Brew & Bloom – non-alcoholic

Brew & Bloom from København Kombucha brings hops to the dinner table

Brew & Bloom from København Kombucha is a non-alcoholic kombucha with the structure of a fine IPA, made for grilled fish and bitter salads. Hops and chamomile stand over Gyokuro and White Monkey tea, which give the sip depth and a dry finish.

Brew & Bloom is the tart one among the non-alcoholic kombuchas from København Kombucha in Copenhagen, listed on the label as Sparkling White. Hops and lime give it a green, resinous direction, such as one is otherwise accustomed to from a beer glass. The producer calls it their gastronomic IPA, and the name hits the mark: 0.0 percent alcohol, but with intentional bitterness.

The name itself splits the bottle into two halves. Brew stands for the hops, which emerge from the glass green and resinous; Bloom for the chamomile, which lies quietly beneath it and takes the edge off. Two teas mediate between the two, while the lime draws a bright line through it all.

Green hops over a dry bitterness

The scent starts out green and resinous, like freshly crushed hop cones between the fingers, and the lime lifts it upward.

On the palate, a fine, dry bitterness sets the frame in which everything else finds its place. The chamomile settles quietly over it, rounding off the edge without drowning anything out, even though there is significantly more of it in the bottle than of the hops. What remains is a tart, long finish that begs for the next bite.

Grilled fish and bitter salads

The producer recommends a temperature range of seven to ten degrees, and within this, the bitterness reveals itself as structure rather than harshness.

Fish from the grill gets the same response from it as it would from a beer, as the hops pick up the roasted aromas and carry the light smoke further. Radicchio, chicory, and arugula find an equal match in its bitterness, which rounds out their sharpness instead of overpowering them. At the barbecue, it stands where the beer would otherwise be.

Gyokuro grows for three weeks in the shade

The depth in the glass comes from the Gyokuro, and it owes that to an old technique from Japanese tea gardens. What you taste as savory length is created in the field weeks before the harvest.

About three weeks before harvest, the bushes are covered and continue to grow in semi-darkness. As a result, the leaf produces fewer bitter compounds and more of those amino acids that make an infusion taste round and savory. This is exactly the depth required for a drink meant to stand alongside a grilled dish.

The producer pours its bottles in Danish Michelin-starred restaurants like Jordnær and Kadeau, and the sommelier series was designed for these tables. The hops, chamomile, and both teas are all from organic production, like every ingredient in this series.

Chilled and served upright

Below seven degrees, the hop scent disappears, which is why the bottle comes out of the refrigerator and not from an ice bucket. Once opened, it stays fresh there for about two days, as the cork and wire cage reliably hold the pressure in the bottle.

The 750 ml bottle holds six glasses, enough for a round at the grill or the table. Those who wish to continue along the tart path will find the other Danish varieties at København Kombucha, as well as kombucha from other producers and sparkling non-alcoholic alternatives.

Organic control number – DE-ÖKO-007 EU / Non-EU Agriculture