Malt kombucha

[Joanne]

I'm starting to experiment with malt extract in Kombucha. I started a batch about a week ago using a cup of sugar and just under 1/4 cup of pure malt extract. It developed lots of strands which I presume to be yeast in the first days. It's growing a baby scoby now on the top. (The original scoby is hanging around the middle.)

It's taking longer than expected but the scoby I used had been sitting in a "scoby hotel" of vingary tea so that might be the reason it's slow. It has a sweet/sour taste right now and slight fizz.

Has anyone else here tried fermenting with malt at the beginning?
I also added about a tablespoon of malt to a finished bottle which is now in the frig. I let it sit out sealed (occasionally releasing pressure) for 2 days. Lots of sediment in the bottom but tastes pretty good considering the original kombucha had been fermenting a little too long and was pretty sour.

[Joanne]

I harvested the malt kombucha today because it was getting more sour than I like it. One day made a big difference in this warm weather. The original scoby looks good, but the baby was pretty thin, not nearly as thick as the babys usually are. I left both scobys in and started another batch with the malt extract (and sugar). I'm thinking the new scoby didn't develop as well because it didn't like the malt. This second brew should give a better indication of whether it will work or not. The resulting kombucha has a nice flavor and slight fizz.

It may be that it works better to add the malt after the first ferment, for the second.