Indeed Brewing to launch first 'hard kombucha,' and it packs a punch

Minnesotans will soon have their own locally crafted alcoholic kombucha.

Beginning in April, liquor stores carrying Indeed Brewing products will begin selling the Minneapolis-based brewery’s new hard kombucha, called Boon, starting with a blueberry basil flavor made with green mao jian and yerba mate teas.

It packs a punch too, with an alcohol-by-volume content (ABV) of 8.2%.

The company plans to eventually expand sales across Minnesota and near its Milwaukee, Wisconsin taproom, said Kelly Moritz, COO of Indeed Brewing.

Indeed first debuted its blueberry basil drink in its Minneapolis and Milwaukee taprooms in January. Next, it plans to release a grapefruit hibiscus flavor.

“Those were the two we narrowed in on as being the most universally appealing and palatable,” Moritz said. “The combination of the blueberry and basil is really nuanced and complex, but it’s also really approachable.”

Discussions about the new drink started about a year and a half ago, Moritz said — around the same time alcoholic kombucha began to take off nationally as a gluten-free alternative to beer, with several companies, including Boston Beer, announcing large-scale releases in 2018.

Since the beginning of the brewery boom, kombucha – the fermented and sweetened tea drink with trace alcoholic content – has been a common offering in taprooms, Mortiz said. However, she says Indeed’s product is the first locally made, alcoholic kombucha in Minnesota.

“I think they’re a natural fit for breweries, it’s just another type of fermented liquid. So a lot of the brewers’ knowledge can translate fairly directly to kombucha, though the process is really different,” Moritz said. “I think people who enjoy making and drinking craft beer like making lots of different kinds of craft beverages; they like knowing what they're drinking is something somebody made by hand.”