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.

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!




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