CO2.
So nice to hear that there are lots of other Fermentaholics out there. I've been brewing kombucha for about a year and recently half filled a bottle for a second ferment and when I went to try it a few days later it had an off smell (sulfur) & flavor so I tossed it. The other bottles from the batch were fine. Have you experience this and if yes, do you know why that might have happened?
Thanks!
Hi Justine,
I have not experienced this myself but I have heard of people having this issue. The sulfur smell is a result of a particular sulfur producing wild yeast contaminant. It is safe to consume but the smell is off putting and strange so throwing it out was probably a good decision. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get rid of the yeast once it has already contaminated the brew. I wouldn't let that stop you from trying again. I would suggest to use more starter liquid with each batch to keep the pH lower from the get go and that should help ward off the unwanted organisms.
Cheers,
Ruthie
Okay so how and where do I store my starter for my next brew? Do I put an airtight cap on? Where do I put it until I'm ready to brew another batch?
When you are done with your first brew, keep about 2 cups of starter for your next batch. You can keep this in your main brew jar with your scoby at room temperature with a breathable cover until you are ready to brew again. If it is going to be a while until your next brew, you'll want to feed your starter every now and then (every couple weeks) with some fresh tea and sugar to replace any liquid that has evaporated.
so if you have a larger (e.g. 2.5 gallon jug with a spout ), can you just fill bottles until there is two cups left, then pour the new batch of tea/sugar mixture into the jug to start the entire process over again? seems this would minimize touching the scoby or brewed kombucha (reducing chance of contaminating)?
yep you can totally do that! Just be very careful to make sure that your tea/sugar mixture has cooled sufficiently (cool to the touch is usually good. if you have a thermometer, it should read around 80 tops).
Question about the term "room temperature" (what range is that?), My room temp is about 68 which would seem to low. Should the 1-3 day 2ndary fermentation step be at the same 75-85 range as the brewing stage (which would be in the "the heated brewing box" that my brew jar lives in)?
You're right! Room temperature definitely varies depending on where you are! For the primary the temperature range is much more important, although since you have a heated set up, I would do your secondary fermentation in there as well as the yeast and bacteria thrive together around 78°F. I guess when I say room temp for the secondary, I really mean just don't put them in the fridge. If you need to keep them at 68°F just expect to wait a few days longer for the secondary fermentation to take place. If you hear a loud hissing sound when you open the bottle–that's when you can toss the bottles in the fridge to halt the fermentation.
Thanks Ruthie, this information has been of great help. I have some questions (1) Can I use frozen berries fruits thawed with a 1/4 tsp of sugar for the second Fermentation and (2) When I did my second recent Fermentation I use Pomegranate 100% juice and it stayed flat no fizzy and I actually let it set room temperature for 5 days nothing. What am I doing wrong or is using juice a no no. (3) When using herbs say Hibiscus Rush Tea and a little bit of sugar, would that work?
I have successfully made a second fermentation with fresh ginger, cut up fresh pineapple and can peaches in 100% juice and it was fizzy. (4) I Love Pomegranate Juice. What is the best way to get good pomegranate flavor without it going flat!? I am diabetic so I don't want it to sweet but a nice flavor not tart!?
Thank You in Advance for Your Response.!!
Hi Jane!
You can totally use frozen berries! You don't have to thaw them, either, just toss em in and they will get to temperature soon enough. Also, If you are using berries, you probably don't need to add the extra sugar as the sugars from the berries should be enough for the yeast to reactivate and get ya some fizz action.
For the pomegranate juice, it's hard to say. I would imagine that it would have enough sugar in it as is, but maybe adding 1/8tsp cane sugar would help it along. Have you tried fresh pomegranate? I would probably just add 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate to each bottle before filling it up.
Temperature plays a roll as well. If it's sitting too cold it will be tough for the yeast to do their thing. And if your bottles aren't air tight, the CO2 wont be forced to dissolve in the liquid but will instead escape.
Let me know if anything works for you! I will give pomegranate a shot tonight and let you know if I have any results :)
Cheers!
good chat, very helpful. I'm brewing my 3rd batch and am very happy with the taste but having mixed results with the 2ndary fermentation phase. Using fruit (strawberries, blackberries and raspberries was able to get good fermentation *and fizz (with no extra sugar). But both batches with fresh ginger & lemon juice & half teaspoon of sugar have been flat (taste good but just minimal fizz). I could taste more sweetness than in the ones with fruit.. Could the lemon juice be killing the yeast, causing low fermentation (during the 2nd bottling stage)? The PH is between 3-3.5, could that be effecting the yeast? Nirvana will be very fizzy ginger Kombucha…… :-)
haha :) The lemon shouldn't be killing anything. I use citrus juice all the time, including lemon. Ginger is definitely the most difficult flavor to work with that I have found. If you are worried about the lemon juice, you could always add it after the fact as well and experiment with it that way. Maybe try using dark sugar or molassas? The microbes that are living on the fresh ginger may be in competition with the SCOBY itself. So in that case, just feed the ginger microbes, which tend to like dark sugars just like in a ginger bug for ginger beer. Just a thought! I haven't actually tried that but that is my best guestimate as to what would work. I will give it a whirl sometime and let you know how it goes. If you try it, let me know as well :)
A few comments and questions about the 2ndary phase, but after the 3rd / 4th batch figured I'd be an expert… not so…. still getting mixed results and having to extend the 2nd stage by a couple of days. On the last batch I "think" the first phase was left fermenting to long, as stated in one of your previous post, it can become to vinegary. I still bottled it, but it was not producing fizz, so I did not burp for 3 days (have thick 16 oz bottles with really strong caps – so no explosion until I opened it).
