Unified Ferments
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Country of Origin: USA
Location: Brooklyn
People: Graham Pirtle & Young Stowe, Owners & Fermenters
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Non alcoholic, fermented beverages produced from single origin teas. What's not to love? Existing somewhere between kombucha and a tea-based proxy alt wine beverage, United Ferments impressed us with their high quality raw materials, tea forward philosophy and wine adjacent fermentation aesthetic and energy. Fermented in Brooklyn by owner, Young Stowe, Unified Ferment's core and seasonal batches will be making their way to Illinois beverage lists and store shelves throughout the year via cream wine & spirits. Super happy to be in collaboration with Young and his team.
FAQs per their website:
What is kombucha?
Kombucha is a beverage made from sweetened tea and a scoby (symbiotic colony of yeasts and bacteria). The yeasts and bacteria work together to create a tangy, complex drink while also making the environment inhospitable to unwanted microbes. This process has evolved over millennia and is a long-standing method of food preservation. Kombucha is the common term for beverages made this way.
Is what you make kombucha?
Great question. Sometimes we’re not entirely sure anymore. The fermentation we use is kombucha fermentation, but our approach to blending, aging, and achieving clarity pushes the results beyond what most people expect from kombucha on store shelves. We wear our labels loosely, and “kombucha” is no exception.
Why does the tea matter?
Tea (camellia sinensis) is central to kombucha’s chemistry. The polyphenols, catechins, tannins, caffeine, and subtle sugars in brewed tea are all used throughout fermentation. When high-quality teas made by skilled producers are used, the finished beverage reflects that care with greater depth and distinction.
What are the ingredients?
Tea leaves, water, a sweetener (honey or sugar), and aged, mature kombucha used as a starter.
Is it incredibly healthy?
There are ongoing studies suggesting fermented foods may have generally positive effects on health, but that’s not really our focus. We got into this for flavor, not as a dietary mission. There’s plenty of reading available on probiotics and fermentation, and we encourage curiosity, but we try to avoid the hype. As sandor katz wrote in the art of fermentation, “kombucha is neither panacea nor peril. Like any ferment, it contains unique metabolic byproducts and living bacterial cultures that may or may not agree with you.”
How much sugar is in it?
Our measurements aren’t lab-grade, but our estimates show that a 150 ml serving contains about 7.5 grams of sugar, or roughly 30 calories per glass.
Is it completely alcohol free?
Under usda guidelines, an alcohol-free beverage may contain up to 0.5% abv. Our recipes have been verified to remain well below that threshold and qualify as non-alcoholic. Small amounts of alcohol are a natural byproduct of fermentation. For perspective, to consume the same amount of alcohol as a 12 oz bottle of Budweiser, you’d need to drink more than five 750 ml bottles of our product in an hour. Even we couldn’t manage that.