Batch Brewing Guide

You’ve arrived at the gates of the Batch Brewlands™. You’ve gathered your gear. You’ve chosen your brewing path. Your mind is sharp. Your tea is loose. You’re ready.
Well… almost.

If you’re batch brewing, there’s a quick side quest before you begin. (It’s faster than purging a village of an evil magic—but sadly, no gold payout.)

 

If you’re sitting there in nothing but a threadbare tunic, thinking, “Wait—what gear? What batch? I just got here,”  hit pause and start at the beginning with our Kombucha Brewing 101 Guide. 

 

Lost your way on the road to the Continuous Brewlands™? Tap the button below to open a portal and resume your quest.

 

Growing a SCOBY from Scratch
(For the New, the Bold, and the Tragically Friendless)

The heart of any good kombucha brew is the SCOBY—and more specifically, the starter liquid. (Quick recap: “starter” is just mature kombucha used to kick off fermentation.) 

The good news? If you live near a grocery store, you probably have access to kombucha. The other news? You have to be a little choosy. Here’s what to look for:

It must be raw. Some big brands pasteurize or micro-filter their kombucha, which kills the live cultures. That stuff won’t ferment (which is, kind of the whole point).

Smaller, local brands are better. They’re usually fresher and less likely to filter or heat-treat the final product.

Trust your taste. If the starter kombucha is more vinegar than your vibe, your future batches will probably lean the same direction. Cultures evolve over time, but it’s best to start with something in your taste wheelhouse.

 

Grow Your Own: The SCOBY Starter Saga

Step One: Forage your local grocery store for a wild, untamed kombucha in its natural habitat (the refrigerated section). Look for “raw,” “unfiltered,” and ideally local.

Step Two: Bring your newly adopted kombucha home and pour it into a small jar or glass (16–32oz is ideal). Leave at least and inch or two headspace at the top—cultures need to breathe too.

Step Three: Cover the jar with a breathable cloth (cotton works great) and secure it with a rubber band. This keeps out dust, fruit flies, and whatever chaos lurks in your kitchen air.

Step Four: Place the jar somewhere warm and dark, like a cupboard or pantry. A heat mat works wonders here—SCOBYs love consistent warmth, and the cozier they are, the faster they grow.

Now, we wait.

If a new pellicle starts forming—a thin, almost invisible, jelly-like layer—after about a week, congrats! That means your culture is alive and active. Don’t worry about growing a thick one just yet—you’re not using this pellicle to brew, you’re just confirming the starter is viable.

 

Early-stage SCOBY formation. Very dainty, very demure.

 

If nothing shows up after 10–12 business days, the kombucha wasn’t raw or active enough to do its thing.

It’s not you. It’s them. Time to try a different brand.

 

Steep, Strain, Summon: The Brewing Begins

Here’s the game plan:
You’ll brew a tea concentrate, stir in sugar, cool it down with water, and add your starter. That’s it. Brewing kombucha isn’t hard—it just requires a little prep work. For a full shopping list and link check out our Build Your Brew Setup Guide.

 

Quick Gear + Ingredient Recap (aka your potion kit): 

19g tea - If you're not using Brew Wild tea (Because you're a masochist who enjoys suffering?), start with half the amount and adjust.)

150g sugar (or ¾ cup)

½ cup vinegar

1 one-gallon glass jar

1 cotton cloth (a cut-to-size bed sheet work best, but you can use a coffee filter or cheesecloth)

1 bungee cord or large rubber band

1 water source (tap, bottled, or filtered)

1 heat source (kettle or stovetop)

1 stainless steel pot

1 food thermometer

1 food scale

3 bowls

1 strainer

 

I. Prep Work

1. Get Your Gear Together:

• Grab a clean cotton cloth to cover the jar and a bungee cord  We recommend using a cotton sheet and cutting it to size.

• Measure out 19g of tea and 150g of sugar into two separate bowls.

2. Sanitize Like a Pro:

• Wash your fermentation jar with warm water—no soap residue allowed.

• Pour ½ cup of vinegar into the jar, swirl it around to coat all sides, then discard it into a small bowl.

• Soak your cotton cloth in the leftover vinegar while you move on to the next steps.

