Catch up review no. 3: Stone Brewing Co.'s Japanese Green Tea IPA

This is yet another catch-up review.  When I said I hoped it didn’t become a habit, I had a feeling it would.  This time I have sort of an excuse, A&M classes started this Monday.  I’ve been so caught up with getting this new semester rolling that I’ve put my beer tastings on the backburner.  I had originally planned on writing blog posts at least three times a week, but to be realistic, I’ll probably get at most two done.  I forgot what it was like to be a student; it’s not hard, and I’m not swamped with assignments, I’m just very tired and lazy when I get home.  I’m practically forcing myself to write this review right now.  Today, I feel like drinking beer more than I feel like writing about it.

Now I'm just teasing myself...

Alas, I must continue.  This past Saturday I was invited to a reunion party with some of the people I went to Australia with.   At midday I made a Spec’s run: I was looking for something crisp, refreshing, and sessionable.  My initial thought was an inexpensive lager and the first thing I spotted was Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Lager.  I looked around a bit more, but nothing else seemed as appropriate for the occasion.  Before I left the store, I browsed over the top shelf, the singles shelf.  Hiding close to the edge was one last little 12oz brown bottle, seemingly out of place.  That bottle was Stone Brewing Co.’s Japanese Green Tea IPA, one of the three 2011 collaboration brews. 

This is a very interesting brew.  It’s an American Double IPA, "dry-hopped" with green tea leaves.  It’s called a collaboration brew because it’s part of a series Stone is doing making odd new beers with other famous brewers.  This particular beer is made in part by Bryan Baird of Baird Brewing in Japan, and Toshi Ishii of Ishii Brewing in Guam.  This brew also serves a noble purpose: all profits from the sale of this beer are donated to Japanese tsunami relief. 

I only own one goblet

This beer poured a radiant copper color with about a finger and a half of bright white head.  This beer is bottle conditioned so I expected some yeast in the bottom, but there was a ton, about half an inch of white sedimentation.  After the pour, there were a lot of white floaters left over in the beer.

The initial aroma note was grapefruit heavy; it is an IPA after all.  I could also pick up a bit of that leafy, herbal tea.

This beer tasted unlike anything else I’d ever had.  The initial hit of grapefruity, citrusy hops is cut and blended by the smooth green tea taste.  I didn’t expect to taste the green tea, but it definitely came through with more of the herbal note, and even a bit of mint flavor.  This beer didn’t have the best mouthfeel, it was a tad too oil sticky.  The hop bitterness lingered in your mouth for a bit after, leaving a skunky aftertaste.

I would rate Stone Brewing Co.’s Japanese Green Tea IPA 4.5 out of 5.  It was a very complex brew, and the green tea leaves complimented the usual IPA flavors remarkably well.  Also, it’s a brew I can feel extra happy about drinking because I’m supporting the Japanese recovery effort.  Hang in there, friends.