In September, the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) began sending letters to manufacturers of a probiotic tea called kombucha to warn them about alcohol content in their drinks.
Federal law says that if a drink tests above 0.5 percent for alcohol, it should be labeled as alcoholic and sold as liquor.
In other words, the health drink could not be sold alongside other nutritional drinks in grocery stores.
Ridiculous, said Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., who issued a letter to the TTB saying that kombucha is a “unique product” that consistently tests under 0.5 percent while cold. If it heats up, fermentation begins and the product becomes undrinkable with more alcohol.
The current testing method often confuses certain organic acids as ethanol, he added, which increases the alcohol reading.
Eight rotten kombucha drinks equal one beer, said Polis in his letter.
A solution is at hand in the form of new testing that could be more precise and effective at determining the alcohol content.
Polis’ office says the federal government now is working closely with kombucha manufacturers on a developing a new alcohol-by-volume test since the current one is outdated.
The adoption of this test will likely not be available until later next year.
In the meantime, the TTB should be more flexible in allowing the drinks to remain on the food aisles in grocery stores.
But Kombucha producers must have accurate labels once the new testing is approved, too. Some people simply don’t want to consume alcohol, and they need to know if a drink has any.
But the industry that is growing year by year in Colorado should not be ruined by forcing its drinks into liquor stores.
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