After water, tea is the most
popular drink on the planet. In the UK alone we get through 60 billion cups per
year, and we still go through three cups of tea for one cup of coffee. Once a
preserve for the upper classes, since the 19th century it has become
a universal drink, crossing different classes. Yet it in the brewing world, tea
infused beers curiously remain an elusive phenomenon in a world dominated by
coffee infused products which have increasingly flooded the market over the
past decade. Since the early 2010’s, tea infused beers have been a source of
inspiration and innovation for brewers, Richard Taylor noted in 2014,
“Tea-infused beers are on the rise. This could be because brewers have reached
the end of the line with coffee, and rummaged around in the brewery cupboard
for inspiration (next up; Rich Tea Ale) – but more likely it’s down to the
increasing availability of high-level, specialist teas from dedicated sources.”
This was somewhat a naïve assumption, as tea-flavoured beers have steadfast
remained a rarity since they were first introduced and less than a hundred
beers have been recorded in the UK, as using tea as a flavour adjunct. Yet the
range of tea blends out there do offer brewers the chance to experiment with
various flavours, producing beers that celebrate the humble brew.
Most brewers tend to use black
tea, which is fully oxidised, dark in appearance with a stronger flavour. These
flavours tend to vary across different blends, but they are usually floral and
citrussy. Due its robust nature, Black tea can be used across a wide variety of
beer styles, such as Pale Ales, Bitter, IPA and Porter for instance. There are
a vast number of black tea blends out there, one of the most prevalent is Earl
Grey, a flavoured blend first developed in the early 19th century,
it contained an extract of Bergamot (a citrus fruit) in order to disguise the
cheapness of the tea leaves. The quality has improved since then, and due to
its notable citrussy flavour properties it has become a common source of
inspiration for brewers. Marble was one of the earliest breweries to embrace
the use of tea, with their Earl Grey IPA (6.8%). First created in 2012,
it was developed as a collaboration with Brouwerij Emelisse; described a
citrussy smooth IPA, it is produced with Goldings and Columbus hops, during the
fermentation process the brewers use timed additions of cold brew Earl Grey tea
which is added to the fermenter, which is followed by more Citra pellet hops
which help give an added orange and bergamot character. The beer has been
described as having a citrussy aroma, a full-bodied creamy mouthfeel with bold
flavours of bergamot, balanced by sweetness and a pronounced bitterness, indeed
Roger Protz once memorably described it as “the 6.8%
beer presses all the right buttons for today’s beers drinkers. For a start,
with that strength, it’s close to a genuine 19th-century India Pale Ale. But
with Citra and Columbus American hops added to English Goldings, it has a
massive charge of citrus on nose and palate.”
Originally intended as a one-off release it was sold in 750ml bottles at the
time, but it ensuing popularity encouraged the brewery to continue production
on the product and add it to their core range. Following its release, it has
inspired a raft of other breweries to develop beers brewed with Earl Grey tea,
like Vermont Tea Party (3.6%) by Siren Craft Brew, which was brewed
using a unique strain of Vermont yeast, along with Earl Grey tea and lemon zest,
or the likes of Brewsters’ Begamot Beaut (4.8%) an IPA made with a blend
of New Zealand hops and Earl Grey tea, noted for its aroma of Bergamot orange,
hence its name. Even major breweries like Adnams have got in on the act when
they produced Earl Grey Pale Ale (5%) for supermarket retailer M&S,
which was developed using various M&S products including leftover bread and
Earl Grey tea. Sarah Chambers notes it was “Inspired by the brilliant work by
Toast Ale, Marks and Spencer and the Adnams teamed up to create the first beer
using surplus bread for a UK supermarket.”
It was released in cans in May 2018, under their ‘Used our Loaf’ brand. While
most of these beers tend to Pales or IPA’s, Hammerton brewery bucked the trend
with their Baron H (5.8%), a black IPA developed with six different
varieties of hops, along with the addition of Earl Grey; it was produced to
mark the first anniversary since brewing commenced at their site in Islington.
It was named after Baron Howick, who was better known as Earl Grey, which is
where the tea blend gets it name from. One of the more successful tea flavoured
beers is Earl Grey IPA (3.9%) by Chiltern, which first appeared in March
2016 initially as a cask special, before its ensuing popularity encouraged the
brewery to re-release it on a seasonal basis. It is made with Challenger and
Goldings Hops and infused with Virunga Earl Grey tea from Birchall Tea; an
award-winning tea manufacturer based in Upper Sydenham. Head brewer Tom Jenkinson was inspired to
produce the beer, since he sold Birchall’s teas at his pub, The King’s Head in
Aylesbury. He contacted Daniel Graham, MD at Birchall’s and they joined forces
to produce this beer. This beer has become one of the brewery’s most successful
products, winning a slew of awards including Bronze Award (Slaphead Shield) –
Alton 2017 Winter Beer Festival, Gold Medal 2023 – SIBA Midland Independent
Beer Awards – Cask Speciality Light Bitter and Bronze Medal 2024 – SIBA
National Independent Beer Awards – Cask Speciality Light Bitter. Until recently
it was only available in cask, yet last October, they tweaked the recipe and
sold it in cans under the name of Earl Grey Pale Ale (3.6%) as part of
the small batch brews series.
