Discover the "leaf-to-bottle" journey of Brew Dr. Kombucha. Learn how we use traditional brewing and innovative technology to create raw, authentic, non-alcoholic kombucha.
Have you ever wondered what happens between the tea leaf and the bottle? Most people know Brew Dr. as the crisp, refreshing kombucha found in their local fridge, but our roots aren’t in a laboratory or a corporate office. They’re in a teahouse.
Back in 2008, we started brewing small batches of kombucha in the kitchen of Townshend’s Alberta Street Teahouse in Portland, Oregon. We grew into the basement, then a small brewery, and finally into our 60,000-square-foot facility.
Through all that growth, one thing hasn't changed: We still make kombucha like tea lovers. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at our "leaf-to-bottle" process.
Because we started as a tea company, we approach every batch with a “tea-first” mindset.
In our brewing area, we blend organic loose-leaf tea and botanicals (herbs, roots, and fruits) in massive brew tanks. It’s essentially the world’s largest pot of sweetened tea! By steeping these ingredients for a full hour, we extract the complex flavor profiles that define Brew Dr.
Once the fermentation is complete, we layer in organic fruit juices and botanicals to round out the flavor profiles you know and love.
Why Tea-First Matters: We use the same high-quality organic tea in our bottles that we used to serve to guests at our teahouses. Using organic juice as a finishing touch allows us to create bright, multi-dimensional flavors without losing the authentic soul of the kombucha.
We’ve come a long way from our original 5-gallon jugs. Today, our fermentation tanks hold 9,000 gallons each.
We keep the air moving and the temperature at a steady 75°F, allowing the batch to ferment for 2 to 4 weeks. We don't rush the "good stuff." This traditional process creates a raw, authentic kombucha packed with live and active cultures, but it also creates a natural byproduct: alcohol.
To keep our kombucha non-alcoholic while preserving the probiotics, we use a bit of "cool" science – literally.
Traditional distillation uses high heat to remove alcohol, but heat kills the beneficial bacteria that make kombucha great. Instead, we use a Spinning Cone Column.
If you’ve tried other raw kombuchas, you might have seen a "globule" (a mini SCOBY) floating in the bottle. This happens during "bottle conditioning," where fermentation continues in the bottle at room temperature.
We prefer a more consistent experience. We use a chilled bottling process (similar to craft beer):
This ensures every bottle has the same level of fizz, no extra alcohol growth, and a clean, crisp texture without the "floaties."
From our first days on Alberta Street to producing hundreds of thousands of bottles a week, our mission remains the same: to keep kombucha an authentic, raw beverage that tastes like real tea.
We hope you agree that the "no shortcuts" approach is well worth the effort. Cheers to the good stuff!
