Brewing beer with tea: Here are the top teas and custom blends to consider

The simplicity of combining tea, herbs and spices during the brewing process offers brewmasters an endless array of flavors to enhance the subtle nuances and adjust the flavor profile as they continue to innovate and chart new brewing territory. To understand these flavors better and which beer styles they complement, we reached out to Alexander Gourmet Beverages for the scoop. Yesterday we detailed 28 spices to know, and today we present teas.

Tea is still a relatively untapped U.S. beer ingredient, but tea blends have been a part of Eastern brewing traditions for thousands of years. Tea and beer are two of the most popular beverages in the world, and the simplicity of combining tea during the brewing process offers brewmasters an endless array of flavored tea combinations to enhance the subtle nuances and flavor profiles of their brews.

“The familiar taste of brewed tea has an appeal that has won over many non-beer drinkers, resulting in an increase in popularity of this specialty beer category,” said Alexander Gourmet’s Founder Dave Elliott.

Teas to know

Black Tea Ceylon. Bold, strong and rich these full-bodied flavors enhance both hoppy and bitter beers.

Black Tea Kenyan. A rich and robust tea that enhances a variety of dark, strong or highly hopped beers and American pale ales.

China Black Tea Op. Adds a mild and earthy flavor to citrus ales and IPAs.

Sencha Green Tea. Imparts an herbaceous earthy flavor to beer brewed from fruity, herbal and grassy hops.

Gunpowder Green. Provides a bold and lightly smoked flavor to IPAs, Saisons and mead.

Oolong Tea. Imparts a smoky and complex flavor to beers brewed with subtle or light fruity hops.

White Tea. Adds a delicate flavor and a subtle sweetness to Belgian white beer and sweet Hefeweizen.

Matcha!

Grown in the shade on ancient Chinese terroir, this spring-harvested and ground green tea packs a powerhouse of health benefits. Matcha powder provides an earthy to smoky flavor with a hint of sweetness. It complements the hoppy flavor, aroma and bitterness of IPAs, but there is more than your basic Matcha:

Chai Matcha. An invigorating full-bodied blend of pure matcha amplified with a spice combination of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger.

Coconut Matcha. Coconut adds a tropical flavor and creaminess to pure matcha.

Ginger Matcha. The pungent ginger flavor adds spiciness to the pure matcha’s earthiness.

Chocolate Matcha. Cocoa and vanilla offer a subtle sweetness to the earthy green pure matcha taste.

Peach Matcha. Sweet and fruity notes balance out the pure matcha earthiness.

Custom blends

Alexander Gourmet Beverages also formulates and supplies brewers with variety of custom tea blends, spices and herbs for endless creativity.

Chai Black Tea. An invigorating full-bodied blend of black tea amplified with a spice combination of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger. Adds a hearty and spicy bite to American blonde ales and milk stouts.

Pumpkin Spice Brulee. Notes of sweet and wood balance the aromatic island spices and complement strong beers and stout’s coffee like flavors.

Tropical Coconut Mango Oolong. The richness of Oolong tea pairs well with the sweet tropical flavors of mango and coconut. Pairs well with a variety of beer styles and flavors.

Earl Grey Black Tea. A timeless English classic blend of medium-bodied black tea and the distinguishable citrus flavor of Mediterranean Bergamot. Pairs well with sour beers, bold wheat beers and citrus hopped beers.

Licorice Zing Herbal Infusion. Subtle notes of Caribbean spice, pineapple and chocolate balance the strong anise-licorice flavor with refreshing results. Adds character to American IPAs, porters and stouts.

Ginger Booster Herbal Infusion. The pungent ginger flavor is balanced out with a mellow herbal blend of lemongrass, Hibiscus and rooibos leaves. Adds a punch of flavor to IPAs.

Peach Cocktail Herbal Infusion. Sweet flavors of summertime peach pair with the tartness of rosehips and hibiscus flowers. Works well with Saisons and sour beers.

Pomegranate Lavender Green Tea. Formulated with Sencha green tea leaves and a blend of fruity pomegranate and floral lavender. Adds a fruity and light floral quality to Saisons and farmhouse ale-style beers.

Hibiscus Rosehip. The tartness of hibiscus flowers and rosehips marries well with the sweetness of fruity or citrus hopped beers.

Sangria Hibiscus. A blend of rich red wine flavors and tart citrus notes. Pairs well with IPAs and citrus hopped beers.

Blood Orange. The tart taste of hibiscus and rosehips with the sweetness of blood orange pairs well with IPA’s and bitter hopped beers.

Vanilla Rooibos. A blend of sweet-earthy African grown rooibos pairs with subtle notes of vanilla flavoring. Works well in lighter beer styles and blondes.