Picnic fizzles out as kombucha earns grandpa park ejection

CHESAPEAKE, Va. – 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 per cent 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