Out of all the tea blends out
there, Earl Grey remains the most popular, Des de Moor sums up the popularity
of Earl Grey as a common ingredient in tea infused beers, “an Earl Grey IPA
works really well because the citrus of the bergamot plays really nicely with
the citrus of popular IPA hop varieties. Earl Grey, for me personally, adds a
really refreshing finish to a beer and so is a good choice for a crisp, dry
IPA.”
While the likes of Earl Grey a common preference among brewers, other blends
have also been used. Another style of Black Tea commonly used in brewing is
Lapsang Souchong, which hails from the Fujian province in China. During
processing the leaves are smoked over a pinewood fire, which helps give the tea
its characteristic smoky woodfire taste. Given its potent flavours, this type
of tea is usually suited to darker ales such as stouts and porters, as the
pronounced roasted elements from the malts dovetail appropriately with the
smoky notes from the tea. Tea Total (5%) by Elixir, was an early example
of this practise, launched in November 2012, it was the brewery’s first keg
beer, it was produced at the request of prolific reviewer Craig Garvie, to mark
his 10,000th beer recorded on Rate Beer. An oatmeal stout brewed
with toasted Scottish oats in the brew, with smoked malt complemented by the
addition of Lapsang Souchong. Later in 2014, Pope’s Yard Brewery pushed it up a
notch with LSP (10.2%), described as an imperial porter, this potent
mixture was made with five different malts and Lapsang Souchong tea. Mostly
About Beer described it as “on the palate it’s tangy with a fruity spiritous
edge – stewed dark fruits – plums, blackberries, damsons, and black cherries.
It reminds me also of the brandy you get in Kirsch chocolate liqueur sticks.”
It first appeared as a limited release, before subsequently joining their main
range at the time, for several years it was one of their most notable products.
Moreover, the use of Lapsang Souchong isn’t just limited to darker ales, All
My Pockets Have Holes In (5.5%) by Toorside, bucks this trend. First
produced in November 2019, to help mark the brewery’s 6th birthday
celebrations, it was Belgian style blonde ale influenced by Taras Boulba
(4.5%) by Brasserie de la Senne, with the addition of Lapsang Souchong tea
adding a smoky counterpoint to the flavours, it debuted in cask at the
brewery’s Smokefest event, following this it was subsequently sold in keg and
bottles. Rooibos, is another tea blend commonly used in brewing; better known
as Redbush tea in the UK, it developed using green tea leaves that are grown in
the Cederberg mountains of South Africa. During processing, the leaves turn
reddish brown from the oxidisation, which ultimately enhances the flavours and
gives off a sweet and fruity aroma. Rooibos has been utilized in a number of
beers, such as SameWorking (5.1%) an American style red ale developed by
Fyne Ales in conjunction with BrewDog Glasgow as part of the latter’s
Collabfest 2014 event. Not all Rooibos infused beers are typecast as red ales; indeed,
the likes of Red Bush IPA (5.5%) avoid this convention. Developed by
Yorkshire based brewers Doncaster and Elland in 2021, it was a hazy unfiltered
IPA made from a mixture of Maris Otter and Munic Malt. Flavouring came in the
form of Pilot hops, then 15 minutes prior to the end of the boil it was dry
hopped with Aurora hops and 15kg of Rooibos tea. Another load of Aurora hops was
then added during the fermentation process for additional flavour. Moreover, The
Merchant (5%) by Fyne Ales, is an old ale first brewed in early 2015 then
left to mature in the barrel for nine months before Rooibos tea was added to
the mixture, adding to the beer’s palette of Autumnal flavours. It was the
thirds beer released as part of their Farmhouse Project, featuring unusual
ingredients and drawing from local legends of Argyll.
Black and other oxidised tea
blends may be popular in brewing, but other styles have also been used. Green
tea is delicate and floral, adding subtle flavours due to lack of oxidisation.
