SubtleTea
Abita Brewing Co.

 

 

this was a surprise beer , the idea of a beer with tea in it through me. the taste was great, even my wife who is a fan of hoppy ipa's liked it .

first taste is lightly sweet, then the ale taste comes thru. not sure what hops they are using but with the addd lemon , it was very enjoyable beer

Pours pale yellow with 1/4 inch white head, which quickly dissipates. Cloudy. Minimal lacing.

Aroma of tea, lemon. No real hop aroma even after warming up.

Tastes of tea, lemon zest. Slight bitterness from zest.

Medium bodied, dry mouthfeel. Astringent. Moderate carbonation.

An ok beer, but with a strange combination of tea and lemon

It poured a hazy golden color with a small white head with lots of carbonation when held up to a light. The smell is of lemons, almost like a glass of lemonade. The taste is where it shines, lemons come in first then subtle amount or the tea, very refreshing. This a most enjoyable drink and good for a hot afternoon.

 

SubtleTea brewed by Abita Brewing Co., with an ABV of 4.80% This American Blonde Ale pours out of a 12oz glass bottle into a pint beer mug. The color is a deep hazy golden amber color with a nice white head. SubtleTea is definitely a unfiltered brew, you can not see pass the hazyness in this brew. There is also a nice amount of lacing to this brew, it sticks to the side of the glass well. The smell is rich with lemon an tea notes. Then you pick up a nice amount of grains an malts in the smell as well. Smells like summer time. Now for the taste, it is Bold with flavors. Lots of herbal tea notes mixed with lemon. Really a different drinking brew, but in a good way. The grains and malts even out this brew. There is nothing overpowering about this brew, it has a real nice balance to it. If you are a fan of tea you should look this brew up. The body of SubtleTea is a solid medium. This brew would go nice with lunch or on a hot summer day. The mouth feel is Bold, Rich, Tea, Lemon, Clean, Smooth and Refreshing. Overall I am going to give SubtleTea a solid 4 out of 5. I would definitely look this brew up again giving the opportunity to. Abita Brewing Co., Did a real nice job with this brew.

 

 

"My God, what a lovely brew." Hazy, steeped with earl gray tea and lemon It's light, nice, easygoing tea. A summer afternoon in a glass. Mid palate and bitterness at the end. Not exuberant on any level but somehow excelling on every level.

Flavorful and characteristic. Well done, Abita.

Unfortunately, it's heavy on the additives. It has many good characteristics, but how well your stomach handles it may vary.

From the neck of the bottle: "BEST BY 08/11/19"

Appearance: The body is a light gold color with a bit of haze. The head is white, medium sized, and dense with foam. The beer has good retention.

Aroma: The beer has a strong lemon aroma with a touch of what smells like grapefruit zest. It is very welcoming and uplifting.

Taste: Up front there is this spice of what tastes like lime and black pepper mixed together. Towards the middle the beer takes on a lot of lemon character and it finishes with a slightly herbal flavor.

Mouthfeel: The body is light and smooth, the beer is well carbonated, and it is both refreshing and enjoyable.

Overall: It is a fantastic beer. The label states that this is an "ALE WITH EARL GREY TEA AND LEMONS." The lemons seem to take the forefront of the flavor but the tea seems to come in and possibly lend a spiciness and earthiness to the beer. It is a very refreshing and enjoyable beer that is perfect for the Summer. I would highly recommend it to those who enjoy lemons.

 

Who says that I am indiscriminate & unthinking when it comes to my beer drinking?!? Yesterday, I had a Chai-infused Belgian-style Witbier & today, I am going with another tea-related beer, this time courtesy of The Beer & Beverage Shoppe on Roseville Road. My motives may be subtle, but they exist.

From the Bottle: "Golden Ale"; "Steeped with Earl Grey tea and fresh lemons, SubtleTea is a golden ale with true tea qualities. The tea leaves and lemon blend well with the Columbus and Hallertau hops, giving this ale a refreshing herbal taste and aroma with a clean, crisp finish."

I was very curious to try this one, so I Pop!ped the cap & started a slow, gentle C-Line pour into the awaiting glass. I noticed some lees on the punt so I stopped my pour at a point that allowed the lees to remain in place. My initial pour resulted in just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head with good retention, leaving a modicum of lacing in its wake. Color was an oh-so-slightly hazy Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5). Nose was highly tea-like, unquestionably so, with a light lemony citrusiness. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was like sun tea with lemon! Never made it? Take a gallon jug of water, add several tea bags & allow to sit in the Summer sun for a day or two. Add lemon to taste. I made some great batches while onboard Camp Moscrip, Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico while on deployment from March to October 1993. Ah, memories. Dumping in the lees really intensified both the lemon and tea flavors, but it also turned the beer into a muddy mess. It is a trade-off, to be sure. Finish was semi-dry, more tea-like than citrusy, but not as subtle as the name might suggest. It was an interesting drink, but it simply lacked the Ooomph! that would make it memorable. Perhaps that was the subtlety to SubtleTea. YMMV.