So could over fermenting in the 1st phase reduce fizz production in the 2nd phase? By the way, I was able to drink the end result but to tart for my wife (so don't consider that a successful batch)..
I've been playing around with many different fruits, including mango *yum" , broke out the juicer from the garage to get fresh concentrate, great to get ginger juice rather than chunks floating around, unfortunately, maybe changing to many variables a the same time to figure a perfect, repeatable process…
PS – is it bad to consume bits of SCOBY (not purposefully eat it like a Scoby burger – HaHa)?. One of my bottles had a lot of air, had to let it go longer in the bottling phase (a small SCOBY formed), When I finally opened it, the explosion totally blended everything up, of what was left. the remaining Kombucha was tasty but could not tell if the sediment was fruit or SCOBY….
cheers – hope your toasting new years with kombucha Champaign :-)
Haha, yeah, kombucha can be finicky but I wouldn't get discouraged about it. Remember you are dealing with a bunch of different bacterias and yeasts who, while the do work together, also have sweet spots that make them happiest. This means that seasonal changes will occur, sometimes the yeast will be super happy and sometimes the bacteria will be. Bacteria tend to thrive in colder environments, so in the wintertime, it can be a little tough to get ample carbonation. I don't really think that over fermenting in the first phase would cause a lack of carbonation because the secondary burst of sugar should reactivate them. I would suggest to try using subtler teas for your wife, try blending green or white tea with a little black and it creates a nice mild tartness.
People actually make scoby gummies, like sugar coated and all, so it's not bad–probably a nice dense source of fiber if I had to guess haha!
And happy new years to you!! Definitely waking up to a kombucha-mosa :)
Can I use tomato, or other vegetable juice to my secondary fermentation?
Yes, absolutely! I have a bloody mary kombucha that I like. I will post the recipe sometime on here :) Let me know if you try it!
Do you have to have fizz? Can the dr8nk be non fizzy. I have trouble with carbonation on my tummy…thank you!
Hi Becky! You don't have to have fizz. The carbonation is allowed to escape until you bottle it and do a secondary fermentation. You can skip the secondary fermentation. If you want to flavor it, you can just add some juice to each bottle and put them straight in the fridge.
Hello,
I do a second ferment in 16 oz (G.T.'s recycled bottles) and 32 oz bottles (with wire bail swing top lid). The kombucha has lots of carbonation in the smaller bottles, while the kombucha is mostly flat in the larger bottles. Do you have any recommendations on how I can get more fizz in the larger bottles? Should I ferment it for longer? Add more fruit? Leave less or more of a gap at the top of the bottle? Use a regular cap 32 oz. bottle?
Thank you for any advice!
Hi Cynthia, everything that you suggested would generally work to increase carbonation–ferment for longer, add more fruit, leave less of a gap at the top of the bottle. Swing tops should be the best as far as air-tightness goes, if they aren't air tight for you then you may need to replace your gaskets. Other than that, the warmer the environment the more active the yeast will be and thus more carbonation will build up. Sometimes fizz just doesn't build up for one reason or the other. In this case, it's best to just use that kombucha in smoothies, jello, salad dressings or whatever you'd like and continue fermenting to the next batch which will hopefully get you more carbonation.
Hi! I am technically on my second batch, and have a question about duration of first ferment. My first batch was off because our kitchen is cold, so I bought your warmer mid-way through the ferment process. With this second/new batch, I have used your warmer the entire time and have had the jar registering between 75-77 degrees. I am on day 10 and the pH is still 3.5 (hasn't changed for 4 days) and it is somewhat sweet (also hasn't changed much). Should I continue to wait? How long should the first ferment take?
Would a juice concentrate like lemonade be ok or should I just use fresh lemons. My favorite store bought kombucha is lemonade flavored. If I used fresh lemons would the peel make it taste funky or should I just use the pulp?
Hi there….completely new to all this! I just made my first batch of Jun tea with a Scoby I got from you all on Amazon. It tastes good but there is no carbonation. It has been 3 days in the airtight bottles. I added fruit juice to each bottle to flavor. So do I let it stand at room temperature longer? Should I add a bit of sugar? Not sure if there is a way to create carbonation at this point but would love to know what I did wrong for the next batch. Thanks! Ann
Hi Ann and thanks for reaching out! Carbonation during the secondary fermentation can take anywhere from 2-10 days based on temperature. May we ask what type of bottles you are using? Airtight is good but they also need to be designed to hold pressure. If not designed to hold the pressure, the CO2 can still escape. As for the additional sugar, this can be added at any point. Lastly, what size bottles are you using and how much juice did you add to each? Look forward to your response and happy to help!