Va. picnic fizzles out as kombucha earns grandpa park ejection

In this photo made July 1, 2010, the product line of Katalyst Kombucha fermented tea are displayed in a refrigerated storage unit at the Katalyst Kombucha company in Greenfield, Mass. Regulators and retailers are concerned that the ancient and trendy tea may need to be regulated as an alcoholic drink. That's because some bottles have more than 0.5 percent alcohol, the legal limit for a drink not to be considered alcoholic. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)(ASSOCIATED PRESS/Charles Krupa)

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) — A picnic for a 60-year-old grandfather fizzled out pretty quickly when he and his grandsons were kicked out of a park in Virginia for drinking kombucha.

The bubbly, fermented tea originated centuries ago in China and typically contains a slight bit of alcohol.

That’s what got Sid Tatem in trouble while celebrating his birthday with his two grandsons at Chesapeake’s Northwest River Park.

The Virginian-Pilot reports the three were sipping homebrewed kombucha at the park when a ranger asked what they were drinking and then kicked them out upon discovering what it was.

City spokeswoman Elizabeth Vaughn says the ranger acted because the beverage was given to juveniles.

Kombucha sold in supermarkets must fall below 0.5 percent alcohol, but Tatem’s homebrewed drink had not been tested for alcohol content.

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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com

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