Green Tea Ale
Great Lakes Brewery

Green Tea AleGreen Tea Ale
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Great Lakes Brewery
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
Herb and Spice Beer
ABV:
4.2%
Score:
76
Avg:
3.22 | pDev: 16.46%
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
44
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 01, 2019
Added:
Mar 04, 2009
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  3
In our pursuit to bring you the most flavourful and unique beers possible, we are proud to release this tasty spring ale. Handcrafted with specialty malts and hops, we added carefully selected Organic Gunpowder Green Tea and fresh Ontario grown ginseng directly into the brew. Like green leaves sprouting, this beer boasts a refreshing and slightly herbal flavour that pairs well with lobster, pad thai, spring rolls or sesame chicken.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Will12:
Photo of Will12
Rated by Will12 from Canada (ON)

3/5  rDev -6.8%

Jul 14, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of pathman
Rated by pathman from Ohio

4/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
June 2019 draft @ Great Lakes
Dec 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.23 by Electros from Canada (ON)

Nov 14, 2016
 
Rated: 3.6 by Cycle69 from Canada (ON)

Nov 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by TerryW from Canada (ON)

Nov 08, 2014
 
Rated: 1.5 by kinguy from Canada (ON)

Sep 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by ktat from Canada (ON)

Aug 13, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by jmkoscie from Canada (ON)

Jun 25, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by TheBeeraholic from Canada (ON)

Jun 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by DaPan from Canada (ON)

Feb 13, 2013
Photo of joemcgrath27
Reviewed by joemcgrath27 from Canada (AB)

3.38/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A - fully hazy straw golden, two fingers of white head retained nicely with s few random lacing spots
S - citrus zest is dominant, some mild grains, and subtle floral green tea
T - citrus zest and spice up front that is quickly overtaken by green tea flavour, I do like a nice warm green tea but the flavour of the key ingredient seems to take away from the 'beerness' of it
M - medium body and slightly creamy, smooth and mellow with just a bit of herb & spice tingle
O - as a fan of both beer and green tea I think this works generally, just a bit too much tea and not enough beer on the flavour, but still worth a try but only if you like the taste of green tea
Nov 23, 2012
Photo of OWSLEY069
Reviewed by OWSLEY069 from Pennsylvania

2.91/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Pours a hazy yellow color with an off white head. In the aroma, dry citrus, tea notes, and a small dry wheat. In the taste, dry lemon citrus and some tea like notes. A smooth and a thin mouthfeel, with a small dry tea like notes with notes of lemon citrus in the aftertaste. Lots of dry tea and lemon citrus, but quite thin.
Sep 26, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Molson2000 from Canada (ON)

Sep 11, 2012
 
Rated: 2.75 by hopsolutely from Canada (ON)

Aug 20, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by beerhunter13 from Canada (ON)

Aug 01, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by KrisDLSmith from Canada (ON)

Jul 18, 2012
Photo of andrenaline
Reviewed by andrenaline from Canada (ON)

3.42/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Big ups to peensteen for helping to procure this selection...

A - Pours a pale straw colour, thin layer of head with little retention or lacing.

S - Mild on the nose, quite bready, loads of grassy wheat and buttered bread, with a hint of leafy greens on the finish.

T - Again, rather mild, but the green tea notes come through surprisingly well, offering up the bitter leafy notes attributed to green tea. A hint of honey sweetness which brings along with it flavour reminiscent of traditional iced tea. The bitterness lingers alongside some grassy notes and buttered bread.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and surprisingly dry, which is a bit of a turnoff.

O - A tasty green tea ale, and certainly portrays the true essence of green tea. If you're not a fan of tea, then you might not be a fan of this particular offering. The flavours are mild and non-offensive, making for an easy drinking summer ale.
Jun 23, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by RedAleMan from Canada (ON)

Jun 17, 2012
Photo of thehyperduck
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

3.64/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bomber picked up at the LCBO; no packaging date. Hopefully this manages to be a bit more inspiring than the somewhat similarly-themed Coors Light Iced T I reviewed a few days ago (although I haven't exactly been blown away by any GLB bomber-format brews).

Pours a bright golden yellow-orange colour, completely translucent, topped with almost two fingers of creamy, pillowy white head. Much better head retention that most of the other beers in this style I have tried; it lasts well over ten minutes before dissolving - I'm honestly pretty amazed. The aroma is agreeable but other than that, has little about it worth noting - the citrus zest is fairly prominent, along with some disappointingly subdued tea notes.

The aroma may be a bit weak, but the taste makes up for that - which is a relief, because at 4.2% I almost expected it to be a little, well, light. Pale, bready malts provide much of the body of the flavour, with a firm lemony citrus bite to back it up. The green tea provides a lovely light bitterness toward the end of the sip, and in the aftertaste. Light-bodied and (unfortunately) rather watery, with heavy, spritzy carbonation. Very drinkable stuff, due to a combination of the mild flavour, light dryness, and low abv.

I actually quite enjoy this beer. It's ridiculously quaffable, and a perfect summer patio pint. One thing I will complain about is the format - this doesn't really need to be in a bomber; tallboys would be fine, although perhaps significantly less elegant.

Final Grade: 3.64, a respectable B grade. I've had 4 or 5 of these GLB bombers now, and Green Tea Ale is definitely one of the better ones. That being said, I'm not exactly enamored with it - and due to the 4-5 dollar price, probably won't get it again any time soon. Something tells me a heavier version of this with more tea infusion might be much more interesting, but this brew remains a highly crisp, refreshing and enjoyable drink, if not an especially memorable or interesting one.
Jun 16, 2012
 
Rated: 2 by Wordslinger from Canada (ON)

May 06, 2012
Green Tea Ale from Great Lakes Brewery
Beer rating: 76 out of 100 with 44 ratings