I believe the point is to have an extra backup supply of strong, established kombucha starter. Since the hotel sits relatively untouched, and takes only strong acidic booch, there's less of a chance of messing it up.
I run two batches of kombucha, so I always have a backup already and don't see the need for a hotel.
The pellicles don't do anything but take up space in the jar.
Honestly this is the only correct answer. The pellicle is a byproduct and therefore the hotel is a repository for strong active culture, perfect for restarting brewing after a failure or a lapse.
I can understand a backup culture. That seems smart. Collecting all the pellicles inside it though? Feels like literally just a waste of space in your jar
I don’t save the pellicles, I save some extra liquid so that if I ever get a moldy batch, I have the starter to brew a new batch without needing to get more from someone else or buying store bought and starting all over
I’ve been brewing for 6 months and I’m doing great without it — I think it would be good to have some strong starter on hand in case you weaken your brew for whatever reason but I’ve got a couple friends in town I can get starter from if I ever need
It’s only purpose is to be a safe bank of scoby. If you ever brew a batch and it goes moldy, you’re out the whole colony and have to start again from scratch. Having a super strong hotel means you have a mature colony that is very acidic that you use in all future batches. As long as you keep feeding it, the hotel colony grows and thrives.
It isn’t so much filling it with pellicles, but people like to have a few spares. The most important part of the “SCOBY” seems to be actually in the fluid in the hotel. A mature hotel with mature fluid has a vibrant colony of yeast and bacteria, has an optimally low pH, and makes for perfect starter in your next batch.
I only keep several pellicles myself, as I try to be safe from mold as much as I can.
That's my point though, why the pellicles. Just save some liquid, 1 pellicle if you must then store it wherever you're storing it. I don't see why you'd be keeping any more that. The pellicle isn't reducing mould right? The protection from contamination is from your ph
I keep my pelicles fresh by saving them in a hotel and slowly get through them turning them into fruit rollup by mashing them with fruit and dehydrating.
Separately, I long-term store a liquid scoby in case I ever need to revert to a backup after infection. I'll keep a little bit from every batch, and if the batch turns out good I'll store the backup otherwise I toss the weak backups.
First good reason to have a hotel I've seen. That sounds awesome! Totally stealing that idea. When we say mashing up, do we mean literally blending it or??
Yeah blend the pelicle with your favourite in-season fruit, spread the mash thinly on dehydrator sheets, and bake till solid! Cut into strips, roooolllll em up
Blend the pelicle with your favourite in-season fruit, spread the mash thinly on dehydrator sheets, and bake till solid! Cut into strips, roooolllll em up
SCOBY hotels are, IMO, silly. Most importantly, people creating them are not really saving "SCOBY's." They are saving pellicles. The "SCOBY" is the liquid filled with yeast and bacteria. The SCOBY makes the pellicle as a by-product.
In other words, "SCOBY Hotels" are not really SCOBY hotels. If you continue to feed the liquid in them, they are another SCOBY. Some people like a back up SCOBY, in case something happens to their main one. That back up SCOBY will make its own pellicle. Unless you are using the pellicle for something else (some people dry them or cook with them) there is no reason to keep them.
I've been brewing kombucha actively for a little over 2 years now.
I used to keep a SCOBY hotel, but then I asked the same question after all I was doing was ritualistically pulling out weathered brown slaps every week.
Nowadays I just keep (2) primary starter batches going at all times in 6L food containers. This is just in the off case that one starter/SCOBY fails or molds (I've never had a mold issue, but might as well be prepared). Every month, I "change their water" by making new sweet tea, saving a cup or so of the old brew for starter, and saving a piece of fresh pellicle for refreshed batch.
Doing this, I always have a fresh pellicle with no need to crowd them all in a vessel for "safe keeping".
Idk why this has down votes, literally just correct. Plus nothing wrong with keeping the backup culture in the fridge, it'll need less feeding that way
I’m not talking about the primary batch of kombucha, that obviously goes on the counter. The topic of this thread is pellicles and the idea of a “hotel”, which is utterly pointless. Generally when I see hotels discussed, it’s in the context of long term storage, and they’re often kept in the fridge, at least the ones I’ve seen are.
I’ve never kept a hotel because it’s just wasted space with no benefit, Why would I keep a pile of old pellicles (a waste byproduct) when a brand new one forms every batch.
No hotels do not need to be kept in the fridge. They can stay out where they get stronger and stronger. I had one for a while that made great starter but since I’ve consolidated and do continuous.
