Bee Tea

Bee Tea

Wheat ale brewed with sweet orange peel and orange blossom honey. Aged on organic, loose, gunpowder tea leaves from Mem Tea imports

Bee Tea is our cross-pollination of two classic beverages – green tea with honey, and the Belgian-style wheat ale. Strong aromas of orange and honey lead into a flavor that’s soft, sweet, and sophisticated. A dry, herbal finish comes from aging the beer on organic loose green tea, sourced from Somerville's Mem Tea Imports. 

Tasting Notes

Batch #1

Bottled on: 3/8/12; Alc. 8.0% by Vol.

We really like the flavors happening here – the right combination of sweetness up front and dryness (from the tea) in the finish. Could use more orange peel and honey notes in the nose, and maybe a slightly sweeter taste. Overall, it seems to have a very complex and unique profile, and is quite sippable for 8% ABV. Would make a great beer for the beach, as certain tasters have noted. Appearance-wise, it almost looks like raw honey at first, which nicely complements its honey components. The cloudiness might be off-putting to some, but as a wheat ale with green tea, that just goes with the territory. Safe to say: no one will be questioning whether we filter our beers! 

Batch #2

Bottled on: 3/23/12; Alc. 7.6% by Vol.

Slightly lower ABV, but nothing else in the recipe changed at all. Still, we think this is an even better beer. The honey and orange peel notes seem much more present in both the aroma and flavor, and the dry green tea finish is a perfect complement to them. Just as complex tasting as Batch #1, but a more defined flavor - you can almost taste each ingredient separately, if you look. Appearance is the same - a hazy honey, which suits the beer perfectly.