Old Kombucha

[sshepski]

I've been brewing kombucha for a couple of years, with much success. I maintain two one-gallon glass jars of kombucha fermenting at all times.

My trouble is, for the past 3 or 4 months (due to forgetfulness as well as time constraints), I've neglected the jars and they've just been sitting there. They probably stopped fermenting well over 2-3 months ago. Upon visual and olfactory inspection, the tonic seems completely fine.

I was wondering if the forum thought it was OK to consume or if I should pitch the kombucha and start a new batch with the mothers, or if I should completely discard everything including the mothers.

Thoughts? Anyone with experience with neglected Kombucha?

Thanks so much!

[tomcampbell]

so you haven't brewed a fresh batch, or fed the mothers, for a few months? i'd say if it looks ok (that is, you don't see any mold) and smells ok, it's probably ok to see if it tastes ok. it probably will taste pretty vinegary if it's been waiting around at room temperature.

i'm pretty sure as long as there's no mold and the mothers still float, you're still good to go and you don't need to throw anything out.

[sshepski]

So, I ended up pitching those batches and starting from scratch again. I built up a healthy mother from a couple of bottles of GT's Original, then split it to end up with two healthy mothers in separate 1-gallon jars. Everything was brewing along just fine when all of a sudden, they both started molding out of nowhere. Literally, I checked them one day and came home the next to a widespread mold over both of them. I've now pitched everything and haven't brewed in a month or so. Trouble is, GT's (or any raw kombucha, for that matter) is no longer sold locally here in Pittsburgh, PA. I suppose that if I want to continue brewing I'm going to have to order a mother online somewhere. Does anyone know of any reputable sources?

[Fubar]

Try this:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60480154/ko ... rganic-kit

You can also find SCOBYs on Ebay for decent prices.

The first batch you threw out was probably still good. Kombucha can actually keep for years in the right environment.