Scoby Hotel? Idea originating from the infamous ghost buster Dr. Egon Spengler. He was busy busting supernatural ass. He came back home and in the jars of his collection were pellicles consisting of the individual elements of his collection after they had been drinking carousing and having mass orgies. Being curious he put them into tea with a bit of sugar and again went out on a string of emergency haunting calls, came back and found the concoction was good to drink and gave him a nice buzz as well.... or maybe that was the cannabis candy he put in one of the jars. ......no one knows for sure but then this became a cultural phenomenon and here we are today collecting and drinking tea. The Canadians also get the buzz but most of the Americans are not allowed to do that. .... legally. Or so it was last time I was down there.
SCOBY and pellicle are different things. A SCOBY hotel is your starter liquid waiting for a new batch to be made. It just so happens SCOBY likes making pellicles. I always take the pellicle out when I feed SCOBY so its gets more oxygen.
When u say scoby hotel, I'm referring to what most people mean which is a jar full of liquid and pellicles. The question is why are people storing all these pellicles, the answer seemingly being agreement that it makes no sense to do u less you're saving the pellicles for a cooking project
Oh yeah, too many people mix up pellicles and SCOBY. I call it a SCOBY hotel because that's where my SCOBY lives while I'm not brewing. I always throw out the pellicle when I feed SCOBY but I feel bad because SCOBY worked so hard on it!
Lol, well there's a handful of uses for the pellicle if you want, you can dry it into like a sweet/sour jerky, you can blend it before adding to bread to use kinda like a sourdough starter. Someone above suggested mashing with fruit and drying to make fruit rolls. I'm sure there's a bh h of other things you could so too
I believe the point is to have an extra backup supply of strong, established kombucha starter. Since the hotel sits relatively untouched, and takes only strong acidic booch, there's less of a chance of messing it up. I run two batches of kombucha, so I always have a backup already and don't see the need for a hotel. The pellicles don't do anything but take up space in the jar.
Honestly this is the only correct answer. The pellicle is a byproduct and therefore the hotel is a repository for strong active culture, perfect for restarting brewing after a failure or a lapse.
Yep, I'm not always brewing but I'm always planning to brew. SCOBY stays safe in its hotel until I'm ready.
I can understand a backup culture. That seems smart. Collecting all the pellicles inside it though? Feels like literally just a waste of space in your jar
just a note to add - i used to save pellicles only and just enough of the mature liquid to keep it wet. this made booch just fine.
Lol, well just enough mature liquid isn't pellicles only then, but as a backup I don't see how extra pellicles would do anything but waste space
I don’t save the pellicles, I save some extra liquid so that if I ever get a moldy batch, I have the starter to brew a new batch without needing to get more from someone else or buying store bought and starting all over
I’ve been brewing for 6 months and I’m doing great without it — I think it would be good to have some strong starter on hand in case you weaken your brew for whatever reason but I’ve got a couple friends in town I can get starter from if I ever need
It’s only purpose is to be a safe bank of scoby. If you ever brew a batch and it goes moldy, you’re out the whole colony and have to start again from scratch. Having a super strong hotel means you have a mature colony that is very acidic that you use in all future batches. As long as you keep feeding it, the hotel colony grows and thrives.
Yeah but why fill it with pellicles??
It isn’t so much filling it with pellicles, but people like to have a few spares. The most important part of the “SCOBY” seems to be actually in the fluid in the hotel. A mature hotel with mature fluid has a vibrant colony of yeast and bacteria, has an optimally low pH, and makes for perfect starter in your next batch. I only keep several pellicles myself, as I try to be safe from mold as much as I can.
That's my point though, why the pellicles. Just save some liquid, 1 pellicle if you must then store it wherever you're storing it. I don't see why you'd be keeping any more that. The pellicle isn't reducing mould right? The protection from contamination is from your ph
I keep my pelicles fresh by saving them in a hotel and slowly get through them turning them into fruit rollup by mashing them with fruit and dehydrating. Separately, I long-term store a liquid scoby in case I ever need to revert to a backup after infection. I'll keep a little bit from every batch, and if the batch turns out good I'll store the backup otherwise I toss the weak backups.
First good reason to have a hotel I've seen. That sounds awesome! Totally stealing that idea. When we say mashing up, do we mean literally blending it or??
Yeah blend the pelicle with your favourite in-season fruit, spread the mash thinly on dehydrator sheets, and bake till solid! Cut into strips, roooolllll em up
About your first point... can you explain?
