With the rising interest in specialty and artisanal foods and beverages in recent years, a number of creative products have emerged that combine tea with alcoholic drinks. As noted in this overview of tea-infused spirits and alcoholic beverages, these include variations of vodka, liqueur, and malt-based drinks, among others.
If beer or ale is more to your liking, there are also a number of brewers experimenting with tea-infused varieties. One of the more established examples is iKi Beer, a Dutch beverage blending green tea with yuzu citrus. The tea component typically includes green tea varieties known for their light, fresh flavor profile. Another example from Europe is Lindemans Tea Beer, produced in Belgium.
For a more experimental option, consider Sah’tea, a craft beer inspired by historical Finnish brewing traditions from Dogfish Head Brewery. This unique beverage combines rye, juniper berries, and a tea infusion made with black tea varieties commonly used in spiced blends, along with ingredients such as cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. While traditional Finnish brewing methods would not have included black tea, the modern interpretation offers a creative twist on historical recipes.
California brewer The Lost Abbey has explored similar territory with a proposed T.E.A. series—short for Traditional Experimental Ales. According to this update on The Lost Abbey’s tea-inspired beer series, these brews were expected to incorporate a variety of flavored teas sourced from The Republic of Tea and their selection of specialty blends.
Yerba mate, a tea-like beverage popular in South America, also appears in this category of hybrid drinks. One example is MateVeza, produced by the Mendocino Brewing Company in California. More information can be found in this overview of MateVeza beer combining yerba mate and traditional brewing styles, which describes varieties such as Organic India Pale Ale and Organic Black Lager.
Lots of tea-related discussion can also be found on William’s blog, Tea Guy Speaks blog featuring tea culture, trends, and reviews.
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