It is more difficult to brew with, and is less common among beers, although the
delicate essences tend to work with lighter ales like Pilsner and golden ales. Birdhouse
Tea Beer (4.2%) by Abbeydale was produced using green tea leaves sourced by
tea blenders Birdhouse based in Sheffield locally to the brewery. It was
slightly hazy in appearance with a pink tinge, brewed with a tea blend that
also included hibiscus, jasmine, rose petals and summer fruits. The beer was initially launched as a cask
only special at an event held at the Devonshire Cat, Sheffield on 13th
January 2015; it became a surprise hit and was subsequently re-released on a
semi-annual basis. Later the same year, Moor Beer Co. produced Rider’s
Revival (3.8%) a hazy pale ale made with Jasmine pearls green tea sourced
from Canton Tea Co. It was developed in conjunction with bar Look Mum No Hands,
and created to celebrate cyclist Chris Froome’s victory at the Tour de France
that year. Meanwhile, Roosters Brewing Co. released High Tea (6.2%), a
limited-edition IPA made using a Jasmine tea blend sourced local tea blenders
Taylor’s of Harrogate. It was developed with four different hops including
Admiral for its citrussy base, and New World hops such as Cascade, Crystal and
Galaxy for fruity overtones. It gained a popular following upon its release,
and the brewery subsequently reissued it on an annual basis in cans and kegs;
appearing as recently as 2023 after a three-year absence. Over on the other
side of the ABV scale, in January 2019, Portobello Brewing Co. produced New
Who? (2.8%) a table beer infused with green tea, released as part of their
Far West Project range of beers; this was later joined by its bigger brother JPA
(4.2%) otherwise known as Japanese Pale Ale. Meanwhile over the past decade
there has also been a growing a number of beers inspired by ice tea; the
refreshing fruitier flavours have been an increasing source of inspiration for
brewers. An early example was Ice Tea Ale (5%) by Pilot Brewing, an
amber coloured beer developed with Amarillo and Citra hops, along with the
addition of bergamot, a blend of Earl Grey and Scottish Breakfast tea and 40kg
of lemongrass added to each boil. Richard Taylor described the taste as “lots
of citrus peel on the flavour, as you’d expect, the tea imparts an almost
caramel sweetness, which balances really well with the zappy citric flavours.” Later at BrewDog’s Collabfest 2016, Abbeydale produced Ice Tea Dead People
(4.6%), brewed with El Dorado hops, Sencha tea blend sourced from Birdhouse
Tea Co. of Sheffield, and fresh peaches. Initially a one-off product, the
brewery re-released it in September 2018; it is currently available on an
annual basis to tie with the Halloween season, given the beer’s spooky theme.
The production of ice tea inspired beers has continued unabated with the likes
of Long Barry Island Ice Tea (7.8%) and Peach Tea IPA (6%) by
Newport based brewers Tiny Rebel, or the pair of table beers produced by Vault
City, that included Peach Ice Tea Table Sour (3.4%), their first table
beer brewed with peaches and infused with black tea. Sold exclusively in cans
in May 2023, after its successful launch, it was later joined by Lemon Ice
Tea Table Sour (3.4%) that September, which used the same recipe but
swapped peaches for lemons.
It has become increasingly
apparent that various breweries are producing beers with eclectic tea blends,
such as Blue Sky Tea (4.2%) by Wigan Brewhouse. It first appeared in
2015 as a one-off, and unusually for a tea infused beer it became a regular
part of their range. It was described as a loose-leaf pale ale, brewed with
Summit & Mount Hood hops and infused with award-winning Blue Sky Blend Tea
blend from J.Atkinson & Co of Lancaster. The blend notably contained
cornflour petals, and was added in a muslin bag towards the end of the boil.
