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 There is a powerful sense of gratification when businesses come together to form a mutually beneficial relationship... Staffing shortages have impacted small businesses around the country, and Lenny Boy was no exception. In August of last year when we were searching for new members of our production team, we found a solution just across the street from our South Tryon St. taproom with UMAR, a non-profit with a mission to promote community inclusion, independence, and growth for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential, employment, and cultural enrichment opportunities. UMAR stepped in with two eager employees ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Kenna and Stephanie, roommates at a UMAR group home in Charlotte, have found themselves right at home with their new part-time jobs preparing shipping boxes for our bottled kombucha. “It worked out perfectly,” Lenny Boy owner Nathan Villaume said. “We couldn’t find someone since it was only a few hours a week and these two were right across the street at the arts center. They’ve been doing an awesome job.” The two are a dynamic duo working together to label, fold, and stack hundreds of boxes during their two shifts each week. Since starting in August 2021, they’ve quickly become masters of their craft. Stephanie is an ace of label placement, ensuring each box is labeled with impressive speed. Kenna, an expert box folder, sees that each box is assembled and stacked on a pallet before moving to the bottling and packing area of the warehouse.
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Lenny Boy Hard Kombucha is a fermented, effervescent, refreshing kombucha that contains 6% alcohol with various fruited flavors. Our process to make hard kombucha starts with our in-house kombucha culture brewed with more sugar, fruit juice, and tea than our non-alcoholic kombucha. We add a unique in-house yeast and let the beverage ferment for five weeks. This fermentation process is anaerobic (without oxygen) allowing the yeast to thrive and create the high alcohol content. So does hard kombucha contain beneficial properties? Yes - hard kombucha still contains all the beneficial probiotics, amino acids, and minerals that are found in non-alcoholic kombucha. The beneficial probiotics can help your body in many ways including more efficient digestion! Other benefits include improved immune and liver functions. When you consider what you are putting into your body - why would you not choose Hard Kombucha over other alcoholic beverages? Why did we choose the name Elation Hard Kombucha? Elation to us means happiness and exhilaration. This name translates to how you feel when enjoying our hard kombucha, and also how our team feels when we produce the product. After four years of slowly researching and developing the culture and refining the formula, we have finally perfected the recipe and process to make Elation Hard Kombucha. Currently we have Elation on draft (kegs only) at the Brewery and we look to launch the bottles in the coming months around the Charlotte, NC market. Product Details: Gluten Free Low Calorie Low Sugar Real Fruit Juice Contains Probiotics - over 100 strains of lactobacillus in the culture To date we have made eight flavors that have been available in our Taproom. And we will continue to make new, fun flavors! Blackberry & Blueberry Peach & Mango Pineapple & Lime & Sea Salt Cranberry & Blood Orange Grapefruit & Lemongrass & Hibiscus Ginger & Lemon & Black Tea Passionfruit & Guava Cherry & Lime We love fermentation! All types of fermentation from non-alcoholic kombucha to beer to sour beers and now Elation Hard Kombucha. This hard kombucha is merely an extension of our passion for fermentation and flavors. We wanted to develop a gluten-free beverage with a reasonable amount of alcohol and low calorie, low sugar content. We hope you enjoy this fruited, effervescent, healthy beverage that you can feel good about drinking.   We are super excited about our upcoming Yoga event at the Taproom on Saturday, March 9th. We have partnered with up some of Charlotte's best yoga instructors to provide everyone FREE Yoga classes. Join us for a full day packed with free yoga classes and workshops! Each yogi is allowed to sign up for 3 classes max. Grab your friends and come hang out with follow yogis and enjoy some kombucha before, during or after your classes. Sign up for classes! [the classes will fill up before Saturday] We will have Emmy Eff Designs and The Usual on site from 2 - 6pm. Dragonfly Apothecary will be providing complimentary face mists starting at 11am. Yoga Schedule: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Meditate and Move with Carianna Lynne 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM