Autumn has arrived. Throughout Ontario and Quebec, the leaves like chameleons have transformed their green into orange and red fire, thankfully without smoke. Knowing that the swim season is well behind us, we drive into cottage country just to witness this dazzling blossom reversal. We know these leaves will soon fall, cover the ground, and again like chameleons turn brown as they match the soil. They will be buried by snow until the ever-distant spring. For a few weeks, we savour this colourful intermediary while we can…
In that spirit, we produce a seasonal flavour to enjoy briefly during the coldest Canadian months. Every fall, Loon Kombucha produces a flavour made with local crab apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. Those mulling spices make the batch taste more like a tasty apple pie than spicy cinnamon heart candy. We named it accordingly: Cinnamon Apple Pie.
This flavour was developed by our Brewery Manager, Sarah Mackenzie, while attending the Ottawa Farmers Market in the fall of 2018. Our booth was placed close to the Hall's Apple Market booth and the creative juices started flowing. Sarah ordered some crabapples and brought them back to the brewery. Over the next few months, she developed a recipe perfectly designed for the Canadian fall and winter.
The Cinnamon Apple Pie is now a chilly season favourite at the farmers' markets. While fingers are protected by mittens and necks are bundled in scarves, this batch usually outsells our other flavours 2-1. We still source our crabapples from Hall's Apple Market, a lovely orchard northeast of Brockville, transporting them back to the brewery by the bushel.
The crabapples are cleaned, chopped, juiced and poured into a smooth white tea kombucha, made with our incredible alkaline water as usual. The spices are floated in the batch. These flavouring ingredients then need time to sit in the kombucha and infuse slowly, for up to five days. When it's ready, this kombucha truly tastes like a pie that just came ~ cold and refreshing ~ out of the piping hot oven.
Enjoy the Cinnamon Apple Pie by the fire in a snow-covered cabin, out on brisk walks, after a ski through the quiet woods or during a skate on the heritage Ottawa Canal. It's the perfect way to support your gut health during the icy half of the year.
Where can you get it?
We only produce one or two batches per season. We will have the Cinnamon Apple Pie available for refills at local farmers markets until they close. Some Refill Stations will also tap the pie until February or March if you're lucky, but you'll have to call them and ask. These kegs don't last long.
The Cinnamon Apple pie is also now available in 500ml bottles in very limited quantity. You can order cases from our website and we will ship across Canada.
Order here.
Stay warm friends!