New hard kombucha brand by St. Paul native launches in the Twin Cities

Nina Raemont, Pioneer Press
·2 min read

A new alcoholic beverage is bubbling in the Twin Cities. Hooch Booch, a hard kombucha brand coming out of Denver, Colo., made its Minnesota debut this April.

Created by Anna Zesbaugh, a born-and-raised Minnesotan, the idea to create a Prohibition-inspired hard kombucha percolated when she was furloughed during the beginning of the pandemic. The frenzy to rush to the liquor stores and stock up on alcohol as the pandemic began to close businesses, including liquor stores, reminded Zesbaugh of the Prohibition era. “I wanted to create a drink that was a nod to the past but that was crafted for modern times,” says Zesbaugh.

Hooch Booch’s hard kombucha comes in three vegan and gluten-free flavors: Clover Club, Bee’s Knees and Old Fashioned. Clocking in at 8.5% ABV, the beverage undergoes two fermentations (nonalcoholic kombucha usually undergoes only one), is brewed with fresh Rocky Mountain spring water and incorporates real fruit purees and local-to-Colorado ingredients.

You can find Hooch Booch at the following Minnesota locations: Union 32 Craft House, Merwin Liquors, Eagan’s Big Discount Liquor, Highland Park’s Haskell’s, Sharrett’s Liquor, Midway Liquor, Kowalski’s on Grand Avenue, Wildcat’s Bar and Grill, Eagan’s Atomic Liquors and St. Paul’s Liquor Vault.

In recent years, kombucha and the fermented tea-based beverage’s boozy alternatives, have created a significant wedge in the beverage market. According to Market Watch, hard kombucha sales grew from $1.7 million in 2017 to $12 million in 2019.

The probiotic beverage has witnessed a substantial rise in popularity this past decade alone, as many health gurus have made kombucha a part of their diet. Kombucha has been around long before the LuluLemon yoga pant-wearing type found out about its health benefits. The nearly 2000-year-old beverage was deemed the “tea of immortality” by Qin dynasty-era brewers when it was created in 221 BCE, according to Vox.

Hooch Booch: More info about Hooch Booch’s hard kombucha at Drinkhoochbooch.com or on Hooch Booch’s Facebook page.

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