Trapped SCOBY!

[pinkpep...@gmail.com]

I did a second ferment on some kombucha.  I bottled it in Grolsch bottles.  Each grew a SCOBY.  I didn't realize this would be problematic until I went to get the SCOBY out!  I CANNOT figure out a way to get them out of the bottles!  And I'm ashamed to say, I've waited so long that they've sort of dried up in there, which probably makes it all the more impossible to get them out.  Any ideas?  And is it possible to prevent this should I dare try a second ferment in these bottles again?

Carolyn

[Todd]

Knitting hooks? Chopsticks? Anything is fine, really, but I'd recommend using 2-liter PET bottles for easier removal in the future. ;)

-Todd

[Home]

Rehydrate and let it sit for a day or so? Might slide out more easily.

Sent from my tether.

On Jun 26, 2013, at 10:32 AM, "pinkpep...@gmail.com" <pinkpep...@gmail.com> wrote:

I did a second ferment on some kombucha.  I bottled it in Grolsch bottles.  Each grew a SCOBY.  I didn't realize this would be problematic until I went to get the SCOBY out!  I CANNOT figure out a way to get them out of the bottles!  And I'm ashamed to say, I've waited so long that they've sort of dried up in there, which probably makes it all the more impossible to get them out.  Any ideas?  And is it possible to prevent this should I dare try a second ferment in these bottles again?

Carolyn

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[Jay Bazuzi]

A longvwood screw will grab it well.

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[Lawrence]

The less airspace in the top the better for Kombucha - it's the Scoby bacteria that need oxygen to create a scoby and that's in the headspace / airspace. The closer to the top the better.

I'd NEVER put Kombucha (or anything Acidic) into PET Plastic. EVER. It leaches the plastic - even PET is bad for Kombucha.

That's my experience & what I've read.

A coat hanger will fish them out - dried would be easier and smaller. I wouldn't rehydrate or use it again.

Enjoy!

Lawrence

[Ken McCracken]

It doesn't work so easily on small bottles but I've used "whipper snipper" type plastic line to clean off the grungiest of dried up beer brewing grunge on one to five gallon carboys. 

I take a half inch or a little smaller wood dowel and drill through the centre from the side, push through tightly fitting line, and tie it off on each of the hole. Then I clamp the dowel in an electric drill and spin it at a moderate speed with water and cleaner like oxiclean (or better yet starsan pbw.) A single line will do the trick, but a couple more lines is more effective. 

The carboy is best held horizontal with about an inch of liquid laying on the side, while moving the drill back and forth through the mouth of the bottle. 

If the dowel is too large to fit into the drill, I carve it down so it will fit. It breaks off once in a while but I just chop it off and carve it down again. 

The whipper snipper line is available in rolls at hardware stores. The Gator brand has lengthwise sharp edges on it that will scrape better than the official whipper snipper round variety. It's better to use diameters smaller than one and a half millimeters, since once I experienced a larger diameter line actually breaking a glass carboy .   

Ken

On Wednesday, June 26, 2013 10:32:27 AM UTC-4, pinkpep...@gmail.com wrote: