Is kombucha alcoholic?

Is kombucha alcoholic? · Watch on YouTube

The honest answer

The longer kombucha ferments, the more potential it has to build trace amounts of alcohol — but potential doesn't mean it actually happens. It depends on many factors, including the brewer's unique SCOBY, ingredients and environment. Some cultures produce little to no alcohol no matter how long they ferment; some, carrying specific alcohol-producing yeasts, are more prone to it.

So recovering alcoholics, pregnant or nursing women, parents deciding for their children, and anyone who needs to avoid even trace amounts of alcohol should be aware and make their own personal decisions. (More on that in how much kombucha should I drink?)

Scale check: it's really difficult for homebrewed kombucha to exceed 2% ABV — and that's the extreme case, like an airtight bottle forgotten in a hot car for a month. At that point it would likely be too vinegary and too fizzy to be drinkable anyway, and you'd still need about 10 bottles to feel a slight buzz. For what it's worth, kombucha is considered halal by the Muslim faith, which prohibits alcohol consumption.

What about the sites that accuse kombucha of being alcoholic?

You'll find a lot of "articles" claiming kombucha is alcoholic and that's why people feel good after drinking it. Many are written from a biased point of view: they marvel at how weird the SCOBY looks, ignore the science of fermented foods, and patronize the benefits real people actually feel. Drinking beer or wine has never helped anyone's digestion, energy or skin — if anything, the complete opposite. And if you're trying to get drunk on kombucha, you'll have a hard time; plenty of beverages are much more efficient at getting you sauced.

A lot of bloggers have jumped on the trash-kombucha bandwagon, and plenty of "credible" news sources love click-bait headlines and ill-researched contrarian takes to stir the pot for page views. Take everything you read online with a grain of salt (yes, including this website). Much of the misinformation comes from people who openly dislike kombucha's vinegary acidity and have never brewed it — and the potential-alcohol argument is their go-to straw man: "It could have trace alcohol, so it can't be healthy!" That's a logical fallacy built on a lack of understanding of the drink and how it's made.

So consider this the voice of a seasoned home brewer who has been drinking kombucha for years and sharing it with friends and family with absolutely no problems. Like all other foods, it affects everyone uniquely — no one should pressure you to drink it or not drink it. Do the research, decide what to believe, choose what's right for your body. (Ange's full opinion on the healthiness debate lives here — but honestly, it's just a drink. Drink it if you like. Don't if you don't.)

Can you measure homebrew ABV?

Ange hasn't found a cheap, easy way. Hydrometers (which beer brewers use to calculate ABV from specific gravity) don't work for kombucha — the acid levels throw off their accuracy. The alternative is shipping samples to a lab: expensive, and not very meaningful when potential ABV varies batch to batch and even bottle to bottle depending on the yeasts present. Yeasts respond to environment, temperature, ingredients, fermentation time… the list goes on. Ultimately kombucha is a live, raw, real thing — if the pros outweigh the potential cons for you, do what you feel is best.

Obligatory disclaimer (because this is the internet and people like to nitpick): no medical claims are being made about kombucha here. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, always consult a physician or other healthcare professional.