Kombucha Basics: Carbonation 

My apartment is around 22 or so Celsius, so approx 70 to 72 F. I have no issue getting great carbonation in my F2 bottles. I sit my bottles about 4 days, and add approx. 1/4 cup of juice or 2 tbsp. Syrup to my 16 oz bottles.

Andrew Roberts Oh I’m so glad to hear that!

I've made kefir in the past, but just wasn't as into the process or the taste as much as I've enjoyed kombucha, so I likely won't make videos on kefir. But you never know! I'm open to changing my mind one day :)

How long do you F2? You may just need to reduce the amount of time you second ferment in the bottle. Every culture is different, so the 2-3 day guideline may not apply to you -- especially if you live in a warm climate. Some folks get carbonation in half a day! So you may just have to find the approximate F2 length that's perfect for your kombucha culture and your environment. :)

I had this problem in my last batch. I tried to open it to serve people and it would not stop bubbling over. So I tried releasing some from another bottle, and the same. In the end, all my kombucha lost all it's carbonation so I tried leaving them out again in room temperature for a couple more days to re-carbonate.

Jack Wall I cover that here (scroll down to the very bottom of the page) www.youbrewkombucha.com/carbonation :)

I say you'll have to pasteurize the kombucha by boiling the bottles.

More than 1 is OK, but it's really the amount of starter tea that matters more than SCOBY amount/size. :)

@@YouBrewKombucha thank you very much for responding, I've been using 2 cups of starter tea, some of the starter comes from my hotel. I'm so thankful I found your video's, Kombucha on Maui can be very expensive if you want it every day.

I'd say let it sit in the kombucha until you think the flavor has fully extracted into the liquid to your liking. It really depends on the strength and amount of fruit used, so I always just recommend going with your taste buds as the final determiner. :)

@@YouBrewKombucha thx for the answer :)

hanemroz Hi there! If you go to www.youbrewkombucha.com/carbonation and scroll all the way down, I have a section that talks about getting fizz w/o flavoring. The key is just adding more sugar for the yeast to eat, but each scoby is different so you’ll have to do some experimenting to see how much sugar you need to add to your bottles in F2 and how long you need to ferment them at room temp to build up a good balance of fizz without it getting too sour. Hope that helps!

You're a kombucha angel! Thanks so much, I'll try it out next batch!

www.youbrewkombucha.com/guide-to-2nd-fermentation

yes, especially with a CB vessel! Those in particular are prone to yeast concentration down at the bottom of the vessel, so it's always good to stir.

What kind if bottles are you using? I do my second fermentation at around 21 to 22 Celsius and it takes 4 days...it's never that carbonated to be explosive...it foams up if it's opened before being refrigerated, but is just lightly bubbly once it's chilled. I've never burped bottles during F2. I use good quality flip top bottles and also reuse GTs kombucha bottles. Shaking the bottles will make them more foamy, so I only gently flip the bottle a couple of times to redistribute flavourings in the bottle before enjoying. Hope this helps.

I don't need to risk it :) Dunno why, maybe the scoby, maybe the natural juices i use, tea, bottles, i don't know. All i know is After 24 hours in direct sunlight, near a window has enough carbonation for taste, and no risk. I don't even add any additional sugar now. I tried cheaper juices, and syrups previously, but didn't get that fast carbonation in the past though. Or if i add only sugar in the second fermentation. The ones i use now, seem to carbonate much, much faster, so i assume it must be the juice i use.

@@skroblas5411 yeah, I always keep my bottles put of direct sunlight. It's a constant room temperature in the shade. Maybe that's the cause? Anyway, you di what works for you, and glad you found a mess free method 👍

@@skroblas5411 oh and it sounds like you have a very active scoby....nothing wrong with it...its a good thing...

No need to use fruit if you don't want to! But yes, in general you do need to add a bit of extra sugar during 2nd fermentation to re-activate the yeasts, give them some new sugar to eat and get it bubbly. :) I recommend starting with 1/2 - 1 tsp per 16 oz. bottle

Sorry,I am sorry not string!but stright(filtering ).It 's like used 3 fermention.I am sorry for my mistake to write !

Its a scoby thats creates yeast you dont use it for anything else

Most of the carbonation happens in the second fermentation itself, not the first. So I wouldn’t care about how much fizz i lose since the fizzing forms in the sealed bottles in the second phase

@@bigira Not entirely true. My batches come out after about 10 days with a substantial amount of fizz. The second fermentation process for me is more about burning off a bit more of the sugars, and I notice a substantial loss of fizz in the short term until it builds back up again during the second process. So yeah, I would like to preserver the initial fizz instead of loose it.

Wayne & Jessica Thompson More vids coming later this year!

Yay! Thank you!

@@YouBrewKombucha I am glad. I am learning a lot from your videos!

@@feddie1172 during six months i realised you just have to pour kombucha in air tight bottles and leave it for 1-2 days. it willl be fuzzy:)

Morgan Riley I haven’t! But you certainly can! That’s a great idea.

@@YouBrewKombucha My fav is grape!

