Page 47 - Beverage Master December January 2020

Craft Beverage

now, they package their kombucha in bottles, but
Rood intends to switch to cans soon. Dr. Hops is
available in liquor stores and independent food
stores and markets in Northern California and is on
tap in several bars in the Oakland, California area.
Rood’s goal is to increase distribution to the west-
ern third of the country and Florida.

“Sales have been amazing,” he said. “It’s some-
thing people want, but most don’t know it until
they discover it, and then they get very excited
about it.”

Within the past couple of years, many
up-and-coming hard kombucha brands have
emerged within the growing industry, including
Flying Embers, KYLA, JuneShine and Lambrucha.
Established kombucha producers are also getting
in on the action. Wild Tonic, originally a regular
kombucha brand, created two hard kombucha
products: one with 5.6% ABV and one with 7.6%
ABV. Kombrewcha, one of the country’s pioneering
hard kombucha brands, received backing from AB
InBev’s investment arm, ZX Ventures, to produce a
new line of hard kombuchas.

It’s not only AB InBev getting in on the action,
however. Craft breweries have also extended
their product portfolio to include hard kombucha.
For example, New Holland Brewing, a Holland,
Michigan craft beer brand that’s been around for
over 20 years, now produces a seasonal offering
that combines the flavors of an IPA with Kombucha.
Boston Beer, maker of Samuel Adams, recently
launched Tura Hard Kombucha. And Deschutes
Brewery in Bend, Oregon collaborated with Humm
Kombucha to create Humm Zinger, “a beer that
blends together Humm’s tangy grapefruit kombu-
cha with Cascade hops and Pilsner malt for big cit-
rus flavor with a profound dry hop character.”

Clearly, hard kombucha is hitting the mainstream.
After all, what’s not to like? It’s all-natural, glu-
ten-free, organic and vegan, low in sugar and
calories yet contains enough alcohol to be fun. As
part of the low-alcohol trend, which includes hard
seltzers, hard ciders and low-alcohol spirits, hard
kombucha has a lot of opportunities to grow. If you
think you might be one of those who want it but
don’t know it yet, hustle off to your favorite vegan
restaurant, grocery or liquor store and check it out.

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