Deane’s Kombucha

Photo by Todd Buchanan

Move over, beer, a new brew’s taking over Minnesota: kombucha, the sweet, fermented tea made using traditional Asian techniques. Bryan Deane Bertsch and Monica Mann of Deane’s Kombucha in St. Paul handcraft their version using oak barrels and ingredients like gunpowder green tea, organic fruit juices, cane sugar, and local honey. The result? A bubbly, very low-alcohol beverage (around 2.5-percent) that health-food lovers love because each bottle is chock full of probiotics and naturally occurring amino acids. Plain kombucha tastes like sweetened tea with a splash of vinegar, but Deane’s honey-and-ginger version tastes more like a sweet-and-sour ginger beer. Ready for a new brew? Deane’s is available on tap at Mill Valley Kitchen, or in individual bottles at liquor stores including Zipp’s, MGM Calhoun, France 44, and Blue Max Liquor.

Deane’s Kombucha, 612-388-7667, deaneskombucha.com