Photograph courtesy of Golda Kombucha
The West End’s Lee + White development is already known for hosting local breweries: Monday Night Brewing’s second facility, the Garage, opened last year, and Wild Heaven Brewing and Banyan Roots Brewing Co. are both working on opening facilities in the Westside Trail-adjacent development. But this spring, a completely different type of brewery will call Lee + White home.
Cultured South, a 1,200-square-foot kombucha taproom and fermentation marketplace founded by Golda Kombucha’s Melanie Wade, will officially open its doors on May 20. Initially it will offer six varieties of Golda Kombucha on tap—lavender lemon, peach ginger, strawberry mint, elderberry thyme, hibiscus blood orange, and blackberry basil—which you can purchase in pints, flights, tastes, growlers, and even gelato floats. Eventually Cultured South will expand to 10 taps rotating about 20 kombucha flavors.
“It’s been my dream to have a taproom for kombucha,” says Wade, who began selling the fermented tea in 2013. Cultured South is also the name of Wade’s parent company, which focuses on fermented, probiotic-rich foods and currently includes Golda Kombucha and Pure Abundance vegan cheeses.
Photograph courtesy of golda kombucha
Other offerings will include kefir water (a probiotic drink with fruit and herbs) and jun (honey-fermented kombucha tea). The taproom will offer a variety of local snacks. There will be a cheeseboard that features Pure Abundance cashew cheese, local preserves, Doux South pickles (which is also planned to open a store at Lee + White), and sourdough crackers. There might even be some pastries and Emerald City Bagels, Wade says. And if you need a caffeine fix, Atlanta’s Banjo Cold Brew Coffee will also be served be on tap.
“We’re focused on providing a community space for the neighborhood. It’ll be rustic. You can come in gym attire straight off the BeltLine and not feel out of place,” Wade says.
In the next few years, Wade plans to begin offering kombucha cocktails and craft beer, as well as conducting brewery tours and kombucha-making classes. Wade says she’s considering hosting pop-up brunches or dinners, too.
Photograph courtesy of Golda Kombucha
The space features an industrial feel with an L-shaped bar, community tables, and a courtyard patio. And when it opens on May 20, it’ll also play host to the second annual Atlanta Fermentation Fest (which Wade co-founded) from noon to 6 p.m. About 20 local vendors will sample and sell their fermented fares, including Banjo Coffee, Doux South, Georgia Sourdough Co., Ancient Awakenings, and Cherokee Moon Mixology. There will be live music, fermentation demonstrations, and more.
