{"id":2677,"date":"2020-07-01T14:33:27","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T21:33:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.kegoutlet.com\/?p=2677"},"modified":"2020-07-01T14:35:22","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T21:35:22","slug":"brewing-kombucha-at-a-consistent-temperature-using-the-ss-brew-bucket-mini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kegoutlet.com\/blog\/brewing-kombucha-at-a-consistent-temperature-using-the-ss-brew-bucket-mini\/","title":{"rendered":"Brewing Kombucha at a Consistent Temperature Using the Ss Brew Bucket Mini"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve been brewing kombucha on and off at home for several years now, the problem was that we started small (1 gallon) and our family of five would tear through that amount in no time. So from there, we scaled up and started brewing 5-gallon batches (as a homebrewer, that was the next logical step for me as 5-gallon batches of beer was my starting point as a homebrewer; so why not do the same for kombucha?).<\/p>\n

The problem with 5 gallons was that it’d end up sitting in the keezer too long if the flavor that we chose to add wasn’t a family favorite. So, now I’ve landed on using the Ss Brew Bucket Mini<\/a> in order to create 2.5 to 3-gallon batches to fill a 2.5 to 3-gallon keg.<\/p>\n

Now that we had our new size dialed in, my next concern was maintaining temperature. We live in Southern California, so leaving the kombucha to ferment in the garage isn’t a good option as it gets a bit too hot out there. Last summer, we had tried that with a batch and it was overrun by Kahm yeast (I’m trying to find a picture of that to share). Most people seem to ferment kombucha in the house, as they’re able to find an area that is 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit, but, you see, my wife likes to sleep in a house that is a balmy 68-70 degrees, so our air conditioning is generally cranking all night.<\/p>\n

How to keep kombucha warm in winter or in air-conditioned spaces?<\/strong><\/p>\n

70 would be a great temperature to ferment an ale at, but kombucha likes it a bit warmer. I’m shooting for 78-80 Fahrenheit. The garage might work during certain times of the year, but not always is it’s been in the 90s here the past couple weeks and our garage seems to match or beat the outside temperature. So I needed to find a way to ferment in the house while modulating the heat on the fermenter. Luckily I had a few Ss Brewtech parts laying around that I could use to make this happen.<\/p>\n

Here’s a complete list of items that I’m using for our (max) 3.5-gallon kombucha fermenter:<\/p>\n