So I tried making Kombucha (Apple Cider Vinegar? Not sure what to call it) using only two ingredients: apple juice, and my kombucha culture.
Recipe:
- Like 3.6L or so of apple juice
- 400ml Kombucha starter
Add both ingredients in a sanitized (use StarSan or similar) glass jar, let sit for 3 days then begin tasting until it to your liking. When its reached that level, bottle and let it carbonate for about 3-4 days.
To my surprise, it worked absolutely fantastic! Not only does the kombucha culture seem to thrive in the apple juice base (ferments quicker than normal for some reason), but the end product is delicious. A nice mix between sweet apple juice and tart apple cider vinegar while having a light carbonation.
10/10 would recommend.
Interesting. I never thought of using a scoby on pure juices. I wonder how it would work on grain-based worts like I do in my homebrews.
I think if you added extra sugar, it might work with grains too. I’d definitely recommend trying it! I might give grape juice a try next cause one of my favorite juices to use in flavoring is grape juice (makes it taste a bit like wine lol)
Extra sugar might not be needed, as the wort is usually already at 10+ brix. It’s certainly worth a try.