Meditation 101 with Carianna Lynne 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Essential Vinyasa with Kayla Frank and Bethany Cargle 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM Ayurveda Workshop with Bethany Cargle and Kayla Frank 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM Hip Hop Power Flow with Erin Falls 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Acro Yoga with Sydney Duarte and Jason Kierce 4:45 PM - 5:45 PM Power Vinyasa with Amber Sebbio 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Chakti Yoga with Essential Thrive (Lauren McAbee) 7:15 PM - 8:00 PM Deep Stretch with Rodolfo Tandazo Hosted by: Sweatnet Charlotte        In late 2018 we met Amie Begg at the Lenny Boy taproom through mutual friends. We instantly fell in love with her enthusiasm for life, travel, and new experiences. Come to learn Amie has a great appreciation and love for our kombucha - thus we decided a great fit to support her on any of her upcoming adventures. Amie recently completed a bike route of 250 miles along the base of Mt. Everest..! In the blog post below - Amie details her amazing journey as the first woman to solo this route. The Thought Cycling alone is hard. Cycling in the cold is hard. Cycling at altitude is hard. All three together test the limits of your body and mind. This trifecta dances the line of adventure and obliteration. To endure these conditions takes relentless mental discipline, physical stamina and knowing when to push yourself…and when to let go. I’m not an avid cyclist. it’s always been a part of my life, but not the main attraction of hobbies. I’m not exactly sure where the idea to ride my bike on a road over 16,000 feet high formed. All I know is, I’ve always wanted to see Everest but hiking or mountaineering never appealed to me. I stumbled across this bike route, called the Friendship Highway, or the road to Everest. The more I read, the more I knew this would be my next adventure. The Prep I believe there are 3 type of travelers, those that travel on the beaten path, those off the beaten path, and then people like me, that say, “There’s a path?” I love traveling, and when I do it’s to get away from western amenities and learn about other cultures, other lifestyles, hoping to understand or simply to appreciate their way of life. Visiting Everest in the Summer was logical, but Summer months catered to tourists and I wanted Everest all to myself. I eventually learned that Everest’s views are best during the Winter months. Who doesn’t like clear blue skies when they’re riding alone for miles and miles…in subzero temperatures? Thankfully, I wasn’t in this completely alone. I reached out to several travel agencies and quickly learned that no one had ever attempted this ride during winter months due to such harsh conditions. I also learned, as a solo female, I was attempting to do something no other female had ever done alone. Needless to say, most potential travel agencies were skeptical, but I was determined. I finally found a one, Tibet Vista, willing to help make the arrangements. Bottom line, it was either using a travel agency or sneak into a region of the world I’ve never visited, let alone at a time when U.S.-China tensions were high. Tibet Vista helped make this trip a reality. Wary of my potential, they still planned my trip thoroughly. On top of the planning, achieving this feat takes considerable physical preparation, but I’ve come to realize there’s little we can do to mentally prepare for the unknown that lays ahead. I had four months to train and be in optimal condition before my trip, so I began riding my bike everywhere. Unfortunately, North Carolina, my home state, lacks the mountainous roads I needed. I found suitable training grounds in West Virginia, which is colder than North Carolina, a factor that helped prepare me for the temperatures I’d face. The thing is, I was in graduate school, working full-time, and preparing for a national skydiving competition. I had very little time to train, but I made do with what I had and made my bike my primary source of transportation. Whenever I could ride, I did. The Cold Everest was cold. I’d arrived at Rongbuk Monastery with a bus tour that would descent the next day. Just a few short miles of Base Camp, I immediately felt the chill of minus 16 degrees Fahrenheit. It was like jumping into an ice bath. The chill shocked my body. I was used to frigid temperatures growing up in New England, but this was cold unlike anything I had ever felt. The only warmth we had were electric heating blankets. Wool wraps made from yak hair helped trap our body heat. It was barely enough. Even the monks who call Rongbuk their home abandon it during winter months because it’s unbearable. It hadn’t been more than a few hours