AMA Brewery
(ah-mah) | Basque Country
The impossible dreams of AMA Brewery were born…
from a chance meeting between friends in a car park in Basque Country. From that random first interaction, the inspiration came to build a drink without precedence: something new, without a category or history. The AMA creative team aspires to contribute to a new culture of innovation, driven by progressive ways of thinking, drinking, and understanding life itself. What began as a guerrilla group of friends brewing new-wave, aged kombuchas in a garage space on a back street in San Sebastian evolved into a fully-fledged R&D facility and the development of the AMA flavor universe.
“How do you face something new? Which words do you use? What are the references to use? Many of these things are a work in progress, and therein lies the challenge and opportunity.”
– Co-founders Dani Lasa and Ramon Perisé
With their roots ranging from Mugaritz’s Creativity + Research team (Dani Lasa and Ramon Perisé) to the vineyards of Granja Remelluri (Sancho Rodríguez), and the expert fair-trade sourcing of London’s The Rare Tea Company (Henrietta Lovell), the team behind AMA Brewery are nothing short of visionary in their quest for impeccably sourced, naturally low-abv beverages. AMA Brewery is a team of fine dining chefs, artisan winemakers, scientists, and craftspeople. Their pét-nat is the next generation of sophisticated, low-alcohol drinks.
AMA pét-nat tea is a bottle-fermented kombucha brewed with pure Basque mountain water and carefully sourced teas. It is a pioneering beverage in the super-low alcohol category, blending traditional pét-nat and kombucha techniques with an entirely new innovative spirit to achieve a naturally effervescent beverage. Its fine and delicate mousse is a result of its secondary fermentation in bottle. AMA is the first beverage of its kind produced without the processes of forced carbonation, dealcoholization, or additives. It arrives at a natural 1.5% to 2.5% alcohol by volume, depending on the cuvée, through the fermentation process facilitated by a specially chosen SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), literally the “mother.” The SCOBY feeds on the infusion, transforming it into an elegant beverage.
As the bubbles mature in the bottle, they decrease in size, integrating into the liquid; aromas intensify, flavors harmonize, and the mouthfeel becomes silky. In their quest to continually push boundaries, AMA Brewery produces experimental micro-batches with longer fermentation times.
“We believe the future of drink pairings in restaurants will challenge the status quo. Low and non-alcoholic alternatives have become part of the discourse of traditional wine pairings and have given mixologists more to play with. Our bottle-aged pét-nat tea is as complete a drinking experience as any fine wine, beer, or sake. Less alcohol, more experience.”
– Co-founders Dani Lasa and Ramon Perisé
When it comes to the absolute respect for quality, the uncompromising spirit that AMA Brewery brings to ingredient-sourcing is second nature to Dani and Ramon, whose origins include their pivotal work at two-Michelin-starred Mugaritz in Spain’s Basque Country, widely considered one of the top restaurants in the world. Mugaritz is an engine for creativity and “techno-emotional” cuisine. A similar spirit guides Sancho Rodríguez, the youngest in the trio of siblings at the famed, quality-obsessed Granja Remelluri winery in Rioja, with his brother Telmo and sister Amaia. The AMA project is a natural extension of Sancho’s creative spirit as a Basque surfer, videographer, and noted gastronomic futurist in search of defining new culinary and cultural expressions.
Naturally, their quest for quality led to their collaboration with Henrietta Lovell, the founder of London’s The Rare Tea Company. Henrietta’s knowledge and experience sourcing the world’s finest loose-leaf teas are second to none. Working directly with small, independent tea gardens around the world and ensuring sustainable practices benefiting the land and the people, Henrietta sources the unique varieties of specialty teas used to produce AMA. The Rare Tea Company focuses on the twin pillars of exceptional quality and sustainability, defined by social, economic, and environmental standards.
Finally, of critical importance, the source water for AMA pét-nat tea was chosen from an initial trial process of over twenty different waters. It was imperative that the correct water was selected for both its chemical composition and its organoleptic characteristics. Water for AMA is fittingly sourced from the Alzola natural spring in the Izarraitz Massif near the Bay of Biscay, in Spain’s verdant Basque Country, where it takes 27 years for the limestone mountain to naturally filter rainwater into the exceptional, low-mineral water used by the brewery.
The resulting beverages are lightly sparkling, richly flavored and ultra-elegant, a true expression of the terroir and craftsmanship that go into them. Similar to other finely-made beverages, there is a wide range of distinct flavors and sensory impressions unique to each cuvée which naturally encourages culinary experimentation, with infinite possibilities for food pairings. AMA was crafted to offer a revolutionary, truly world-class option for low-ABV food pairings and cocktails, standing with other iconic beverages at the table and in mixology. We invite you to explore the unique flavor universe created by the AMA team within.
