Kombucha Maintenance of Continuous Brew

#8 – Kombucha Maintenance of Continuous Brew

I lead a busy life (we all do), and I do my best take advantage of the time I have. Therefore, planning and preparation are two things that have become habits for me. That is why I decided to learn how to do the kombucha continuous brew method.

This doesn’t mean, that you don’t have to take a small break every now and then to do some maintenance. Roughly every two to six months you will need to clean the vessel that you are brewing in to make sure your scoby remains healthy, prevent yeast overgrowth, and to prevent mold developing.

Nobody Likes a Dirty House

Be sure that all of your instruments (including your hands)are clean/sterile, so you don’t contaminate the kombucha.

Bottle all the kombucha from the jar, setting aside 2 cups worth for your next brewing batch.
Always start with a clean your work surface.
- Vinegar works well.
- Wash your hands with a natural soap.
Gently remove the scoby from the jar, placing it in the kombucha you set aside. Cover immediately, so bugs don’t land on it.
Thoroughly clean the container using a natural dish detergent, thoroughly rinsing all the soap out.
Now is a good time to test the spigot, to make sure it isn’t leaking. Add enough water to cover the spigot and then let it drain. Check for any leaks.
Now and 1 cup of vinegar, swishing it around to coat the inside of the vessel. Dump the liquid out through the spigot giving it a cleaning too.

Starting the continuous brew back up.

Thin out your scoby. As you have learned already, with each batch of kombucha made, it forms a new scoby. You don’t have to separate them every time, but eventually, you will want to start thinning them out. Keep the top 1″ layer for yourself and share the others with friends, dehydrate them, throw bits into smoothies, create a scoby hotel or compost them.
Make a fresh batch of sweet tea, allow it to cool, add the 2 cups of kombucha as your starter liquid, add the scoby, cover, and carry on as usual.