When Lindsay Lohan was caught violating her parole rules by drinking alcohol in 2011, she said she had just been drinking Kombucha Tea. Clearly, Lohan couldn’t have been referring to Unity Vibration’s Kombucha Beer — because it packs a punch. At 8 percent alcohol by volume, it is not your average health drink.

Made with organic dried hops and a symbiotic colony of friendly bacteria — called symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast— the Unity Vibration’s Kombucha Beer sits right in between a wheat ale and the type of acidic Kombucha Tea you can pick up at your local Whole Foods. It doesn’t taste or look quite a beer, but also doesn’t taste or look just like Kombucha Tea either.

It smells more like Kombucha Tea than beer, though it tastes more like a mix of the two. Unlike bottled non-alcoholic Kombucha Tea, the added flavors pop. In this case, the burning ginger variety and characteristic sweetness was front and center.

It also looks … interesting. It’s opaque with a slight fizz and yellow color. Think hard apple cider, but cloudier. Next to an ale, it looks light, but next to 1911 Cider, it looks dark.

The process of making this Kombucha Beer is complicated, according to Unity Vibration’s website. Symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast is used in the first round of fermentation, then the added flavors are used in the fermentation proceeding it. Owners Rachel and Tarek Kanaan started brewing their own Kombucha in their Michigan home in 2007, and while they now have a larger operation, they still brew in small, hand-crafted batches. In a video of the owners on the company website, you can see the positive mantras written on the side of the tanks and Rachel playing Tibetan bowls above them, “infusing the tanks with positivity.” It is an unusual process, but the owners seem to care for the product they produce.

As for the health properties typically associated with Kombucha, the beer is also gluten-free, vegan and organic. The Mayo Clinic says it cannot for certain whether any Kombucha actually helps with digestion, immune function or prevent cancer. But Health.com says it is rich in B vitamins and folic acid, which help the body produce and maintain new cells.

Unity Vibration’s Kombucha Beer isn’t an easy find around Syracuse. It is sometimes on tap at The Evergreen in Hanover Square and can occasionally be found at J. Ryan’s Pub, but you must be prudent to catch it while it’s in stock. It’s worth a try if you are into funky or fruity beers. And if you just want to feel like you might be doing your health a favor by drinking some Kombucha Beer instead of a porter at your next happy hour, go for it — even if the health benefits might just be a fluke.