Continous Brew

[Guest guest]

I'm getting a 2.8 gallon glass dispenser with spigot for continous

brew. Now, some people are decanting or taking a gallon of kt out once

a week and replacing with a new gallon of fresh tea at that time. Some

people seem to be drinking tea straight from the dispenser tap and

replacing sweet tea every 3rd or 4th day. Some people seem to be

drinking the Kt daily and replace that tea daily.

Ok, what method of continous brew gets the best flavor, has the most

health benefits and is the least amount of work?

[Guest guest]

In message <i4f2le+cg4seGroups> you wrote:

> On a continuous Brew, What makes the brew turn really sour?

> I have been replacing what I remove but it gets really sour after

> about a week.

Hi Greg, I think, you aren't drinking it fast enough! ;-)

As a batch brewer, I find that brews are ready for harvesting after a

week (sometimes a little longer)

There is also the probability of accelerating microflora, especially

the yeasts, which cause the brew to turn sour quite quickly, because

the sugars are being consumed faster.

You may have to clean out your fermentation jar, discard yeast accumulations

and start with your big scoby. The zooglia mat will increase the bacterial

activity in your brew which decreases the souring and makes a better

flavour in the end.

http://users.bestweb.net/~om/kombucha_balance/

This makes reference to what to do with a fast souring brew.

kombuchaly,

Margret UK :-)

--

+------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+

http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html

http://bavarianminstrel.wordpress.com

creation.com

No God . . . No You! Know God, Know You!

[Guest guest]

I do continuous brewing and I do it only once every 7 or 8 days. I use a 6

gallon container and brew at about the 5 gallon mark. When I bottle, I bottle up

about 2 gallons, which is about what we drink in a week or so. And the KT is

nice and dry the way we like it and has plenty of fizz. I use 16 oz wire top

bottles and add about 1/4 cup of a fresh natural juice. They are about a week

old when I put them in the fridge. They come out awesome.

> >

> > I want to add encouragement to what Margret said, especially her reference

to the link about the " Balancing Act " in kombucha brewing.

> >

> > I've read and used that article a lot, and at first I was overwhelmed by the

options and information. It didn't take long to get the hang of the variables.

After that, I developed a better routine, so I don't have to look everything up

all the time. My encouragement is: " Relax, you'll get the hang of it. "

> >

> > I'm a modified-continuous batch brewer. I brew and add fresh tea to my

rotation of three 1-gallon brewing pots twice a week, which seems like enough

work for me. I also make a lot of vinegar that I use on my hair and skin.

> >

> > This is the link to that article on balancing:

http://users.bestweb.net/~om/kombucha_balance/

> >

>

[Guest guest]

The reason I like continuous brewing every four days is that I never have to

re-bottle the tea. I just drink the batch that is ready over a four day period.

I find that if I drink a gallon down to the 1/2-way mark, then refill, my

kombucha is ready in four days and is drinkable for another four days.

Batch brewing means re-bottling, and that seems like work to me. Confession: I'm

a super lazybones in the kitchen, too, eating the same thing for several days so

I don't have to cook very often.

I like to streamline everything, so making a liter of tea every other day is a

" waste of time " to me, whereas making a gallon is a wise use of time. This is

where everybody is different - some people like doing their tea daily, some

weekly, etc. Other things, like kitchen space and the size of container that one

can lift also come into play.

Kombucha brewing is like art - over time, a combination of influences and

experiences leads each one of us develops our own style.

Eve