Page 44 - Beverage Master December January 2020
P. 44
Craft Beverage
Kombucha with a Kick
By: Nan McCreary
H ard Kombucha is one of the latest drinks that kombucha is experiencing a revival, and is one
of the fastest-growing beverages on the market
to make a splash in the “better-for-you”
alcoholic beverage market. But what is
hard kombucha, you ask? Wait, what is today.
kombucha? Kombucha first went mainstream in the U.S.
in 1995 when GT Dave, the man behind GT’s
Kombucha traces its roots to China’s Qin Dynasty Kombucha, established the first and largest kom-
(221 BC), where it was known as the “The Tea bucha brand in the industry. Promotion for the
of Immortality” for its medicinal properties. The drink touted the health benefits of both tea and
drink is made by mixing sweetened black or green probiotics, and sales immediately exploded in
tea with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast supermarkets throughout the country. With an ABV
called SCOBY and allowing it to ferment. The result of less than 0.5%, kombucha could be sold legally
is a tart and sour, lightly-carbonated drink that’s as an alcohol-free beverage. In 2010, however, a
naturally gluten-free, low in sugar and chocked full Department of Agriculture inspector discovered a
of probiotics. With health-conscious millennials kombucha at a Maine Whole Foods that contained
driving today’s beverage industry, it’s no wonder alcohol levels well above 0.5%. It was pulled off the
42 December - January 2020 BEVERAGE MASTER
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