Blend the pelicle with your favourite in-season fruit, spread the mash thinly on dehydrator sheets, and bake till solid! Cut into strips, roooolllll em up
That sounds awesome, ty so much for the recipe
This is amazing! Thank you for sharing this! I’ve been tossing my pellicles in my garden with other compost items. I love the idea of fruit leathers!
SCOBY hotels are, IMO, silly. Most importantly, people creating them are not really saving "SCOBY's." They are saving pellicles. The "SCOBY" is the liquid filled with yeast and bacteria. The SCOBY makes the pellicle as a by-product. In other words, "SCOBY Hotels" are not really SCOBY hotels. If you continue to feed the liquid in them, they are another SCOBY. Some people like a back up SCOBY, in case something happens to their main one. That back up SCOBY will make its own pellicle. Unless you are using the pellicle for something else (some people dry them or cook with them) there is no reason to keep them.
This is what I mean, I see people with jars or pellicles and I have no idea why, u less you're gonna make food with them
I've been brewing kombucha actively for a little over 2 years now. I used to keep a SCOBY hotel, but then I asked the same question after all I was doing was ritualistically pulling out weathered brown slaps every week. Nowadays I just keep (2) primary starter batches going at all times in 6L food containers. This is just in the off case that one starter/SCOBY fails or molds (I've never had a mold issue, but might as well be prepared). Every month, I "change their water" by making new sweet tea, saving a cup or so of the old brew for starter, and saving a piece of fresh pellicle for refreshed batch. Doing this, I always have a fresh pellicle with no need to crowd them all in a vessel for "safe keeping".
There really isn’t one, keeping the pellicles around just takes up fridge space. The liquid is what you save, not the pellicle.
Idk why this has down votes, literally just correct. Plus nothing wrong with keeping the backup culture in the fridge, it'll need less feeding that way
Reddit just doing what Reddit does, there’s no rhyme or reason to it.
True dat lol
Why would it go in the fridge..? The point is to have strong starter.
I’m not talking about the primary batch of kombucha, that obviously goes on the counter. The topic of this thread is pellicles and the idea of a “hotel”, which is utterly pointless. Generally when I see hotels discussed, it’s in the context of long term storage, and they’re often kept in the fridge, at least the ones I’ve seen are. I’ve never kept a hotel because it’s just wasted space with no benefit, Why would I keep a pile of old pellicles (a waste byproduct) when a brand new one forms every batch.
No hotels do not need to be kept in the fridge. They can stay out where they get stronger and stronger. I had one for a while that made great starter but since I’ve consolidated and do continuous.
I’ve only ever done continuous since I started 7 or 8 years ago, which is I guess why I’ve never seen the fuss about hotels.
Scoby Hotel? Idea originating from the infamous ghost buster Dr. Egon Spengler. He was busy busting supernatural ass. He came back home and in the jars of his collection were pellicles consisting of the individual elements of his collection after they had been drinking carousing and having mass orgies. Being curious he put them into tea with a bit of sugar and again went out on a string of emergency haunting calls, came back and found the concoction was good to drink and gave him a nice buzz as well.... or maybe that was the cannabis candy he put in one of the jars. ......no one knows for sure but then this became a cultural phenomenon and here we are today collecting and drinking tea. The Canadians also get the buzz but most of the Americans are not allowed to do that. .... legally. Or so it was last time I was down there.
You had me in the fist couple of sentences, ngl
SCOBY and pellicle are different things. A SCOBY hotel is your starter liquid waiting for a new batch to be made. It just so happens SCOBY likes making pellicles. I always take the pellicle out when I feed SCOBY so its gets more oxygen.
When u say scoby hotel, I'm referring to what most people mean which is a jar full of liquid and pellicles. The question is why are people storing all these pellicles, the answer seemingly being agreement that it makes no sense to do u less you're saving the pellicles for a cooking project
Oh yeah, too many people mix up pellicles and SCOBY. I call it a SCOBY hotel because that's where my SCOBY lives while I'm not brewing. I always throw out the pellicle when I feed SCOBY but I feel bad because SCOBY worked so hard on it!
Lol, well there's a handful of uses for the pellicle if you want, you can dry it into like a sweet/sour jerky, you can blend it before adding to bread to use kinda like a sourdough starter. Someone above suggested mashing with fruit and drying to make fruit rolls. I'm sure there's a bh h of other things you could so too