Stiff Tea is built on a love of fermentation and great drinks. We believe in proper brewing, bold flavours and that the things worth enjoying are worth doing properly.
Meet Zach
“I got really into weird sour and experimental ales at uni, and decided to follow it through. It was the first thing I ever felt real passion for.”
Zach has spent over a decade in craft beer and kombucha. He wrote down the name Stiff Tea in 2020, while consulting for a brand in the same space, and knew straight away it was his future: it scratched every itch he had about making something interesting and different.
Why hard kombucha?
Kombucha was growing fast, but it was all a bit sensible. Stiff Tea was created to flip that. More flavour. More character. Less fuss.
Serious about brewing. Not serious about ourselves
Stiff Tea is here to bring something new to the UK drinks scene. Not a health drink. Not a gimmick. Just properly brewed hard kombucha, made for flavour, balance and the fun bits of the week.
Our story so far
2020
The name
Zach writes down the name Stiff Tea while consulting for a kombucha brand. “I just knew that my future would be in the kombucha space.”
2024
Born in Manchester
Our own brewery in Manchester: a basic setup, modestly self-funded, with some support from the King's Trust. Launched with a Stiff Tea party at Wolf At The Door.
Two cans at a time
Every can sealed and labelled by hand. In a heatwave, that meant night shifts in the brewery at 2 or 3 in the morning. “When you want to make something happen, you just find a way of making it happen.”
2025
Getting into a pickle
Inspired by a couple of pickle-flavoured bevvies over the summer, In a Pickle was first brewed for a brewery's Pickle Fest.
2026
New cans, same brew
A glow-up for all three brews, and Grapple Soda becomes Grape Cooler. “We're growing up (not too much, mind). Truly incredible to see how this little thing we started has started to reach people North and South.”