Black Tea Shandy
Upslope Brewing Company - Lee Hill

 

i think they have taken this one from the experimental series to a full release, as it was in a little teal and yellow 12 ounce can when i found it, and they have dropped "black" from the name, just calling it tea shandy now. i assume its the same beer, as it seems pretty apparent that its black tea that they use in this. i liked the beer pretty well, very summery and drinkable and all of that, and a little different than all the sugary fruit shandy types that seem to be everywhere this summer. problem is though, that this is still super sweet, and it doesnt taste much like beer, if its a blend with their lager, they really let it lose its identity to the lemon and tea. its got an almost southern sweet tea vibe, like it literally has sugar added, which doesnt make a lot of sense to me in a beer seemingly designed to be refreshing. the lemon tastes like the lemon juice concentrate that lives in the little yellow bottle in the door of the fridge, acidic more than flavorful to me, and not totally genuine. its a bummer because the tea part is awesome, has some bitterness too, and is easily identifiable in this. i think they missed the chance to make this as good as it could be, i want it to taste more like beer, no yeast, hops, or malt is appreciable here hardly at all, and its a missed opportunity. its a cool idea, i like the tea rather than a berry or something, its different in that regard, but i couldnt drink a six pack of this, and that shouldnt be the case. too sweet, almost cheap tasting, but a great idea nevertheless...

 

19.2 oz. Can
Tap Room Series
BB: AUG 15 18

Poured into a Tree House glass a pretty nice cloudy yellowish color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice one-finger plus white head, which also leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, yeasty, hoppy, with some black tea, and lemons. The taste is malty, hoppy, yeasty, with a nice touch of lemons, and black tea. Medium body, ABV is hidden very nicely, with a little dry/bitter finish. Overall, this one surprised me, pretty tasty. Nice to see these tap room series brew from Upslope around here.

16 ounce Prowler bought at Liquor Shed in Casper. Pours a brilliantly clear straw gold, tiny head of foam that dissipates quickly. Big tea aroma permeating my nose buds, with a good dose of tart lemon. Tasty mix of tea and lemon. Like some of the lemonade iced tea sodas you see in the groceries only with a modest addition of alcohol. Almost medium bodied with lightish carbonation, this is very refreshing.