Khara-T
Benson Brewery

 

 

a spiced english mild, its an interesting brew, and the spices fortunately are not at all overdone. its got a little clove perhaps, maybe allspice, even a hint of cardamom for a second i think, there is a lot going on here, black tea, dried fruit, and of course the nice rich english ale yeast. they say chai spices, im not sure i get vanilla or pepper or anything in here, and those always seem to be in the chai i drink, but i like it being on the less sweet side of things, and i like that i can still taste the grain and the yeast through the spices. smart proportioning. quite refined really, with the clove thing lingering a little longer in the finish, some fluffy body, caramel notes, bakery aromas, flour, its cool and its unique and its well done. one of the few tea and spice beers i could sock away pint after pint, its dryness helps with that. its also real well carbonated and interesting without being too intense. i liked this one a lot, in fact, i liked all the beer here, i am surprised these guys dont have a little more hype around them...

On tap at brewery:
Pours a deep copper-brown with small bubbled head that lasts a bit with some lacing.

Nose has a light tea like base with a spark from the Chai.

Taste is a clean opening, followed by a cinnamon or cardamom like flavor. Then the obvious complete chai tea flavor takes hold. It is not overpowering- and actually plays nicely with a style that itself is not that bold. I appreciate the restraint of the spice being used with the beer style.

Feel is a little bit soda-like, smaller bubbles yielding more effervescence thanks like. Then again, it could be the spice tricking my palate. Later and with warmth, the beer starts to fill a tad thin. A tea like coating eventually starts affecting my tongue.

I really would possibly classify this as a spice beer versus the base it sits upon. However, it seems easy for any spice to take over a more subtle style in the first place. Despite this, I find this well made in that it doesn't become pure chai-spice water.

 

 

Pours a cloudy, dark brown color. 1/2 inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells just like fresh apple pie - amazing. Fits the style of an English Dark Mild. Mouth feel is sharp and clean, with an average carbonation level. There is also a slight spicy dryness. Tastes of sweet malt, strong spices (cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and ginger), and a hint of roasted malt. Overall, for a Mild, this was very flavorful, but not overpowering, not cloying, and still low in alcohol.