Green Tea IPA

GREEN TEA IPA

 

As far as IPAs go, this one is fairly mild. The point of this beer, however, isn't to be an IPA, but rather to be a platform for a special adjunct to shine. Green tea pairs well with a lot of things. Its delicate flavors and subtle aroma act splendidly on their own or as a highlight to other foods and beverages. Green tea ice cream, matcha powder in smoothies, and powdered green tea used in baking have all been a part of the culinary landscape for over a decade. 

Around that time, we decided to put it into a beer. 

We hadn't seen it in our area before, so we thought that we would try it. Turns out, we were on to something. The beer that came out of this experiment was crisp and refreshing, perfect for that time of year when the weather begins to perk up and the chill of Winter is in the rear view. The tea is balanced with the beer, which amplifies the IPA qualities without leaving the green tea in the background. 

Green tea has a delicate flavor. It isn't overpowering at all. It's mildness was one of the reasons we weren't afraid to go big with the quantity of tea we used. In this case, we decided a full box of 40 bags was appropriate (and we didn't want leftovers). 

To get the best qualities out of the tea, don't boil it. Just like regular tea, it's best to steep the tea bags for a few minutes at around 170 degrees Fahrenheit. In this case, because so many bags are introduced, we tie them together in a muslin bag to make removal easier. 

More important than the quantity of tea we used was the quality of the tea we used. We decided to go with generic green tea rather than the fancy stuff. Of course, the fancier teas would give dimension of flavor and mystery that the generic stuff wouldn't, but we feared that those intricate details would be lost in the beer. We thought that having a more basic tea would give every effect from the tea that we wanted, aroma, flavor, caffeine, without hiding the elements of the upper echelon teas that make them so special. 

We thought, wrongly, that we were going to get some crazy health benefits from adding the green tea to the beer. While many herbal enthusiasts will promote the anti carcinogenic properties of green tea, as well as its aid as a weight loss supplement or anti-inflammatory aid, none of that is true. Green tea has naturally occurring caffeine, but scientific studies have shown that it has no other health benefits other than being delicious. 

As an additive to beer, it similarly has few effects. Large amounts will impart flavor and aroma, as well as a small amount of caffeine. The color of the beer and it's sugar content all stay the same, as does the hops and yeast characteristics, so formulating the recipe is important. We wanted a beer that was true to the traditional IPA, but mellow enough to let the tea shine. 

With this in mind, we took a bit off both the malt and hop bills, while trying to maintain the elements of the original beer that made it so popular in the first place. We also keep it clean, forgoing the haze craze of today in lieu of a crisp beer that won't be filling. We also dial back the alcohol content to around 5% ABV to avoid a boozy powerhouse drowning both the tea and the rest of the beer.

OUR RECIPE

10 lbs 2-Row Pale Ale Malt
1/4 lb 20L Caramel Malt
1/4 lb CaraFoam

1 oz Cascade Hops
2 oz Fuggles Hops

US-05 Dry American Ale Yeast

1 tsp Irish Moss
40 Green Tea Bags

Malts We Use

2-Row Pale Ale Malt: A basic base malt, this won’t impart too much color and very little flavor. It is a pretty clean, crisp malt that works well with specialty grains and pretty much any style of beer. American varieties are generally less starchy and lighter than English breeds.

20L Caramel Malt: This specialty malt will contribute not only a fair amount of sweetness, but also a beautiful color that makes this beer stand out from its cousins.20 is in the lower range of Caramel malt, which is milder in flavor and color than the darker versions with higher numbers.

CaraFoam: Also called Dextrine Malt or CaraPils, this highly specialized malt is generally used explicitly for head retention in bottled beer. 1/4 lb is all that is required for batches under 10 gallons.

Hops We Use

Cascade: Accounting for about 10% of all hop growth in the United States, Cascade has become the quintessential American hop variety. It's pine and resinous notes with sweet citrus aromas make it perfect for most domestic craft beers, especially pale ales.

Fuggle: A versatile and traditional English hop variety, Fuggle was introduced in the 19^th century and has been a staple of British beers ever since. Usually an aromatic hop, it can be used at any point in the brewing process. In this case, its low Alpha Acid levels make it a perfect bittering hop for low IBU Porter beers.

Yeast We Use

US-05: An American Ale yeast, US-05 produces a clean final product for any American beer style. It is crisp, easy to use, and is very moderate in every aspect of fermentation. 

Adjuncts We Use

Irish Moss: We use Irish Moss as a clarifying agent. These negatively charged seaweed particles attract proteins and other free radicals in your boil kettle and drag them to the bottom once cooled, thereby removing haze from your final product. Whirlfloc tablets are another option for this process. Regardless of your preferred methods of clarity, it is important that beers of this style are clear. Lagering can do this as well, but most home brewers don't have that capability, so adding Irish Moss (or something similar) can work wonders for cleaning up the beer.

Green Tea: A generic mass produced Green Tea is preferable here because of the lack of nuance in the tea itself. A generous dose of tea steeped at 170 degrees Fahrenheit will impart all the characteristics of the tea.