So if you are using good quality ingredients and techniques, a pure yeast strain with a good starter, and are not planning on leaving the beer in your fermenter any longer than needed – then a secondary is not needed. Just leave it in the primary and let it go.
For 5 gallon batches, a 6.5 gallon fermenter is generally used as a primary and a 5 gallon fermenter is used as a secondary. So, why would you want to take this extra step? The main purpose of the secondary vessel is to facilitate the settling of the yeast and to allow the beer to age.
You can drink your kombucha straight out of the primary fermentation. It might not be as carbonated as if you did a secondary fermentation. You can bottle it and stick it in the fridge or enjoy at room temp.
What is 2nd fermentation (a.k.a. F2)? Second fermentation is the process through which you flavor your brew and put it into a sealed container, which traps carbonation into the liquid. It typically takes 2-4 days, but can take longer.
Transferring your beer to secondary will allow the beer's flavors and aromas to mellow and let yeast to drop out of solution, producing a clearer finished product. For many beers with an original gravity of 1.040 or lower, or beers that are usually served cloudy, this step is usually not necessary.
This question is often asked, and the answer isn't really set in stone. Many homebrewers have the general rule of thumb that they don't leave their beer in primary or secondary fermentation longer than 4 weeks each.
When you allow your kombucha to ferment for longer, the bacteria and yeast have more time to “eat” the sugars, which they then turn into carbonation and acidity. A study found anecdotal evidence that kombucha may stabilize blood sugar in diabetics, though this was neither controlled nor randomized.
You certainly can, but I don't recommend messing with the vessel for the first few days. That way, the SCOBY can form uninterrupted. During the first 4-5 days, it'll likely be too sweet anyway, so it's not worth bothering your vessel just to sneak a taste.
Yes! During each ferment, the mother scoby (the one you added) will produce a baby scoby. Every scoby can be used four times before it gets too old and needs to be discarded. With each batch of kombucha a baby scoby is produced and the process starts again, you will have a fridge full of scobys before you know it.
As A Side Note: It is important to note that an air-lock should always be used after the must has gone into its secondary fermentation. This is in agreement with most.
Understanding the Phases of Fermentation
This multiplication happens very quickly, but not a lot of alcohol is produced. Oxygen is needed during this phase by the yeast for it to work.
2. No additions to the secondary vessel except to thoroughly clean and sanitize. You could add a little sugar or dissolved extract when you rack to secondary to give the yeast something to do with any aeration that occurs in the beer during racking to secondary so you don't oxidize the beer.
However, if the kombucha brew is left for several weeks or even months beyond that target time, the SCOBY continues to feed off the liquid in the fermentation vessel. Meaning, it will eat up every bit of available sugar and tea that it can, converting it into acetic acid instead – aka, vinegar.
If it formed in thin layers, they may peel easily or even rip at times but you cannot hurt the SCOBY this way. If you cannot rip it apart, trim SCOBYs using the scissors or knife. How you cut it does not matter: half, quarters or to trim around the edges to reduce the size.
The Basics. Any time that you are handling your kombucha culture/kombucha SCOBY, you will want to make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap (regular soap, NOT antibacterial) and water. Be sure to wash all of the soap off before handling your SCOBY, as soap can actually harm your SCOBY.
You should replace your kombucha SCOBY if you ever find traces of mold on it, or if it begins to turn black.
A moldy or dead scoby is quite distinctive, and there is no mistaking it when you see it. The mold will be white or colorful, fuzzy and dry. It can appear as spots on the scoby, or cover the scoby altogether. A dead scoby will be black.
Due to the acidity and presence of good bacteria and yeast, there should be no “bad bacteria” or mold in the kombucha. This means it can safely be stored in the refrigerator for many months – generally 6 to 8 months.
Drinking too much kombucha could potentially lead to reactions like headache, nausea, GI distress or going into ketoacidosis (a medical emergency where there's too much acid in your blood).
Many kombucha drinks have a lot of added sugar, which helps to make them taste better. Too much sugar, however, can cause problems for people with diabetes. Added sugars may also increase diabetes, obesity, fatty liver, and heart disease risks. Kombucha tea is an acidic beverage, which can pose problems for your teeth.
However, drinking around 4–12 ounces of kombucha per day is a safe amount for most people. Like many fermented foods, it really depends on your body and what you personally need. It's best to start with a small serving (½ cup per day) and work up from there.
They see that the airlock is not longer bubbling and figure this is when the fermentation is done. In reality, the fact that the bubbling stopped is only an indication that the fermentation may be done, but is is not an absolute indicator.
In short, if all of the sugars have been consumed, the answer is yes. The longer the fermentation process takes, the more sugar is converted into alcohol. As more sugar is converted, the resulting beer will feature a higher alcohol content.
Typically, you can tell primary fermentation is done when your gravity has dropped below 1.030, which will tell you most of your sugars have been converted to alcohol. But you could be finished sooner than ten days, so it is a good idea to regularly check your gravity levels.
If you check on your scoby and see that it's turned black, then the scoby has died. The best practice is to throw it away and any batch of tea that was made using it.