Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Beyond Kombucha office and brewery. They are located right here in Astoria and are producing a lot of kombucha in their relatively small space. The visit was both educational and fun, plus I got to try some different flavors, all of which were delicious.
As I walked to their office from the train, I totally missed the entrance to the space! It’s actually located in the back of a parking lot in amongst a bunch of other small industrial spaces and warehouses; more specifically, the space is located below the Rent-a-Center in Astoria.
Once I figured out where they were exactly, with help from Liz (Beyond Kombucha’s Project Co-ordinator) on the phone and a couple of nice guys in the parking lot, I descended the stairs to the office. As I did, the aroma of kombucha hit me – that lovely sour smell I like so much. I met Liz and Spiro, the founder of the company, and Liz took me on a tour.
First, we visited the room containing the second fermentation vessel and the final vat for the kombucha ale, but we then realized it would be better to start where the kombucha itself was brewing. That room currently contains wooden barrels brewing vanilla rooibos tea as well as a “SCOBY farm” – lots of large jars containing SCOBYs. I have to admit, the idea of a SCOBY farm is pretty cool.
I love the look of the wooden vessels brewing the vanilla rooibos for the Mava Roka, Beyond Kombucha’s own kombucha ale. Yes, you heard that right! Beer!
I believe these are oak barrels in which they are brewing the vanilla rooibos.
When the kombucha is ready, it gets transferred to another container for the second fermentation. Maple syrup is used as the sugar for this additional fermentation, which helps it get fizzier.
When it’s ready, it goes into a final stainless vessel, where yeast is added. It’s also clarified. Then it’s bottled. Here’s a shot of the room where all this happens (except the bottling – that happens elsewhere).
The vessel in the middle – with the cone at the bottom – is where the kombucha turns into beer – Mava Roka, which stands for Maple Vanilla Rooibos Kombucha. Love the name! I haven’t tried the beer myself, but I have a bottle in my kitchen just waiting for me.
They also have plans to make kombucha with honey – “Love Potion” – which is really exciting. Maybe it will be ready by Valentine’s Day!
I did get to try a few flavors. The first one was the vanilla rooibos.
It’s very easy to drink, compared to other kombucha’s I’ve tasted. The flavor is gentler without being overly sweet. I think it would be an excellent drink for someone who is just starting their kombucha journey. It’s light and effervescent, just lovely.
The second flavor I tried is made with a tea containing blueberries.
I absolutely loved this! It’s fruity and perhaps a little sweeter than the vanilla rooibos. I can’t wait until this goes on the market in the summer.
I tried another flavor made with a more bitter tea. I liked it, but preferred the vanilla rooibos and blueberry.
While I was drinking my kombucha, I spied something beautiful.
That’s a whole jar of SCOBYs! They were used when making the blueberry kombucha. I think it looks amazing. Such an unusual and interesting color for a SCOBY.
So, how do you get your hands on this excellent drink? Well, the Mava Roka is available for sure at The Queens Kickshaw in Astoria, where it’s often on tap. This kombucha ale is raw, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened (with maple syrup, of course). Bottles of their kombucha can be found at Mundo (one of my favorite restaurants in Astoria) and Cafe Bar (which is right by my friend Mackenzi’s cool shop SITE).
Beyond Kombucha is about to enter a distribution contract, so you’ll likely see bottles of their product on the shelves of one very well-known grocery very soon. Other plans are in the works, one of which I walked in on as I arrived. Very exciting for Beyond Kombucha, let me tell you!
Many thanks to Liz and Spiro for having me over and showing me what’s new at Beyond Kombucha!
Disclosure: http://cmp.ly/1
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