DIY Kombucha Brewing Chamber

[This post contain affiliate links]

Fermentation is a big deal at my house. Especially for kombucha. So when my kombucha started going flat, it was time to figure out what I was doing wrong. Believe me: there is nothing worse than flat kombucha when you’re craving that fizzy pleasure after a long, hard day in the sun.

First things first: if you are new to fermentation, you may be wondering what kombucha is.  Click here for a description of kombucha and instructions on how to make it.

Now, back to the task at hand . . . getting that nice effervescent, bubbly kombucha I crave.

We were headed into the cooler months here in Southeast Texas, where temperatures can fluctuate from 35-40 degrees in the morning to the 80s in the afternoon. So I let my tea ferment a couple of days longer, hoping that would help. It did . . . some. But it was a crapshoot whether I would get a carbonated beverage that day or not.

I needed some way to keep the temperature constant. So voilà! The brewing chamber was born with FANTASTIC results. Now I consistently get fizzy drinks, sometimes more fizz than I would like.

Here is my easy-peasy solution that won’t cost you much.

You will need a

• 70-quart Coleman cooler
• large reptile heating pad,
•  jump start heat mat thermostat.

The 70-quart Coleman cooler will hold 3 one-gallon brewing jugs and 16 soda bottles.

Stick the reptile pad on the backside of the cooler. Plug the mat into the thermostat and thread the heat sensor from the thermostat through the drain opening of the cooler.

Set the thermostat to about 75 degrees. I started at 80 originally, but the tea brewed too fast and I had a couple of explosions on my hands. The bottles literally blew their tops.

 

Place your gallon brewing jars and soda bottles into the brewing chamber. Put the thermostat sensor on top of one of the jars. Close the cooler lid, but not tightly to allow some airflow into the chamber.

When I am ready to make a new batch, I take the jar from the left end and move the others forward. I take the bottles from the left side to refrigerate and drink and move the others forward as well, putting the new soda bottles on the right side for the second fermentation.

I have gotten a routine of making a new batch of Kombucha every 3 or 4 days (drinking 2 bottles a day). This system has worked for me. Let me know what you think!

Disclosure:  By ordering through the affiliate links, you are helping to support this website. I test each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. I am independently owned and the opinions expressed here are my own.