CHEERS

Kombucha

Refreshing Variety Bubbling Up on Drink Menus

By Lucie Hanes

There’s a new addition to the regular drink selection at cafés, restaurants and breweries across the Vail Valley: kombucha. Kombucha itself is nothing new; the fizzy fermented drink has lined the shelves of specialty health food stores for years now. But, its presence on menus has elevated kombucha from niche to refreshingly mainstream.

Historically, the lineup of options available to those not interested in alcohol has looked pretty dismal across the board. Soda, juice and seltzer water have comprised that list for too long, while the array of alcoholic options has skyrocketed in comparison. The increase in interest for better, nonalcoholic drinks has helped fuel the rise of kombucha.

Kombucha makes such an ideal alternative to alcohol, because it features many of the same characteristics that make alcoholic drinks so appealing. It’s fizzy like beer, crisp like wine and fruity like a cocktail. Tack on the added health benefits from fermentation, and you’ve got yourself a worthy competitor.

Many local eateries now offer a wide variety of kombucha flavors and types to give sober folks a way to actually enjoy a night out. Color Coffee and Vail Brewing Company even include local kombucha on tap right alongside draft beer.

“We try to have one on draft, so someone that’s not drinking at all or at the time can still come here with their friends and feel included,” explains Marshall Kohls, manager and buyer at Color Coffee. The café stays open into the evening for when the day shifts from coffee hour to happy hour. Kohls picks from popular brands like Rowdy Mermaid and Brew Dr., as well as more specialty options like his personal favorite, Happy Leaf. His main criterion is low sugar content to keep the drink tasting sophisticated.

Vail Brewing Company has also recently added kombucha to their menu. They keep a rotating flavor option from Rocky Mountain Cultures on tap yearround. They don’t brew it in-house for the time being while trying to keep up with the regular beer demand but still like to keep it local. Rocky Mountain Cultures started out as High Country Kombucha in Eagle and now produces their kombucha in Gypsum as a distributor for carriers like VBC.

But, one of the best qualities about kombucha is its versatility. The drink works for all sorts of scenarios because of the abundance of flavors. A bright lemon makes a perfect midday summer refreshment, for instance; while, a deeper blackberry or ginger matches the cool air of an early spring day. “We like to match the flavor with the season,” says a busy bartender at Vail Brewing Company while slinging drinks — including the current peach kombucha — down the bar. “That way the kombucha doesn’t just feel like an afterthought to the beer.”

It’s also one of the few drinks out there that successfully swings both ways. There are plenty of alcoholic kombucha options available as well, but there’s no loss of taste or benefit either way. Opting for regular kombucha doesn’t feel like accepting a consolation prize, in contrast to nonalcoholic beer that’s more often disappointing than not.

Kombucha’s rise in popularity doesn’t just represent a new beverage fad; it’s more of a social upheaval. People have become increasingly interested in finding new ways to connect with one another over food and drink. Just as more vegetarian and vegan plates help plant-based diners feel more welcome at restaurants, kombucha serves as a reminder that alcohol isn’t the be-all and end-all. When a menu expands, so does the community. +

Mardy Murie Did!

Grandmother of Conservation

review By Sandy Ferguson Fuller

Did you ever look up and see mountains so beautiful and so high that they disappeared right into the sky, covered by trees and snow and clouds? And did you ever try to save beautiful mountain From road and cars and cities and crowds?

Mardy Murie did!

What does it mean to live life so deeply, so completely and so extraordinarily that your spirit, work and gifts will not be forgotten? Mardy Murie did. Do you know about this exceptional woman who is now remembered as the “Grandmother of Conservation?”

Margaret ‘Mardy’ Murie was a naturalist, author, adventurer, environmentalist and Medal of Freedom winner. She was born August 18, 1902 in Seattle, Washington and grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska. A “pioneer” soul, she was the first woman graduate of the University of Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines (UAF) in 1924, the same year she met and married her husband, Olaus. They honeymooned on a rugged dogsled trip while Olaus conducted research, recording flora and fauna of the Arctic for the U.S. Biological Survey on Alaska's Koyukuk River. This area was later incorporated as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Mardy is best known for her devotion to the creation and preservation of these pristine lands.

Mardy and Olaus moved to Moose, Wyoming in 1927, where they built a log cabin and raised three children. Their homestead on the Snake River by Jackson Hole and bordering Grand Teton National Park is the current site of the Murie Center Ranch and Teton Science School (TSS). The ranch has been designated a National Historic District for its conservation history. It is well-worth your visit. Mardy was instrumental to the growth of the National Park in 1950. She was a founding member of TSS, acting on her belief that educating children is key to an environmentally healthy future. Indeed, the Muries together inspired multiple

generations of young biologists and conservationists, setting the course of the conservation movement over 80 years ago. Olaus died in 1963, leaving Mardy with an empty heart, except for her passionate love for wildlife and wild places.

Mardy was determined and unstoppable, influencing everyone who crossed her path. She had many “famous” friends and admirers, including U.S. presidents, Senators, actors, entertainers, scientists, naturalists and common folk. Those lucky enough to know Mardy were inspired by being in her gentle presence, just to listen and to learn. Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton respected her vision and wisdom. President Clinton bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon Mardy in 1998 for her work. Robert Redford, John Denver, Lee Whittlesey of the National Park Service Yellowstone and Senator Mark Udall enjoyed visits to the Murie Ranch.

Late in her life, Mardy became iconic in conservation circles. As a writer, speaker and lobbyist, she pushed for protection of Alaskan lands that ultimately resulted in the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act signed by President Carter in 1980. She was constantly featured in environmental programs produced for the National Park Service and other organizations, speaking eloquently about preservation of natural places. Life would not be worth living without the “elemental kinds of joys” offered by nature, she often reminded us.

My work as a literary agent for John Denver led me to learn about his close friend, Mardy, and her incredible legacy. She died in 2003 at the age of 101 in the shadow of her beautiful and high Teton mountains before I ever had a chance to meet her in person, but she had already inspired a memorable children’s picture book.

Mardy Murie Did! is written by Colorado author Jequita Potts McDaniel with illustrations by award-winning Eagle River, Alaska artist, Jon Van Zyle. They both knew Mardy. This timeless (and more-timely-than-ever!) picture book was first published in 2010 by Taylor Trade/Rowman & Littlefield/NBN. It remains a classic, with endorsements from Clinton, Udall and Whittlesey. The lyrical text and stunning color illustrations celebrate Mardy's fascinating life and encourage everyone …

"To be nice to the land and the trees and the air . . . We can do this you and me, because Mardy Murie did!"

Mardy Murie’s life made a difference. May we each live ours as deeply. +

Mardy Murie Did! is available from Alp Arts Press: alparts.com; also available through the Murie Center (tetonscience.org) or wherever you buy books.

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IN CELEBRATING 40 YEARS!

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