Out of all the things that craft beer has jumped in on, tea has been the most interesting.
Sure, having a beer that’s been aged in some sort of a liquor barrel is pretty easy to find these days, but for some reason brewers have really started grasping tea as being a wonderful flavoring adjunct.
And it works really well. Not only do Camillia sinensis leaves themselves do a great job of imparting a very new, novel, and exciting flavor, but you can also bring in additional flavors with teas flavored or herbal.
We take an example, Fuzzy Peach (Gose, 5.5% ABV) from Infinite Ale Works in Ocala.
It pours a little darker than a traditional gose, closer to a solid orange.
The aroma has a lot of great fruit notes. That’s from the tea.
They had taken a tea and fruit blend that combined peach (of course), but also apples, carrots, pineapple, and rose petals. Right off the bat, it’s the peaches in the pie but you really smell the most.
But when you taste it, there’s just so much going on. The traditional and welcome gose tartness is there, floating on an amazingly high effervescence that has to be felt to be believed.
But there’s so many flavors to be enjoying as well. You get a lot of peach and pineapple first, and when those subside, the apple sweetness really comes in. Finally, the tea, with that floral darkness from the rose petals, really comes in.
It’s a fantastically complex and incredibly flavorful beer, all with the help of a wonderful tea. The best part is I know that there are other tea beers out there, and I’m very eager to try them all.
Drink Florida Craft,
Dave
@floridabeerblog
floridabeerblog@gmail.com
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