LA Brewery: Crafting Premium Alcohol-Free Kombucha in the UK – Exclusive Interview

I discovered Suffolk for the first time last year. We spent a week in the Summer in a gorgeous house a short walk from the beach. We took a cold dip in the sea each morning, we bought fresh fish for breakfast on the way back and we sipped cold LA Brewery as the sun went down. Brewed in Suffolk, LA Brewery are a Summer essential for us. LA Brewery just fits into our Summer rituals perfectly and we hope they will fit into yours too. So, let’s speak with the team to find out what we have in store.

Q: Welcome to the August Summer JOMO Box! We are super excited to have you. Can we start with your perfect Summer’s day?

My perfect summer day includes at least 2 walks across the countryside, ideally including woodland so I can inspect the seasonal edible plants, pick them and plan them into an evening meal. I really love to pick, ferment and cook with wild foods and summer is the perfect time for this. A particularly special moment is around 6pm when the light is golden and gentle, and it calls for an aperitif. Sparkling English Blush is my go to, as it mimics sparkling rosé and is perfect with a snack to contemplate the day. My dad was religious about having a drink with crisps at 6pm and I absolutely love the ritual too.

Q: For those that haven’t come across LA Brewery before, can you set the scene for us with an introduction?

I started the business in my kitchen over 10 years ago when i fell in love with fermentation and also happened to be cutting down on drinking alcohol. I had no particular plan, but I would go to my mother’s house at the weekends and bring back wild ingredients like elderflower, hops or rosehips and make weekly limited edition drinks to sell at the restaurant I worked at in Islington. Soon after, more and more restaurants approached me to stock the drinks and the business grew organically from there, building a brewery a Suffolk in the process to cater for demand. We now specialise in making what has been coined as ‘cultured wine proxies’ - that is sparkling teas which are made using a kombucha fermentation but present as high end English sparkling wine alternatives.

Q: Your drinks are sustainably brewed in England. Can you tell us about the creation process?

Our drinks go through a 6-week fermentation of a high quality sencha green tea to slowly develop flavours, acidity and a complex base which is then filtered to remove alcohol producing yeast but retain the beneficial cultures that we prize. We then blend with flowers, fruits & botanicals to balance the tea and create a range of sparkling wine-like drinks.

Q: What about the drink in front of us today? What is it and what is your favourite way and setting to enjoy it?

Let’s pick blush for this Our English Blush is inspired by summer sparkling rosé combining the season’s strawberries, peach with a top note of rhubarb and a hint of floral hops. It’s perfect for rounding off the day and as it has a fresh, pretty, light pink hue - it makes for a beautiful gift to share or a toast to celebrate. 

Q: As well as tasting gorgeous, does the drink in front of us today provide benefits?

The drinks all have beneficial live cultures created during the long fermentation of our teas in tank. These cultures help to optimise gut health and the tea also contains polyphenols (anti-oxidants) which are anti-inflammatory. Additional organic acids are produced during the making of our drinks that can also assist with digestion and general health by maintaining intestinal microflora and helping to eliminate unfriendly bacteria.

Q: Since your launch, how have you seen behaviours and mindsets shift?

When we launched, people had just started recognising the link between the gut, fermented foods and health and the first murmurs of a reduction in drinking had started. Since then gut health knowledge and available information on the microbiome has erupted and the number of people who have changed their drinking habits to become ‘moderators’ has soared. We all accept moderation as an approach in most areas of life and are pleased to offer an alternative to alcohol in support. 

Q: Why was it important for your drinks to be sulphite free, low in sugar while using ethically sourced ingredients?

Sulphites are not always well tolerated, and luckily there are none in our production process - which is very clean as the natural acidity negates the need for a preservative (unlike many wines). No-one really wants sweet drinks anymore as awareness around blood sugar rises, and non-alcoholic drinks seem to be favoured when they are less sweet, to sit alongside wine rather than softs. As a B corp we run ethical values through the business and so ingredients, process and looking after the environment is always one our minds. 

Q: Have you ever created a cocktail using todays drink and can you share your favourite with us?

As the season is nearly done - let’s make the most of rhubarb. We created a Rhubarb Fizz with our friends at Cawston Press using their iconic sparkling rhubarb. It’s very simple - Add 70ml of Sparkling English Blush to a wine glass. Top up with the Cawston sparkling rhubarb and finish with a dash of angostura bitters. Even if you are not a rhubarb fan - most love this one. 

Q: What dish would you pair with today’s LA Brewery?

George runs a beautiful seaside spot - The Suffolk in Aldeburgh. He matches our English Blush with shellfish, duck and grilled vegetables and it’s hard to beat. I also thought blush had enough personality to drink alongside soft cheese in the summer months and I’m working with the team at Hamish Johnson Fine Cheese in Clapham to pair it perfectly.