 

II. Make the Sweet Tea

1. Steep the Tea:

• Heat 4 cups of water to 180°F—not too hot, not too cold. (Use a food thermometer or your brew kettle to get close.) This temp helps prevent bitterness.

• Add 19g of Brew Wild tea and steep for 5 minutes—because we said so.

2. Strain and Sweeten:

• Strain the tea into your sanitized fermentation jar.

• Stir in 150g of sugar until it’s fully dissolved.

3. Cool the Tea

• Add 10 cups of cold (or cool) water to the jar.

• Make sure the tea has cooled to 85°F–90°F before moving on—this keeps your starter microbes happy

Why this method?
 Making a tea concentrate and cooling with water speeds up the process and reduces contamination risk. It’s a pro brewer shortcut. Smart, right?

III. Introduce the SCOBY

1. Add Starter Liquid:

• Pour 2 cups of starter liquid into the cooled tea. Welcome to the first official step of kombucha alchemy.

2. Cover with Vinegar-Soaked Cloth:

• Wring out your vinegar-soaked cloth and drape it over the jar. Let it breathe—just not too freely.

3. Secure It All:

• Wrap a bungee cord or rubber band around the top to hold everything in place. No surprise visitors, like fruit flies, allowed.

 

IV. Final Steps

1. Settling in:

• Find a cozy place for your kombucha that is warm and away from direct sunlight. You want to maintain an ambient temperature of 70°F–85°F. That means no big temperature dips between day and night. One way to maintain a constant temp:

• Using a heat mat. (We highly recommend it.) Place a small dish towel over the mat, then set your jar on top. This diffuses the heat and prevents your brew from overheating. 

2. Fermenting

• Let the jar sit undisturbed until a pellicle forms.

• Fermentation times vary, so after 7 days, start tasting regularly to find your sweet spot between acidity and sweetness.

3. Once it’s Done:

• Once your kombucha tastes just right, transfer the kombucha into a glass jar and store it in the fridge.

• If you plan on reusing the pellicle for future batches (aka continuous brewing method), transfer only 90% of the finished kombucha. Leave the remaining 10% of the liquid in the jar to keep it hydrated and to be used as starter for the next brew.

• Taking a break between batches? Cover the jar with a cloth—or better yet, a lid—to prevent evaporation.

4. Drink Up!

• Although practically immortal once refrigerated, your kombucha will get more sour the longer it sits.

• For peak flavor, aim to enjoy it within 2–3 weeks. (Let’s be real—you’ll crush it in under a week.)

• Start making your next batch right away to keep the tap from running dry (and your IBS from rearing it's ugly head).

 

Batch Brewing Mastered. New Skill Unlocked.

Congratulations, brave brewer—you’ve summoned a pellicle from the aether. With this gelatinous beast by your side, you’ve unlocked the sacred right to abandon Batch Brewing forever (unless, of course, you’re into tradition and character-building hardship).

Most homebrewers choose to ascend to Continuous Brewing—a method etched into the scrolls of efficiency and revered by those who like their kombucha flowing and their brewing effort minimal.

 

Ready to ascend? Click below to use this method for your next batch.

 

What About Carbonation?

There comes a time in every brewer’s journey when the question arises: to bubble, or not to bubble? We could write an entire thesis on carbonation. (Spoiler: we did.)

But let’s be clear—carbonation is totally optional.

Flat kombucha is valid, beautiful, and—frankly—way less likely to explode on your bookshelf. It’s still loaded with probiotics, still delicious, and requires zero extra effort. 

Still, the call of the bubbles may come. And when it does, we’ve got options.
Since we flavor during fermentation, your path to carbonation will look a little different. So if you're even thinking about adding sparkle, check out our Carbonation Guide before your brew is finished.

 

That’s a Wrap (for Now)

✨You did it.✨ You prepped, you brewed, you communed with mysterious microbes. You’re basically a wizard now.

Sure, your kitchen might be sticky, your counters vaguely smell like vinegar, and your friends are starting to ask a lot of questions—but hey, that’s the price of greatness.

Remember: brewing is a journey. You’ll get more confident with every batch. And if disaster strikes? We’ve got a Troubleshooting Guide standing by like kombucha tech support.

 

Don't forget the check out the rest of our 📜 sacred brew texts: