Fizzy, Fermented Love: Kombucha on Tap at Danbury\u2019s Cross Culture

Fizzy, Fermented Love: on Tap at Danbury’s Cross Culture

BY MICHELE MORCEY

JOHN SHYLOSKI PHOTOS

With its fizzy essence, tartsweet zing on the tongue and subtle notes of whatever fruit or herb it’s been infused with, kombucha is easing into the “mocktail” scene without overtly being the drink solely of nondrinkers. That’s what’s happening at Cross Culture Kombucha in Danbury, where the fermented tea drink - with roots that date to ancient China - is brewed onsite and offered on draft in a snug taproom. It’s the first space of its kind in Connecticut, and offers some of the same social camaraderie afforded by a small craft brewery or wine bar.

Liz and Ian Ceppos, owners of Cross Culture Kombucha, began several years ago as self-taught home brewers, a process that swiftly turned into an obsession for Ian. “My brother showed up to dinner with a jug, and we both tried it,” says Liz. “Ian went crazy making it, and it became a big-time hobby. Soon he was making kombucha in five gallon jugs and a wine fermenter.”

Both Cepposes got into making their own kombucha, which they shared with friends. The home-brewing process is simple: tea, water and sugar are introduced to a live culture, called a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). This pliable, fleshy, brownish-grey patty of yeast and bacteria floats atop the liquid in a container to which it adapts its shape and leads the fermentation process, turning sweet tea into a drink that’s effervescent and defies any one description, but leans toward a taste akin to sparkling apple cider.

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“We use fresh, simple ingredients and focus on the tea blends.”

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“With its fizzy essence, tart-sweet zing o fruit or herb it’s been infused with, komb without overtly being the dr

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n the tongue and subtle notes of whatever ucha is easing into the “mocktail” scene ink solely of nondrinkers.”

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In covering the liquid, the SCOBY “mother” makes a sort of seal and eventually increases in thickness, spawning layers of “babies” that can be peeled away and used to brew new batches of kombucha. The SCOBY does its thing converting sugar to acids, and in a week or two, a naturally carbonated drink emerges that’s rich in probiotics and full of good bacteria and B vitamins.

Liz says she and Ian joked about starting a kombucha company, and somehow the stars aligned: Liz was in the midst of a job change, she drew up a business plan, found a kitchen and they got to it. The couple secured a shared commercial space in spring 2017 and launched their brand from it that May, once all approvals were in place. They got their product out at a few cafés and became regulars at the Fairfield and Westport farmers’ markets.

And so it followed in September 2018: Cross Culture Kombucha taproom and brewery opened on Division Street in Danbury.

“We knew one spot had it on tap in Brookfield, but the kombucha wasn’t locally made,” says Liz. “We thought it would be cool to have it as an option alongside all the places serving craft beers and ciders.”

Their storefront bar area has a mixed industrial vibe, with a wood-topped bar and a few stools. Spouts are at the ready to dispense rotating flavors, like original green tea, Earl Grey, hibiscus elderberry and the rap-inspired “Boogie Down Black,” made with Chinese black tea and “Hip-Hops,” which drinks like a hoppy beer with a hint of grapefruit.

In Cross Culture’s temperaturecontrolled brew room, the liquid in 12 silver tanks is covered with breathable cloth and stuck with decals of hip-hop and rap artists like Biggie Smalls, Lauren Hill, Ice Cube and the Beastie Boys (Ian is a huge fan). The liquid is always in various states of fermentation, some so close to being

“Flavors like summery jalapeñowatermelon and gingermint-blueberry infusions allow the company to get creative with what’s in season.”

ready one can hear a bit of bubbling in there. A simple taste test is used to see if the kombucha is potable. Too sweet and low acidity? Probably needs a little more time. Vinegary? The batch has gone too long. Liz says much of the process involves playing around, and kombucha itself allows for a good amount of experimentation, like the time she tried to devise a brew that would recall the classic Paloma cocktail.

“I made a batch with lime and grapefruit and was disappointed to find it tasted terrible!” she says. “I couldn’t bear to throw it away, so I stashed it in the fridge. I tasted it three weeks later to find it had mellowed into something much more palatable that eventually made its way to the taproom for customers to enjoy.”

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or a kombuc

“...sit at the bar a

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nd order a 12-ounce draftha flight of four flavors.”

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“Spouts are at the ready to dispense rotating flavors...”

The taproom, Liz says, is a good testing place for new ideas. Flavors like summery jalapeño-watermelon and ginger-mintblueberry infusions allow the company to get creative with what’s in season but Liz explains that it’s important not to stray too far from the base, which here includes organic teas and sugar and filtered water.

“The culture needs the tea and the sugar. It needs green or black tea for the tannins and you can’t cut the sugar.” The sugar is what the SCOBY, in simplest terms, eats, so the drink’s end result is nothing like soda or juice.

Guests of the taproom, which is open three days per week, can sit at the bar and order a 12-ounce draft or a kombucha flight of four flavors. They can also take reusable growlers or bottles to go (Cross Culture Kombucha encourages this practice). Early on, the Cepposes figured out how to control the level of fermentation that results in trace levels of alcohol (less than .5%, says Liz) in the finished product, especially because Ian does not drink.

“We wanted to make a space that’s inclusive and not about alcohol,” says Liz. “People want something other than seltzer with lime or juice. Kombucha has more complex flavors and it’s fun. It’s pretty straightforward — we use fresh, simple ingredients and focus on the tea blends.”

Cross Culture Kombucha is continuing to expand, and can now be found in 78 stores in Connecticut and New York. The brewery hosts workshops on home brewing, so people can learn the process step by step and make their own kombucha. They’re also building a team of brewers to work in the store. As spring and summer approach, visitors can look forward to food trucks that roll in and picnic tables outside for a complete food and drink experience.

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Cross Culture

Kombucha is located at 52 Division Street in Danbury. Thetaproom is open on Thursday and Fridayfrom 1 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit them online atcrossculturekombucha.com.

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