$20 Continuous brew container at Bed Bath & Beyond

[Myrina]

I just bought a nice glass container to brew my kombucha in at our local BB&B.  I thought I'd pass it along.

 

Del Sol 6-Quart Cold Beverage Dispenser with Stand

 

 

 

[April Hildreth]

I wonder how this one is working out? Looks like a great idea..

[Myrina]

The container is great. It's not as big as a lot of continuous brew containers, but I'm the only one drinking it around here. I just started my brew two days ago, but everywhere I look people are saying continuous brew is the way to go for health and convenience alike. I was only able to get one batch brewed on my first scoby before I had to get rid of it because I got mold. I did everything "right" as far as I could tell. The best I could tell is that my brew did not acidify quickly enough because my average room temp dropped from upper 70's to lower 70's between my first and second brew. Continuous is supposed to be the best way to prevent mold. Time will tell! :)


April Hildreth said:

I wonder how this one is working out? Looks like a great idea..

[Rick Rae]

Merina,

Thank you for sharing! I've been looking for an affordable continuous brewing container that would be more convenient than the one gallon repurposed pickle jar I currently dip/siphon from.

I did some searching and found a few reviews of your container on various sites. Most of the objections don't apply for kombucha brewing. For example, one person complained about how high the spigot's mounted, and that they have to tip the jar to get the last of whatever it contains. But in a continuous brewing environment we're drawing off a limited quantity at a time; worst case, you'd still want to leave 10% to 20% in the jar as "starter." Plus having the spigot elevated avoids drawing off the spent yeast sediment. So I see this as an advantage for our use.

(For what it's worth, I suspect this is actually an infusion jar rather than a beverage dispenser -- as I understand it, the former typically has the spigot mounted higher to clear the marbles often used in making infusions.)

Another complaint was that there was no rubber or other friction lining on the top, so when you do tip it to get the last of the contents, the top shifts or falls off. Again, kombucha brewers won't be draining the last drop... and we'd probably have cloth or what-have-you rubberbanded in place rather than using the supplied top, anyway!

One oft-repeated remark concerned me, though: Several people said the spigot either leaked immediately, or started leaking after a few uses. If you could keep everyone posted as you move forward, that'd be great. This looks it'd be a perfect solution for me, but I don't want to deal with a puddle on the counter (or floor) if I can avoid it. Thanks!

As to mold: I've been lucky so far, but as I understand it cleanliness and higher temperatures are helpful in avoiding it. I'm no great shakes when it comes to keeping everything sterile, so it could be my keeping the temperature at a stable 80 degrees that's saved me. If you continue to have problems you might try warming your brew a bit.

Good luck and thanks again,
Rick

[Myrina]

So far I've not had any problems at all.
The kombucha is perfect and the container is not leaking at all. In fact, the opening is just the right size to place a washcloth on top and it has a groove around the opening that holds the rubber band in place nicely.
I was extrememly careful about cleanliness on my first non-continual brews, but a swift change in temperature left my house averaging 68 F when it had been about 75 F the week prior. I believe the colder temperature left my brew vulnerable to mold as it did not become acidic quickly enough. The continuous brew seems to be just the solution I needed for that problem.


Rick Rae said:

Merina,

Thank you for sharing! I've been looking for an affordable continuous brewing container that would be more convenient than the one gallon repurposed pickle jar I currently dip/siphon from.

I did some searching and found a few reviews of your container on various sites. Most of the objections don't apply for kombucha brewing. For example, one person complained about how high the spigot's mounted, and that they have to tip the jar to get the last of whatever it contains. But in a continuous brewing environment we're drawing off a limited quantity at a time; worst case, you'd still want to leave 10% to 20% in the jar as "starter." Plus having the spigot elevated avoids drawing off the spent yeast sediment. So I see this as an advantage for our use.

(For what it's worth, I suspect this is actually an infusion jar rather than a beverage dispenser -- as I understand it, the former typically has the spigot mounted higher to clear the marbles often used in making infusions.)

Another complaint was that there was no rubber or other friction lining on the top, so when you do tip it to get the last of the contents, the top shifts or falls off. Again, kombucha brewers won't be draining the last drop... and we'd probably have cloth or what-have-you rubberbanded in place rather than using the supplied top, anyway!

One oft-repeated remark concerned me, though: Several people said the spigot either leaked immediately, or started leaking after a few uses. If you could keep everyone posted as you move forward, that'd be great. This looks it'd be a perfect solution for me, but I don't want to deal with a puddle on the counter (or floor) if I can avoid it. Thanks!

As to mold: I've been lucky so far, but as I understand it cleanliness and higher temperatures are helpful in avoiding it. I'm no great shakes when it comes to keeping everything sterile, so it could be my keeping the temperature at a stable 80 degrees that's saved me. If you continue to have problems you might try warming your brew a bit.

Good luck and thanks again,
Rick

[Rick Rae]

Thanks for the update, Marina!

I made an interesting find today. I stopped by Target after remembering they sell sun tea jars during warm weather. They didn't have any, but they did have this 5 Liter Glass Beverage Dispenser. It's a bit smaller than yours (5.3 quarts versus your six) and it has no stand, but it's on special right now at $17.99. The glass is quite thick, and the mouth is larger (maybe better aeration?)

I nabbed one to see how well it works. I'll let you know if anything "interesting" happens.

Cheers,
Rick

[Jessica Hudson]

Is there anything wrong with water crocks for making fermented beverages? This one's $30 (today, anyway) and dishwasher safe.

http://www.amazon.com/Ceramic-Water-Crock-Dispenser-Classic/dp/B000...

