2 Gallon Vessel for Continuous Brew Kombucha

CONTINUOUS BREW KOMBUCHA

If you are already a little familiar with kombucha and the basic differences between small batch brewing and continuous batch brewing, read on!  If not, you should probably start here where I provide a brief overview of the health benefits and brewing options. To learn about the benefits of Living Foods in general, start here: Living Foods

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

The first time I made my own kombucha I used the batch brew method. The process was so much simpler than I expected, and I probably could have continued that indefinitely if it wasn't for one, small problem: My family was drinking our kombucha faster than I could make it with my existing setup. I knew it was time to upgrade to a larger vessel, so when I found the perfect 2 gallon glass dispenser on sale, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to make the switch from the batch brew method to continuous brew method- and I have never looked back.

BENEFITS OF CONTINUOUS BREWING

The best part of the continuous brew process is that I rarely have to handle the SCOBY. On my current continuous brew schedule, I only need to maintain the vessel once every 6 months. So just twice a year I remove and trim my SCOBY, scrub my vessel until it's squeaky clean, put everything back together and begin again.

And my weekly process? It is basically this:

1) Dispense my freshly brewed kombucha from my large brewing vessel into my favorite carafes (the spout makes this easy).

2) Make a new batch of sweet tea, allow it to cool, then add it to the brewing vessel.

3) Wait ~ 7 days until it's ready, then repeat!

MY CHOICE OF TOOLS

I decided to go with an inexpensive, 2-gallon glass vessel I found on Amazon, and purchased a separate stainless steel spigot to replace the one that came with it. There are some beautiful ceramic options available as well, and these are wonderful if you plan to keep the vessel on your counter for easy access. But keep in mind, these tend to be a bit pricier than the plain glass ones and a lot of ceramic glazes contain lead so you need to be careful; If you choose this option, be sure to verify that the vessel is listed as lead-free, and make sure you are buying it from a reputable seller. I keep my kombucha in the pantry and don't mind keeping a kitchen towel wrapped around it to keep out the light. Plus, I really like that I can easily see what's going on inside the vessel. For a complete list of my favorite kombucha-making tools, click here.

HOW BIG IS YOUR SCOBY?

If you have a SCOBY and strong starter liquid that is large enough to brew 1 full gallon of kombucha , then just follow the steps below. You can buy large SCOBYs packed in starter liquid in health food stores and even on Amazon. The seller should tell you the "capacity" of the SCOBY they are selling. Look for a listing that reads something like:  "Kombucha Tea Culture with SCOBY and strong starter, makes one gallon."

If you already purchased and started using a smaller SCOBY using the batch brew method fear not; You can to switch to continuous brew method and don't necessarily need to buy a new, larger capacity SCOBY. The wonderful thing about SCOBYs is that they are living, breathing organisms that, if cared for properly, grow and continue to get stronger. Just be patient and increase the amount of sweet tea you add to each new batch a little bit each time. Here's a good rule of thumb: At batch sizes of under 3 gallons, your SCOBY should be able to transform the sweet tea to kombucha in about one to three weeks max. If it takes longer than that, you are probably "overfeeding" it. This could cause the acidity of the tea to be too low for too long and that could increase the risk of your SCOBY developing mold. By the way, that would be a very BAD thing and you would need to throw out your kombucha and your SCOBY if that happens so try not to rush it!

The instructions below explain the exact process I use to make 1 gallon of (bottleable/drinkable) kombucha per week in my 2 gallon dispenser. I love it because I only have to measure one thing- my one cup of sugar. And if you are impatient type like me, you can make the process even faster by quick cooling your kombucha in a double boiler setup with ice water on the bottom. Either way, it doesn't get any easier than this!

NOTE: For more information on ingredients for the secondary fermentation process, visit the Batch Brew Kombucha page.

PREVENTING MOLD GROWTH (PUBLIC ENEMY #1 FOR YOUR SCOBY)

Your SCOBY will flourish as long as it is kept in a healthy environment. The important factors are the temperature (70-85 degrees is optimal), exposure to light (it likes the dark), and the pH of its environment (it does best in an acidic liquid). By making sure to leave enough strong kombucha in the vessel for every new batch, you are giving the SCOBY a probiotic-rich, acidic kick start which will support the SCOBY and help to stave off the risk of mold. If you use a SCOBY that is too small for the size of the batch, or don't leave enough "starter liquid", you increase your chance of developing mold.

Keep in mind, yeast is a necessary component in a healthy batch of kombucha (hence the name:Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and YEAST) so don't be alarmed if you see brownish "growths" either on top or dangling beneath your floating SCOBY. This is just yeast and it's not only perfectly healthy but it's desired! If, on the other hand, you see white, pink, blue or green fuzzy growths (MOLD) on your SCOBY, it's time to toss the SCOBY and the whole batch of kombucha, sterilize everything and begin again.

STARTING WITH A SMALL SCOBY OR LIMITED AMOUNT OF STARTER

If you are starting your first batch and are worried that your SCOBY is too small for a full gallon, or that you don't have enough strong starter,  you can always begin by using just 1/2 gallon of sweet tea with your SCOBY and starter. You should still use the large 2 gallon vessel because a new SCOBY will begin to grow and cover the surface of the liquid. You'll just have a small amount of liquid at the bottom to get things going. You can store the remainder of your sweet tea in the refrigerator until the first 1/2 gallon of kombucha has properly fermented for 1 - 3 weeks. Once the kombucha has developed a strong, tart flavor and you see a new healthy SCOBY growing on top of the liquid, you can add the remaining 1/2 gallon of sweet tea (it's best to allow it to warm to room temperature first). Treat this like a new batch and allow it to ferment for another few days before taste testing it again.

ADJUSTING YIELD

You probably noticed, I am using a 2 gallon dispenser, but the recipe above only calls for 1 gallon of sweet tea. The reason I start off with the vessel only half full is to get the SCOBY going slowly (since the largest SCOBYs you can typically find are sized for 1 gallon batches). As the SCOBY grows, you can begin to increase the amount of sweet tea, and the amount of kombucha you can later tap, with each new batch. All you need to do to scale it up is keep the ratio consistent.

1 gallon (or 16 cups) water : 1 cup sugar : 8 tea bags

VERY IMPORTANT- DO NOT FORGET

The SCOBY is a living organism that can die if exposed to extreme temperatures or chlorine. It functions best at a temperature of 68-85 degrees F, so never add boiling hot tea to your vessel, and don't refrigerate or freeze it.

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Source: https://bluequarry.com/make-your-own-kombucha-continuous-brew-easy/

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