Can I drink it: warm kombucha?

April 12, 2021 9:34 AM

I bought a bottle of GT's Guava Goddess kombucha last night and forgot to refrigerate it; it's now been at room temperature for about 15 hours and the plastic cap is slightly convex, not flat (I'm certain that if & when I open the bottle, there will be a lot of fizz spillover). The expiration date isn't until July 2021. But it's clearly marked as a refrigerated item and yet has been warm for half a day. Can I drink it?
posted by knotty knots to Health & Fitness (8 answers total)

I have done this a couple times, sat out for a few hours-to-overnight. The kombucha tastes extra funky but hasn't killed me yet. (I drink, like, 1 kombucha every other month or so, I'm not a big kombucha consumer, and when I say "a couple" I mean "probably literally 2," maybe not a statistically significant data point.) It's up to you if you are ok with the taste of extra funky kombucha.
posted by phunniemee at 9:37 AM on April 12, 2021

Yes! My understanding is that you've just let it ferment a little longer. The refrigeration would have slowed that process. It might taste a little different than you're used to, and be fizzier, but it's totally fine.
posted by esker at 9:43 AM on April 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

I'm sure someone more informed can verify, but I used to brew kombucha, and you literally let it sit and ferment for up to weeks at a time (without refrigeration). As esker said, the refrigeration slows fermentation. One reason that you wouldn't want it to ferment longer is a slight increase in alcohol content, which of course isn't allowed for the product when held in the store, since it's not sold as an alcohol product. But absent these reasons, refrigeration at home is less important.
posted by unid41 at 9:56 AM on April 12, 2021 [4 favorites]

I also make kombucha at home and think you are fine - it might be a bit more "vinegar forward" than you are used to.

One piece of advice I can add here is do not open at room temperature... kombucha gets crazy fizzy sometimes when its a touch warm. Stick that bad boy back in the fridge and enjoy when it is cold again.
posted by dazedandconfused at 10:01 AM on April 12, 2021 [8 favorites]

You can totally drink it. The problem is going to be getting it open without getting it on the ceiling. Chill it first and then open it outside, preferably when you’re not all dressed up and just about to leave for a party, she said in a voice weary with experience.
posted by HotToddy at 10:38 AM on April 12, 2021 [8 favorites]

I have 2 gallons of warm kombucha fermenting on my counter that I drink every day.

Kombucha will just ferment more if left at room temp, ie. get more sour. The pH of fermenting kombucha will not allow bad things to grow in it. The longer it sits out the more acidic it gets and the more impossible it is for it to go 'bad'.

There is not enough sugar in your average kombucha to ferment into an appreciable amount of alcohol, btw. There probably is enough to re-carbonate (or over carbonate) the bottle though.
posted by bradbane at 12:37 PM on April 12, 2021 [2 favorites]

If anything it will be even more packed with probiotic goodness (and less sugar). Just more explodey and, y'know, warm.
posted by turbid dahlia at 4:05 PM on April 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

if you want more kombucha, just pour it into a clean jar and add some (cooled) brewed tea with a bunch of sugar in it. Rubber-band a paper towel over the top and leave it. That's pretty much it.

Yep, you are perfectly fine to drink your left-out kombucha :]
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:01 AM on April 13, 2021