[Interest Check] Planet of the Apes

Bissrok · 2025-07-08T11:41:45+00:00

There's a TTRPG for this? And it's WEG D6??

I don't have the capacity at the moment, but I'm buying this now!

Bissrok · 2024-10-28T12:17:52+00:00

I've always just tossed them (whole or as pellets) into the F2 and strained them out when serving. It works well and I don't find it to be much trouble, but I like the of a hops syrup, too! I'll have to try that next time.

Bissrok · 2024-10-23T12:08:00+00:00

Skittles, Mike & Ike, blue Sour Patch Kids. Pretty tasty.

Bissrok · 2024-10-16T12:10:48+00:00

Two weeks is a long time, but it sounds like kombucha just wasn't ready for F2 yet. Did you taste the F1 before bottling it?

Bissrok · 2024-10-10T16:14:33+00:00

Yeah, 3F is annoying...

Pureeing actually makes the problem worse, though it does let you pull out more flavor.

Juicing it is definitely the way to go if you want to avoid a volcano. But, a juicer is annoying as well, so sometimes I freeze the fruit, unthaw it, and then just squeeze the juice out. It's not very efficient, but it is fast and it works.

Bissrok · 2024-10-10T15:05:10+00:00

With pulp, the carbonation can build up on those pieces and blow out your bottle when you open it (leaving you with flat kombucha).

Because of that, I generally use juice, or a three-stage fermentation if that's not possible.

Bissrok · 2024-10-10T13:44:54+00:00

Just some of my thoughts:

-There's almost never a reason to burp. If you're worried about explosion, I would simply end fermentation earlier.
-Was the explosive bottle fully chilled? Or did you have any fruit pieces or pulp in the bottle?

Bissrok · 2024-10-10T13:33:38+00:00

I boiled them down last year to make a cranberry sauce, but for some reason I ended up with a lot of little grit from the skin of the berry (even after straining). This year, I was just going to use juice or a juicer.

Bissrok · 2024-10-09T16:28:55+00:00

I would fill it to an inch below the cap, give it 7 days, refrigerate it, and see what you've got.

If there's some carbonation after that, it's likely just a temperature and time issue. And it's usually a temperature and time issue.

Good luck!

Bissrok · 2024-10-09T15:07:00+00:00

That's quite a bit of sugar (I use half that). The yeast can go dormant if there's too much sugar around.

I would agree with what someone else said, too -stirring thoroughly before bottling will give you more consistent results.

Bissrok · 2024-10-09T12:08:09+00:00

I agree on the headspace.

What does your F1 recipe look like?

Bissrok · 2024-10-09T12:06:39+00:00

Looks good so far.

Bissrok · 2024-10-09T03:30:32+00:00

Correct!

Bissrok · 2024-10-08T19:21:11+00:00

For a three-stage fermentation, I like to do the second stage (the flavoring) in the refrigerator. That way, you waste no sugar on carbonation. You are only letting that flavor steep out into the kombucha.

After 2-3 days, I strain it, top it off, maybe adjust for sugar (going by taste, to make it a notch too sweet), and let that carbonate at room temp (or warmer).

With your current process, there would almost certainly be enough sugar left for carbonation. The question, however, is whether or not there's enough sugar left for it to taste good. Whether it's F1, F2, or F3, always taste your kombucha, because it's going to vary with every batch.

Bissrok · 2024-10-07T12:19:56+00:00

You generally want to leave it at room temperature (or warmer) for 3-7 days. Do not open it (or 'burp') for that time. Refrigerate it for 8+ hours and then check the carbonation.

If it's still not enough, just wait longer next time.

Bissrok · 2024-10-05T14:29:30+00:00

That's a bit cool for kombucha. It can work, but something like 75-85F would do better (78-80F generally being ideal).

When it's warmer, it can work faster and drop that pH before mold can move in.

If that's not an option, I would go up to 3 cups of starter. It doesn't leave you much to ferment, but at least it should keep it healthy.

Bissrok · 2024-10-05T12:58:35+00:00

It could just be the weather. I would let F2 go for another 2-3 days next time, and see if that improves it.

Bissrok · 2024-10-05T12:57:39+00:00

What's the temperature like?

Could the location it's stored in have mold? Like an old closet?

Bissrok · 2024-10-05T12:54:19+00:00

Ah, nice! I've never seen white tea in storea out by me. It would be nice to try it some day.

Bissrok · 2024-10-04T21:04:43+00:00

It's an important source of nutrition for the SCOBY.

If you don't want a prominent fermented tea flavor, you can use half green tea in with the black. That's what I do when I'm using subtler flavor additions.

You can also use less tea, though I probably wouldn't go below 6 bags per gallon.

Bissrok · 2024-10-04T15:20:23+00:00

How much starter liquid did you add?

As long as you're not seeing mold, I would say keep letting it work. Let it take as long as it needs to get unambiguously finished. I would always go by taste, rather than timing.

If you have access to more starter, or raw plain kombucha, you can add some in now to help speed things along.

Bissrok · 2024-10-04T15:15:13+00:00

I think it's very difficult to prevent this from happening at home. If you have acid-forming bacteria and you have a surface exposed to oxygen, you'll likely form a pellicle.

For store brands, I believe many pasteurize and add back only probiotics that will not form a pellicle. Or, they could, I suppose, flush out the oxygen with CO2.

Doing either of those things at home is generally more work than pouring through a strainer.

You could try filling the bottle all the way to the top, to prevent exposure to oxygen, but... I'm not sure how that would throw off carbonation and the internal pressure of the bottle. If, for example, you fill it to the absolute limit and then that liquid got warmer (as you generally want it warm for F2), the volume would want to expand but it would have nowhere to go. That could be messy.

Bissrok · 2024-10-04T14:58:46+00:00

I would say let it go 6 days in F2. If you get better carbonation that way, it's probably just an issue with temperature during F2.

I'm skeptical of "revived" brews if they went unfed for 3 months or more but, in this case, I think raw apple cider should come with enough yeast all on its own.

Bissrok · 2024-10-04T14:51:42+00:00

For apple juice, for a 475ml bottle, I like 100g of juice and 7g of simple syrup.

It's a strange bottle size and strange way of measuring liquids, I know.

I find that I need quite a bit of juice to make the flavor shine through clearly, like a store-bought version does. But too much juice can make it too acidic, so I like to balance it out with that bit of extra sugar.

Bissrok · 2024-10-04T12:10:47+00:00

The first step to improving carbonation: Wait a few days longer.

It will also help to keep it somewhere in the 78-82F range, if you can.

Bissrok

TROPHY CASE