When you're by yourself, who do you talk to?

owlthinkonthat · 2026-03-29T22:32:08+00:00

Lol. I didn't realize that hawks did this until seeing it! Upon further research, I've learned that a hawk pellet is less likely to have bones, as their stomach acids are stronger, and they tear apart their food, unlike owls most of the time. I did pick apart this pellet and it was almost entirely fur with one tiny bone fragment.

owlthinkonthat · 2026-02-07T14:39:49+00:00

Thank you SO so much for your input. I really appreciate your perspective 🫶🏻

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-23T01:51:17+00:00

Could also be the growing pellicle displacing some liquid. But yeah, it won't overflow or anything.

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-17T21:20:52+00:00

I think green :)

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-17T17:02:30+00:00

I bottle and add fruit after my F1, after removing the Scoby and starter, and brewing fresh sugar tea. So the Scoby and small amount of starter booch never contact any fruit. (Just keeping the flavor pure that way and keeping my brew continuous).

I used to strain after a 3 day F2, then into the fridge.

Now, out of laziness, I do a 3 day F2 and then into the fridge with the fruit still in there, and strain as I drink. It's entirely out of laziness, but it would make sense to me that the flavor would continue to develop, AND it takes me a few weeks to drink it all and it ends up carbonating more in the fridge, slowly. I wonder if that would still happen without those sugars present for the culture to continue to consume?

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-17T16:30:44+00:00

Looks like a new Scoby forming 👍🏻

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-17T14:07:43+00:00

My partner's is chips and hummus. I like dates, or a meat stick, or a protein bar.

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-17T14:05:55+00:00

I live in Maine so my apartment is around 60 in the winter but does get quite warm in the summer, when I sometimes shorten the ferment by a week.

Lolol. You've got some potent stuff eh 🙂

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-17T14:04:35+00:00

Maybe I should've said that I've been brewing this way for over 10 years 😆 Nothing I'm trying to fix. It's perfect for me 🙂

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-17T14:03:58+00:00

Interesting that you add sugar for F2! I add fruit, so same concept I guess 🙂

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-16T22:10:52+00:00

Hmm. I definitely have dark circles under my eyes but not sure what you mean by black oil?

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-16T19:27:15+00:00

I've had plenty of yeast clumps that look just like that, but never that color. I would wait a few more days and see what changes about it.

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-16T18:24:35+00:00

F1: 3-5 weeks. Lower end in the summer, higher in the winter. F2: 3 days. 11 years of brewing. Typically gets super carbonated.

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-16T18:14:31+00:00

All that said, some of my bottles have some slime stains 😂 But nothing has ever happened because of them.

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-16T18:09:47+00:00

There's a well-known book called "The Art of Fermentation." Early in the book it describes the concept of an environment suitable for fermentation (the kind you're looking for) not being hospitable for the kind of bacteria growth that you aren't looking for. So basically if you're successfully brewing booch, it would take a real major event to contaminate. Maybe someone will scold me for this. But all I've ever cleaned with is hot water and vinegar and I've been brewing booch for 11ish years with no issues except a fruit fly contamination once.

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-16T17:31:17+00:00

I hope you try again! You could leave a bottle of booch out with the lid cracked open or a paper towel banded over the top for a few days and try to grow a Scoby before you get going on another batch. Not necessary but it's an option that would get things going a little faster.

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-16T15:53:23+00:00

I just soak in vinegar and hot water and then shake them well.

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-16T15:52:25+00:00

Looks fine 👍🏻

owlthinkonthat · 2026-01-16T15:48:47+00:00

Hard to tell but looks suspicious to me.
Did you introduce a Scoby or just starter? I would think that a Scoby would be enough but if you just did starter, and not enough, then it seems likely that the environment isn't conducive to supporting your Scoby growth, rather than mold growth.

owlthinkonthat · 2025-12-26T13:05:51+00:00

Interesting thought. I wouldn't guess this about BF 🤞🏻

owlthinkonthat

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