sour KT

[Guest guest]

I have been brewing KT since February and have been loving it. Over

the summer I decided to start a storage jar for the extra scobies.

Since that time, I have used some of the KT in the storage jar as

the starter for the new batchs.

I use 3 cups of the storage jar starter with 3 quarts water, 1 cup

sugar and 5 green tea bags. Previous to the storage jar, I used 3

cups of KT from the previous batch as the starter - always using the

top of the brew as the starter. The KT now becomes very sour, in

just a few days. I started a batch 2 days ago and already it is very

sour.

I have tried adding 2 oz. vodka and 1/2 tsp. white Karo syrup, but

that made no difference. The scobies in the brewing jars are about

1 " thick. I have no problems producing scobies. About the time it

started getting very sour, it got very hot and I started using the

storage jar KT as a starter. I am wondering if the storage jar

starter is causing the problem, or, perhaps, the hot weather.

However, it is much cooler now, and I am still having the same

problem.

I would truly appreciate the opinions of some of the veteran KT

makers. Thank you for your help.

Donna V.

[Guest guest]

>Thank you to all who have replied to my problem. I have tasted the

>sour KT, as per V's suggestion. The sourness seems to be experienced

>at the sides and back of the tongue. This process is new to me, but I

>really do not taste sourness right behind the front teeth. So, it

>seems that I have a bacteria overgrowth.

I still don't think so, at all. I don't know where Ed is coming from on

that because as I said, when the bacteria are dominant, it takes a long

time to brew and doesn't get nearly as tart. If you take measures to

increase the yeast as he suggests, you'll just get an even more accelerated

brew with even more sourness, I believe.

>I, apparently, have been working so hard not to have a yeast

>overgrowth, or mold, that I went overboard the other way. I did not

>realize that an overgrowth of bacteria would make a sour brew, too,

>even though the sourness is experienced differently.

It doesn't make a sour brew. If the bacteria are dominant it tends to stay

sweeter, but it will still get tart. I was trying to figure out whether

you really had a yeast problem or what, by trying to get a sense of what

you meant by " sour " -- if you had the " short " sour (which you don't,

apparently) it would mean a real yeast overgrowth. All KT is supposed to

be tart, not sweet.

>I will try the suggestions given by the group. Thank you to all who

>took the time to reply.

The only thing I know that makes an accelerated brew (sour in 3 days) is a

too-yeasty brew in hot temperatures. But I am really wondering what you

mean by " sour " and whether you've tasted anyone else's KT to have something

to compare it to. KT is supposed to be tart, and if it's not, it's not

ready yet.

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste