Lenny Boy Kombucha Tap Room

JZ and I finally visited the Lenny Boy Kombucha Tap Room this weekend. Lenny Boy Kombucha is a Charlotte-based brewer, and we have seen their taps around South End at the Common Market and Triple C. As a Kombucha lover, I find the idea of a dedicated kombucha tap room very exciting, and while we tried Lenny Boy’s bottles before, we were glad to finally check out the tap room.

For those of you unfamiliar with Kombucha, it is an effervescent, fermented tea. I started drinking it in college for the unique taste because it was the cool thing to do. Purportedly, it also has a myriad of health benefits, from increasing immunity to curing cancer. However, most claims have yet to be verified by scientific studies. Kombucha comes in a variety of flavors and brands. I tend to gravitate toward blueberry and ginger flavors. I also love GT’s brand which Whole Foods usually carries.

I actually brewed my own kombucha for several months during college, until my “mother” SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) died following a series of moves. I enjoyed creating new flavors and always having a bottle in the fridge, but I think it was my bank account that benefited the most, since kombucha runs upwards of $3.50 for a 12 oz bottle. The tap room offers a little bit of cost savings, growlers and relatively inexpensive bottles make for more affordable kombucha. Pricing depends on the menu options, and alcohol content.

All kombucha ferments a little, as the SCOBY consumes the sugar in the tea, and while most fall under legal limit, the TTB website does advise that those with greater than 0.5% are subject to TTB regulation. I have an alcohol aversion, but love the tiny bubbles in champagne. (Cue Don Ho. Thanks to JZ, I am now singing Tiny Bubbles in my head)

To me, Kombucha provides a similar texture as champagne without the high alcohol content. Lenny Boy is experimenting with kombucha ales; their selection of “Wild Ales”  intentionally have 2 – 3.8% ABV, depending on the fermentation process.

I like to think of myself as somewhat of a kombucha aficionado, and I love to try local varieties. Lenny Boy’s tap room provided an awesome outlet for JZ and I to discover even more unique, interesting flavors. For the most comprehensive experience, we decided to order two flights for a total of ten 2-3oz cups of Kombucha. Alyssa, the bartender, graciously gave us an extra, allowing us to sample all the kombucha on tap at the time. She is very knowledgeable, and informed us that all flavors are made using local, organic ingredients, with about half being seasonal flavors. She also told us that two of our favorites,  the crisp, refreshing Mint Condition and the warm, spicy Elite Beet, are among the most popular flavors.

  
JZ and I enjoyed talking with Alyssa, as well as the other patrons, and were happy to learn more about the larger-scale brewing process and recent expansion into kombucha Ales. We loved the fall flavors in the Holy Moly Wild Ale (sweet potato, molasses, spices, and hops), and wanted to bring some home with us, but we were not ready to commit to a full growler. Instead, we left with three 12 oz bottles: Mint Condition, Ginger (only because Elite Beet was not available bottled), and their popular Strawberry flavor. The Lenny Boy tap room is a truly unique local experience, and next time we visit, a growler of the Holy Moly just might find its way home, on the back of the xtracycle.

Check out some of our other Charlotte favorites!
Local Loaf
Your Mom’s Donuts
Maryland Crab Co
Fern, Flavors from the Garden