 

Ooh, and this one's <$20 http://www.waterterra.com/bluelncrock.html

[Myrina]

I think water crocks are actually the most commonly used continuous brew containers.  You just need to make suer that they are lead free, which both of these are.  I just didn't want to pay and wait for shipping especially when I found a great container in town.

One of the reviews on the amazon one said it had such a strong chemical smell to it that he actually threw it out.

The Water Terra one looks fine, but it appears the spigot is sold seperately. 

I've not used a ceramic, but it looks like you would have to figure out a way to use the plastic ring to secure cloth over the top since a rubberband would slip over the contoured edge.  Maybe someone who has used a ceramic crock can say how they handled it.

Jessica Hudson said:

Is there anything wrong with water crocks for making fermented beverages? This one's $30 (today, anyway) and dishwasher safe.

http://www.amazon.com/Ceramic-Water-Crock-Dispenser-Classic/dp/B000...

 

Ooh, and this one's <$20 http://www.waterterra.com/bluelncrock.html

[Jessica Hudson]

Thank you Merina. Do you know if you can continuous brew water kefir in a similar way?

[Myrina]

I haven't personally tried it, but  on MDC someone emailed Dom and his response was this:

"You should be able to do a continuous brew water kefir, if conditions are favourable. You need to add fresh ingredients every 24 hours, instead of 48 hours.

Be-well,
DOm"

I'm not sure what "favourable conditions" entails.  I personally decided that that method seemed like more trouble than it was worth.  What I do to simplify my WK recharge is I let them brew with cheesecloth ontop (usually doubled over) screwed down with just the mason jar ring.  When the brew time is up, I leave the top in place, pour it out into a clean bottle,  and pour in a new sugar/molasses solution directly into the cheesecloth.  (if I had dried fruit in it, which I only do occasionally, I either fish it out of the top of the jar before pouring it out, or pour the entire contents through a strainer... that's why I don't use dried fruit on a regular basis)

I change the cheesecloth about every other brew, and change jars when scum (from minerals) accumulates around the top of the jar.  I also rinse the grains at this point if I notice they seem to have a film on them.

Hope that helps!

Merina
Jessica Hudson said:

Thank you Merina. Do you know if you can continuous brew water kefir in a similar way?

[Rick Rae]

I've only been continuous-brewing water kefir for a couple of weeks, but for what it's worth I haven't had any issues so far.  Grain growth seems a bit slower than with individual batches, but that hasn't been a problem yet.

 

I don't find continuous brewing any trouble at all.  Each day I draw off one bottle of water kefir via the tap, restore the level with "feeder" solution, stir, and replace the cover; basically the same thing I do with my kombucha continuous brew.  Merina, what are you seeing that I'm missing?  Am I in for a rude awakening down the road?

 

The water kefir "feeder" is the same sugar water used for individual batches; I mix it about once a week and keep it in the fridge in gallon jugs, which is convenient for both the continuous and batch brews.  So far I'm pretty happy with the convenience of continuous brewing as well as the results.  We'll see if that remains the case over time, as I'm sure there will be longer-term maintenance chores.

 

I have to say I like your batch method, though.  I've been using coffee filters under the mason jar rings simply because I have a surplus of them (thanks to a coffee drinker living here in years past) but they clog too quickly to filter water kefir.  Your method of pouring straight through a cheesecloth "lid" is brilliant and I'm definitely going to give that a try.  Thanks for sharing another great tip!

 

Rick,

who hopes to have grains to share come the new year.

[Myrina]

I doubt you have any rude awakenings ahead.  We just don't go through our water kefir that quickly so replenishing at rate would be a waste in this house.  Also, I get my water for kefir from my parent's house which is on a well, and they are not home during much of the day, so that makes things a bit harder with a two year old in tow.  I replenish my kombucha with about half a gallon every few days and I can use my water filter, so it's less burdensome.

Rick Rae said:

I've only been continuous-brewing water kefir for a couple of weeks, but for what it's worth I haven't had any issues so far.  Grain growth seems a bit slower than with individual batches, but that hasn't been a problem yet.

 

I don't find continuous brewing any trouble at all.  Each day I draw off one bottle of water kefir via the tap, restore the level with "feeder" solution, stir, and replace the cover; basically the same thing I do with my kombucha continuous brew.  Merina, what are you seeing that I'm missing?  Am I in for a rude awakening down the road?

 

The water kefir "feeder" is the same sugar water used for individual batches; I mix it about once a week and keep it in the fridge in gallon jugs, which is convenient for both the continuous and batch brews.  So far I'm pretty happy with the convenience of continuous brewing as well as the results.  We'll see if that remains the case over time, as I'm sure there will be longer-term maintenance chores.

 

I have to say I like your batch method, though.  I've been using coffee filters under the mason jar rings simply because I have a surplus of them (thanks to a coffee drinker living here in years past) but they clog too quickly to filter water kefir.  Your method of pouring straight through a cheesecloth "lid" is brilliant and I'm definitely going to give that a try.  Thanks for sharing another great tip!

 

Rick,

who hopes to have grains to share come the new year.

[Penny McGee]

Merina, I wanted to thank you for posting this. I just purchased 2 one for me and one for my son. My best friend bought one too and I have given them both a scoby baby. They are loving it. They don't have the patience for batch brew..lol..but continuous brew is alittle less hands on so that suits them perfectly. Again. Thanks for letting us know.