Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week:" Ineeka Organic Green Tea Beer

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Jul 16, 2010 7:00PM

The earliest civilizations were also brewers. Lacking hops, they would spice their beer with tea, a practice that craft brewers around the world are reviving. Dogfish Head has its "Sah-tea." Lambrucha, an extremely tart blending of Belgian ale with kombucha tea, made its US debut in Chicago. Locally, Goose Island has been toying around with tea based beers well before "Sai-Shan-Tea" (cheap plug).

Another local tea purveyor, Ineeka Tea, has entered the beer market with a beer spiced with Organic green tea. Any earthiness or spice the green tea brings to the table is balanced by a flavor profile of sweet malt, bubblegum esters, undertones of ginger and a dry finish. The earthiness of greentea is pronounced on the nose, with a hazy orange color and thick head. In other words, this is a great summer beer for picnics, cookouts, or sitting on the front stoop yelling at the neighborhood kids riding their bikes on the lawn. Its alcohol content of 5.5 percent ABV also makes this a fine session beer