Moreover, semi-oxidised teas like Oolong have featured in beers, it delicate
and unique flavours that vary from fruity, roasted or woody have proved to be a
useful adjunct. The likes of Tiny Rebel’s wryly named Can’t We Just Get
Oolong (5%) is a notable example, a pale ale flavoured with an Oolong tea
blend by local Bristolian company Canton Tea Co. Oolong tea has also featured more recently in
Chaipur (5.9%) by Thornbridge, sold exclusively in cans in October 2022,
it was a variant of their flagship product Jaipur (5.9%), made with the
addition of Oolong tea, along with a selection of spices including cinnamon,
ginger, clove, black pepper and cardamon, that are usually associated with Chai
Tea. Flavoured tea blends which tend to include spices, flowers, herbs and
fruits have become increasingly prevalent among beers, such as Mad Hatter’s
Tea Party (4.2%), by Everards that was brewed with rosehip and apple tea
blend which helped give off a rounded fruitiness to the Goldings hops. On 7th
May 2014, Fyne Ales launched two releases at the Holywood 9A, Edinburgh that
were made in conjunction with tea blenders Eteaket based in Edinburgh. These
included Chai PA (4%) brewed using their Bollywood Dreams chai blend,
featuring black tea, niseed, spicy and sweet cinnamon, fiery ginger, black
pepper, warming cloves and woody chicory roots. And Blooming Brew (4%) is
another tea infused ale by Fyne Ales, made in conjunction with, this beer was
brewed with their Sencha tea blend, that included bright mallow and sunflower
petals, exquisite rosebuds, sweet vanilla and fresh tangy fruit, which helped
give the beer a sweet and floral taste. Richard Taylor described it as “Sweet,
cream soda and vanilla, yet switching into a long bitter finish – the whole
thing comes over as a liquidised Pez (for those that remember Pez); it’s
fascinating.” Likewise, Brew York has collaborated with Hebden Tea on a number
of releases, in late 2021 they produced Born Under Peaches (4.7%), a Philly style sour that uses an Emperor’s Seven tea blend,
which combines black tea with Sencha leaves, rose blossom, sunflower blossom
and sweet peach. This was later joined by Tea (6%) the following
year to mark the brewery’s 6th birthday; produced together with Full
Circle Brew Co. as part of their Breakfast Club series of beers, it was
memorably described at the time as a Strawberries and Cream IPA brewed with
strawberry cream tea fruit tea-blend, and additional lactose for added body and
elevation of its berry fruit flavours. Gipsy Hill Brewing Co. have developed a
number of tea infused beers using various flavourings and innovative blends,
such as Watson (5.4%) a pale ale made in conjunction with Good &
Proper Tea Co., that utilized their Lemon Verbana blend. Another release, Rooibos
(4.8%) was produced as a collaborative effort between the brewery with
Devil’s Peak Brewing Co. from South Africa. Developed as a red ale, brewed with
Enigma, Centennial & Summer hops, then infused with 40kg of Rooibos and
Honeybush tea. Likewise, the recently departed By the Horns brewery have
dabbled with various tea blends with Old Smoke (4%), it was first brewed
in 2015, a collaboration with Joe’s Tea Co. using two blends including Earl
Grey (Earl of Grey) and Ceylon (Ever So Breakfast Tea). It was brewed with
smoked malts along with Goldings and Challenger hops for that traditional
English bitter flavour. The inspiration behind this product, was to produce something
that would be everything about London and English drinking culture in a beer.
The brewery described it in their promotions as underlying sweet smoke malt
with floral & aromatic English hop & tea notes brewed on a solid
English bitter. The beer was released on 18th May 2015, sold at
Nicholson’s pubs around the county, later that year it won Gold (Speciality
Beers) at SIBA SE England competition. Building on its success, the beer later
joined the brewery’s core range.
Although the range of tea-infused
beers out there remain stubbornly small in comparison to other flavour
combinations. Many of the examples represent a cornucopia of innovation and
creative excellence from the brewers, as they innovate with various tea blends
and beer styles. Although the likes of Earl Grey tend to dominate the market,
other blends have shone through too like Rooibos, Oolong, Jasmine and Lapsang
Souchong to name a few. Many of these products are a result of collaborations
between breweries and local tea blenders, such as Fyne’s Ales partnership with
Edinburgh company Eketea, or Rooster’s memorable collaboration with local tea
company Taylor’s of Harrogate. While some companies have dabbled with
limited-edition singular releases like Do It Together (5.2%) by Moor
Beer Co., JGC Sups (4.3%) by Lincoln Green, Lady Jane (5.2%)
by Kirkstall or More Tea Father? (6%) by Ilkley respectively. There are
others like that have produced a number of tea infused beers, like Fyne Ales,
Gipsy Hill, Toorside, Vault City, Everards and Brew York; various tea blends
have been dabbled with like Tring brewery’s Lapsang Souchong Porter (5.5%) and
Earl Grey IPA (5%) respectively, or Doncaster with their flotilla of
releases that have included Red Bush IPA (5.5%), Russian Caravan (4%)
and Dreaming of Doncaster (5%), the latter being an American style Brown
Ale flavoured with a Bourbon Vanilla tea blend.
And while many of beers have either restricted to limited edition or
annual seasonal releases, some have crossed the Rubicon and have become
core-range products, thus proving potential appeal of tea-infused beers.
Although the appeal of tea infused beers remains stubbornly limited, there is
no reason why one day a brewery can smash through the glass ceiling and produce
a smash hit, as Chiltern and By the Horns this is possible, and in time
hopefully, tea-infused beers will be just as popular as their coffee-soaked
cousins. So, let’s crack open a bottle, it’s time for a brew.
