Kombucha Chronicles: Moldy Booch, Why it Happens and How to Deal
Guys, it happened. Every kombucha brewers nightmare and a huge part of the reason why scoby hotels even exist, I got mold in one of my new jars. I've got my theories as to why but truth be told this is a common issue I expected to face eventually just not today.
That fuzzy spot you see in these photos is the beginnings of a mold infestation. The good thing about kombucha is you can obviously see when things to go wrong. I should have been harvesting this kombucha but it was moldy instead, telling me to compost it and sterilize the vessel.
Now this container is new and different in several fashions. For one, it's got a stainless steel spigot which is preferred by many brewers but this is the only one I have so far and this is the only brew to grow mold for me. I think if it's related to the jar at all it's more related to it's tall shape, making it so it might have made ventilation tough which would cause it to mold. It needs air, that's why we use a filter that's breathable.
If you're brewing kombucha, set aside scobies in a hotel in case you get mold like I did. Thankfully, I've got a lot of other active scobies that are unaffected and healthy in older jars so I'm not too hurt by this, other than worried about the possibilities of this brewing container. Needless to say I'm prioritizing my other new container with a new scoby, as it's spigot free and a shape that kombucha seems to like. I've heard it likes wider containers and I'm really thinking that might be true.
My other bit of advice in the event of mold is to throw everything out. If you're seeing mold the kombucha is loaded with spores and not necessarily safe. Some people will argue and say that some molds are okay and that you can wash your scoby, but it's best to just keep a hotel on hand and pitch it if it gets fuzzy. If there's no fuzzy dry spots, there's no mold. Kahm yeast is a white film but it's not the same and not harmful, although not desirable either.
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Good post. We've been brewing for a couple yrs now, had mold twice.
It's almost always an issue of cold or lack of ventilation when it's not related to the tea itself.
Bonitas fotografías
Wonderful article! Upvoted and followed!
Wonderful
How long was the interval between the last time you refreshed the tea and the first time you noticed the mold? Do you think it also may have went too long without refreshing?
I don't continuous brew so it wouldn't be a matter of that. If I were to go too long before harvesting that'd actually reduce the liklihood of mold. Realistically, it was probably just a combination of bad factors including weather. When I went to harvest, I found mold instead of finished tea and a healthy scoby.
Oh, well I think I have a clue to your mold. The pH is swinging too high in between brews with the batch method. You can still use the batch method and keep it low by adding back 15-25% brewed (primary ferment only of course) to the new brew...that will keep the pH nice and low!