Pao Lo refrigeration “stops” or greatly slows down fermentation. So I refrigerate once the bottles are perfectly carbonated. Do you refrigerate yours and still find them over-carbonated? If so, you may just need to refrigerate them sooner.

It's a specific wild yeast and bacteria that only will do to a certain amount of alcohol. So adding lots of sugar will increase to just a certain amount, 2-4 % alcohol. You need a stronger yeast like they use for wine and bear to achieve higher alcohol content. Even using a bread yeast will give you a decent 7% ish brew...

Adam Kahn yup!

Nope, you can use whatever fruit you like

riccia888 Yep! I outline my tips here: www.youbrewkombucha.com/choosing-right-bottles-caps - hope that helps!

You Brew Kombucha thanks for the reply:) do i need to open my bootle before puting inside the fridge after my 2nd fermentation?

Not sure I understand your question -- do you mean "burping" your bottle before putting it into the fridge? I never open/burp my bottles during my 2nd fermentation process, since I'm familiar with my kombucha's specific fermentation timeline (you can read more about why I don't burp here: www.youbrewkombucha.com/why-im-anti-burp) But after 2nd fermentation, I just move them all to the fridge and don't open them until I'm ready to drink. Hope that helps!

If you don't have starter tea, that's likely the problem. In this case, I would recommend trying a batch with a scoby (one that hasn't gotten moldy) + enough distilled white vinegar to bring the pH down below 4. Hope that helps!

You Brew Kombucha did you just tell him to use vinegar!? I thought you previously said that wasn’t a good thing to do.

You may be second-fermenting it too long --- try putting it in the fridge after just 1 or 2 days fermenting in the bottle and see if that helps. You may just need to adjust the timeline to fit your cultures and the average temperature where you live. The warmer it is, the faster it'll ferment and build bubbles. Sometimes in the summer, I only have to bottle-ferment for a day or so before moving to the fridge. :) So you'll just have to experiment and adjust with your brews

You Brew Kombucha so is there a happy fix for the ones I already made? I dread opening them. It pops crazy, I now need to keep my hand pressed firmly on cap to allow gas to escape slowly, while keeping or trying to keep most of my kombucha in the bottle. I luv it n all the fizz, but dread the expected pop n fizz. 😳 thanks again 🤙🏽

Have you checked out this video yet? www.youbrewkombucha.com/minimize-mess :)

She's not speaking quickly. I believe you can use closed captions in your language.

Gaff Gripman Thanks! You can find some of his work at www.seewhatryankellydoes.com 😊

You Brew Kombucha great thanks

You Brew Kombucha just watched your husband’s Murder Files..... hysterical.

I'm doing some experiments using BPA-free plastic containers that are specifically designed to be safe for fermenting low-pH beverages. So I'll report back with my findings on that. But the truth of the matter is that there's not a lot of transparency out there (or even a lot of clear scientific information) that's trustworthy across the board about all types of plastics. There are so many manufacturers and brands of plastic materials that are not up-front about the materials and leaching capabilities of what's in their products. And on top of that -- different foods have different pH levels, so just because one type of plastic is (allegedly) safe for certain beverages, that doesn't mean it's safe for fermenting beverages that continue to acidify. I actually stay away from purchasing vinegars that are in plastic containers for that same reason. Most *quality* vinegar makers bottle in glass. Because of that -- my personal preference is to advise home brewers to go with the least risky option possible: food-safe glass. There's a lot of info online about this, and honestly anyone can find anything to prove/disprove their own beliefs about things, but here's a quick read if you're interested: www.npr.org/2011/03/02/134196209/study-most-plastics-leach-hormone-like-chemicals. Ultimately, the decision is yours. I try to avoid plastic usage as much as possible, because for my lifestyle, it's the easiest, most sustainable and less potentially risky option. But if you want to use plastic, and you've evaluated your own lifestyle and research, that's totally fine too. If you have specific brands/recommendations of plastic vessels that work for you, please send them my way. Like I said, I'm working on doing more research on this myself too. Trust me, I try to provide science-based recommendations as much as possible -- my goal is to never just rely on "hear-say."

You Brew Kombucha Thank- you so very much ! You've giving a honest & sincere answer . I've watched other Brewers on my quest and by far your the easiest to understand. Your in depth answer shows you have integrity ,maturity , with a passion and desire to learn more as to share with us the viewers your beliefs and true findings. I grew up where everything came bottled in glass. Milk was one of the first product I seen in plastic . Thank-You again! You've gained much respect from a old man!

Plastic bottle are they not supposed to be glass, sorry to hear about your hand

Fair point. Not my most compelling argument. My main point, though, was that it's ineffective and a waste of time compared to other, more effective, science-based methods of creating carbonation. But if you don't want to take any of my advice because one thing I said was lackluster, that's your choice. One of my "important facts in life" is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but hey, you may disagree with as well. No skin off my nose either way. :)

blondegaijin Thanks for sticking with me through the hair discontinuity.

I think your hair looks great and I'm grateful for your time! This is a really wonderful resource. I've been thinking about home brewing for a while and your videos have convinced me to go ahead and do it! Thanks for passing on your knowledge.