A Colorado congressman who has tried without success to protect kombucha makers from federal alcohol enforcement is meeting with some of the brewers.
Democratic Rep. Jared Polis is meeting with a handful of kombucha brewers in Erie Friday.
Polis has appealed to the U.S. Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to relax enforcement on the fermented tea makers. Kombucha is an ancient style of fermented black tea. It's a popular health food, but the fermentation process can result in drinks that check in above the federal limit for non-alcoholic drinks, 0.5 percent. Some kombucha makers in Colorado have been threatened with fines.
Polis is being joined by the head of Kombucha Brewers International, which is pushing for a new test for testing alcohol levels in fermented drinks.