since I got off the bus at Rongbuk and already I was doubting my ability, my courage to keep going. I hadn’t even started. I intermittently slept throughout the night, often waking to others sucking on their oxygen containers, gasping for breath. The morning slowly crept up on us, the darkness of the sky with stars still gleaming disorienting our minds as our clocks displayed 7:30am. The group was heading out at 8. As they shuffled around, packing belongings, I headed to the bus carrying my bitter cold bike off and into the now empty room. Twelve exited the bus the night prior as I stood hugging and watching eleven get back on. Trepidation filled me as wishes of luck were given. I stood in the Dusk of the morning watching my safety and comfort slowly pull away and descent down the road. I stood in the bitter cold 16,500 feet up, all alone. A few tears trickled down my face as my grandiose idea just became reality. The cold was something I’d have to live with for four days more days and 250 miles. I didn’t realize until my first night, that no place was heated in rural Tibet. Each night temperatures dropped in the negatives, and each day I was lucky if they broke to single digits. One village I stopped at overnight, I met an old lady and the only English word she spoke was, “cold.” My body was fighting day in and day out. There was no reprieve. The mental strain, not only of the ride each day, but never being able to escape the cold was getting the best of me. The Ride The ride was long and arduous. Challenges came around every corner compounded by the uncertainty of what lay ahead and constant numbing of extremities from the harsh temps. There’s one day, my second day on my bike, that truly characterizes the ride. It was 10:30am by the time I got rolling. Waiting until a warmer -5 degrees, I left the guesthouse behind, and started my climb. I climbed, and climbed, and climbed some more. I went through my first pass of the day with a road winding back and forth, ascending up a mountain range putting one pedal in front of the other. The road varied from slightly steep, to steep, to very steep. There were no plateaus. Just up. For seven hours. I zigged and I zagged across the road as I went up, giving my legs a break at every zag. I had no clue when it would end, or if I would have enough energy to keep going. This was the longest climb of my life. After four hours of ascent, I came across Tsing, my support guide, sitting on the roadside with another man eating and drinking warm coffee. He offered spicy noodles, but I opted for energy bars. The coffee warmed my insides. I wanted to stay warm and keep my energy level high, so I left Tsing and his friend, continuing on my way. I stopped briefly at every switchback to take in the scenery, smiling each time and thoroughly enjoying the clear sunny day. The higher I got, the more amazing views became. I felt great, enjoying the never-ending climb. My body felt warm. Everything was perfect. I finally reached the top, a plateau of gusty wind chilling my body’s core, stinging the tiny parts of skin exposed on my face. Knowing I had just accomplished a feat I never fathomed doing made it all okay. I took photos and enjoyed my accomplishment, briefly as I still had several miles ahead. I had ridden uphill for seven hours in freezing cold temperatures. I giggled as I sped down the other side of the mountain riding side by side with a motorcycle. 15 minutes to get back down. It was all worth it. The Feeling My last day began with me getting a late start due to unforeseen sickness. A little morning delay resulting in an afternoon of pondering pride versus perseverance. Dusk was slowly turning into dark, with dark came the cold. I kept vacillating between wanting to pedal hard to get warm and conserving the last of my energy. My support car now trailing behind me illuminating the road with its headlights. I had to stop. I pulled over. Just for a moment. I ate some GU®, and drank some water. I’ve often heard the saying, it’s 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical, but there comes a point in one’s journey when this saying loses meaning. In that moment, there is no longer a physical component, and 100 percent of your performance relies on your mental strength. To waver is not an option. To quit is not an option. To finish is the only way. I put my head down and kept it there. I pedaled. I felt the road’s every groove reverberate, from the tires to my spokes to the rims through my pedals, reaching my feet, my spine, my hands and my mind. I took it foot by foot, eyes locked on the road. I had one more big hill, about 2 miles up, the other side was Shigaste, my finishing point. I thought my day of climbing felt long. This was the longest 2 miles I have ever felt in my life. I kept