Help!! My Scoby is Floating!!
Believe it or not, the phenomena of a floating Scoby happen quite
regularly and it will spook the daylight out of 10 novice brewers.
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Scoby floating |
The newly formed Scoby will slowly inch higher and higher
from the surface and in certain cases looks as if it is actually levitating.
Quite a feet to achieve for a group of bacteria and yeast isn’t it?
Based on experience a floating Scoby does not harm the end
product, in fact it kombucha that is produced in such a scenario has extra fizz
to it. The downside? A thinner baby
Scoby because the baby Scoby cannot grow consistently as it the gas will
disrupt its growth by pushing it away from the brew.
If this is happening to your brew, there is nothing for you
to worry about. This phenomenon occurs due to excessive carbon dioxide that is
produced through the fermentation process. In other words, the yeast in the
brew is very active.
Excessive carbon dioxide will slowly push the newly formed
Scoby away from the brew. If left unchecked, the baby Scoby will not grow any
thicker and is prone to mold attack as it no longer touches the brew.
The solution? Simply, use a sanitized wooden chopstick and
slowly push the floating Scoby back into the brew (Refer to the video below). You will most probably hear
a popping sound as the gas is released. Monitor the brew consistently till
harvest to ensure the Scoby does not float again.
To prevent the Scoby from floating in the future, you can
reduce yeast activity by reducing the sugar content in the brew and filter the
accumulated dead yeast.
Happy brewing!
Where can I get a SCOBY?
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