Our short answer: Realistically, no. You would have to drink copious – and I mean copious – amounts of booch to feel any effects of inebriation. This can be good or bad news it, just depends on who’s asking ????
But how is this possible you ask? Well, it’s actually pretty simple.
The process of brewing kombucha will naturally result in some alcohol. The yeast in the scobies consumes the sugar, which produces alcohol and carbon dioxide. The bacteria then consumes the alcohol to produce organic acids. While the bacteria are converting much of the alcohol into acid, some remain as a byproduct of the fermentation process. By giving the yeast more sugar to feed on, it produces more alcohol.
Yeast is temperature-sensitive, so refrigerating your kombucha will slow down the fermentation and make it less alive, and with that, alcohol production stops.
If you store your booch in a warm place like your pantry, alcohol may continue to develop in the kombucha since the product is still fermenting. That’s why we always note to keep your booch stored in the fridge! (That and explosive booch does happen ????)
At Cove, our kombucha is 100% non-alcoholic verified! The legal alcohol requirement is under 1.1% in Canada and our kombucha clocks in around 0.2% per can so we’re more than alcohol-free! That buzz you might be feeling after a tall glass of probiotics is just your belly thanking you!
Here’s a fun fact you can tell your buddies: any and all fermented foods and drinks will have a little bit of alcohol in it, even kimchi!
So, there’s our long answer!