pressing my shifter, hoping there was one more I forgot about. I pushed each pedal with intentional effort, not wanting to look up to see how much farther I had. I relied on feeling. When I felt I could add a gear I did, when I felt I couldn’t I didn’t. I focused on 10 feet ahead of me. I locked my eyes into the road, focused on the road condition 10 feet ahead. That was all. I pedaled. Finally, my shifting increased, more and more. I sped up, pedaling became easier as the cold air blew past my face. I was finally descending. I looked up. Off in the distance I could see city lights illuminating the sky. Shigaste. Final stretch. I cycled into town and followed the jeep to the hotel. I pulled in. My legs were Jello as I stumbled off my bike. I did it. I did what no other has done. I pushed through riding 74 miles that last day, capping off my journey of 250 miles along the base of Mt. Everest. Until Next Adventure!! Amie Begg Follow her on Instagram @AdventureAmie
 Here at Lenny Boy Brewing we love all different kinds of brews, but we also love hosting parties and events! We can hold all kinds of events from wedding receptions to graduation parties. Regardless of the reason, we’d love to help you make your occasion a memorable one at our brewery. To get you prepared for your big day, here’s our top event planning tips! 1. Start Planning Early Start planning your event well in advance to make sure your event goes off without a snag. To get started, take care of the event venue and the guest list first. Figuring out all the details about your event is much easier after you have those two big things nailed down. 2. Keep it Organized Before you start planning all the details of your event, get yourself organized to avoid losing things and giving yourself a headache! You can find plenty of event planning checklists and other tools for keeping your event planning efforts organized. Make sure you track all the tasks that need to be completed in preparation of your event, when they need to be done by, and who’s in charge of doing them. Make sure you track your RSVPs and invites too! 3. Finer Details Once you’ve got yourself organized you can start to tackle other aspects of your event. Will you have food? If so, where is it coming from? What are people going to eat with? There are so many things to consider when you’re planning an event. However, if you book with a reputable venue, they’ll likely help you out with a lot of these things. Check out what we can help you out with here! 4. Entertainment You’ll want to have some kind of entertainment at your event! Even if it’s a karaoke setup, having some kind of entertainment at your event will give your guests an awesome experience. But even if you don’t have entertainment, you’ll probably want some kind of music setup to be playing in the background. Make sure you coordinate the entertainment portion of your event with your venue. If you want to learn more about how to plan an event, there are a ton of great resources and articles out there to give you more in-depth info. The better you can plan and prepare for your event, the more smooth and stress-free it will be to coordinate!
Sometimes, you just need some tequila in your life. And that's okay. Scoop Charlotte understands that everyone wants to embrace tequila in a more mature fashion, and they partnered with some stellar bartenders to create some beautiful tequila concoctions. One of them, Mi Amore, brings in kombucha to complement tequila's natural bite. View the recipe below, and make sure you follow Scoop Charlotte to learn more about what's happening in Charlotte. Ingredients:
Directions:
That's it! Careful, this drink can be easy to knock back. Always drink responsibly, and remember to tag us in all of your kombucha cocktail creations (#lennyboycocktails). Cheers! 
 Photo credit: @jdriscollphoto We are back, bringing you another delicious cocktail that will be the hit of any party! Our friend Bob Peters, head mixologist at The Punch Room in The Ritz-Carlton, crafts cocktails that are to die for. He uses Lenny Boy kombucha in several of his cocktails, and we encourage you to give kombucha cocktails a try at home. Today, we are sharing with you Bob's recipe for Good Humor(ic) Turmeric Punch. Bob writes, "This is one of the best punches I have ever created." You know it must be good, because that bar is HIGH. Turmeric is also very highly touted for its health benefits. What else could you ask for in a craft cocktail? All of the ingredients and directions for creating this kombucha cocktail are listed below. Ingredients:
Directions:
*Note: this will serve 2 - 4 people, so drink responsibly Remember to tag us in all of your kombucha cocktail creations (#lennyboycocktails). Happy drinking!
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