DOVER, NH- At the University of New Hampshire (UNH) studying anthropology, Helen Leavitt, owner and head brewer of Auspicious Brew, a kombucha brewery in Dover NH, found her love for plants and local food systems.

As she participated in different organizations on campus, like UNH’s Organic Garden Club, and worked on research projects at the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture’s (COLSA) Burley-Demeritt Farm, Leavitt grew passionate about working with community spaces and increasing people’s access to healthy foods.

About a decade after graduating from UNH, Leavitt began working in the service industry as a bartender. There, she discovered flavor profiles and the many ways to mix different beverages. At this time Leavitt had also been drinking a lot of kombucha, a fermented tea beverage known for its health benefits. She decided to combine her fascination for plants and fermentation with her new knowledge of beverage curation and began brewing her own kombucha.

“I started bringing it [kombucha] in and sharing it with my co-workers, and sometimes customers who came in regularly, just saying, ‘Oh, I made this flavor,’ and people really liked it,”  Leavitt said. “The person that I worked for at some point then encouraged me to participate in a bigger community event that was taking place for a bunch of restaurants called Barbecue, which happened at a farm in Lee.”

At the event, Leavitt received overwhelming support for her kombucha from the local community, leaving many asking, “Where can I buy this?”

Leavitt left feeling inspired and began researching what it would take to open a kombucha brewery of her own and in 2020, Auspicious Brew opened its doors. Located in the Washington Street Mills in downtown Dover, Auspicious Brew has established itself as the first licensed kombucha brewery in New Hampshire.

Auspicious Brew’s kombucha is kegged and served on draft in their tasting room. They also keg their kombucha for other local businesses, who have them on draft and distribute kombucha to over 90 different locations across New Hampshire.

Auspicious Brew produces all their kombuchas authentically. Brewing their classic kombucha takes approximately 21 days for the beverage to ferment; for their hard kombucha, it can take anywhere from 30 to 40 days to ferment. This natural fermentation process of the kombucha causes the beverage to exceed the 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) limit, which calls for Auspicious Brew’s kombucha to be legally considered and licensed as an alcoholic beverage.

Auspicious Brew’s flavoring menu is ever-changing, explained Leavitt. All their flavors are made in-house and infused with ingredients like fruits, spices and herbs from local sources.

“That’s a really big part of the mission of this endeavor, to work every year to use more and more local ingredients,” said Leavitt.

Auspicious Brew is currently hosting a series where they release a flavor each month inspired by the zodiac sign associated with it. They also have established an event series to coincide with the flavor release called the Stellar Sip Series, where participants can join in an event that also helps channel the changing energy of the zodiac. Their most recent event was in honor of the Taurus zodiac, starting on Thursday, April 20.

Hosting community events is a large part of Auspicious Brew’s identity. In their tasting room, they often hold events open to all ages that range from open-mic nights all the way to writer’s corner events. 

“In response to what I’ve seen as someone that lives in this area, there is a needed space on the Seacoast where there is an opportunity for people to engage in a social environment but to have genuinely, authentically healthy choices for consumption, even when it comes to alcohol,” explained Leavitt. “We are here to try to host people who want a safe, inclusive and just comfortable family-friendly environment to spend their time.”

More information about the Auspicious Brews event schedule can be found on their website, along with information on their Stellar Sip Series and their new Brew Crew Membership and Mug Club program where you can create a customized mug, receive exclusive discounts and gain access to limited-release flavors.