Expanding Research: Optimal Tea Dosage and Applications for Commercial Beer Success

Firsd Tea is pleased to be a part of expanding research on the use of tea in beer. For years now, brewers have been creating tea beers and developing their own projects, but standardized processes and dosage have remained unclear.

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VIEW AND DOWNLOAD THE RESEARCH POSTER

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That is why Firsd Tea was glad to collaborate with Colorado State University's Fermentation Science & Technology Laboratory (FST) and Gilded Goat Brewing.

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THE STUDY

This initial study sought to better understand how the dosage (quantity) of tea leaves affected the look and taste of the beer. The ultimate goal is to better understand if there is an optimal dosage for tea-beer applications.

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THE SETUP

The research team (K. Lyons, T. Munoz, and H. Watts) took 3 Cornelius kegs of Gilded Goat's Cashmere Cream Ale (4.9% ABV, 12 IBU) and Firsd Tea's Organic Jasmine Bouquet (OCG020):

• 1 keg was the Control (#210), with no tea applied
• 1 keg had 1 lb of tea infused in cold, finished beer (#867)
• 1 keg had 2 lb of tea infused in cold, finished beer (#422)
• Tea leaves were steeped in the kegs for the same amount of time and then removed
• 130 respondents then tasted beer from each of the 3 kegs and provided sensory feedback and rated how well they liked each beer

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RESULTS

Analysis of respondent feedback showed that statistically, there wasn't enough variance in preference of any one beer (CONTROL VS 1LB VS 2LB) over another. The visuals of the graphs above point toward the possibility that those who tasted the 3 beers may have had a more consistent preference for beer steeped with 1LB tea.

• Comparing the CONTROL (left graph), to the 1LB tea (middle graph) shifted the likingness curve toward higher ratings
• Comparing the 1LB tea (middle graph) to the 2LB tea (right graph) generated a likingness curve that suggests a more polarizing (like-it-or-leave-it) effect

These promising results invite further research and future studies in:

• Optimal steep time(s) for tea in beer
• Effects of types of tea and beer used
• Effects of dosage, time, and applications on different production scales/volumes

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SPECIAL THANKS

This project would not have been possible without the contributions of several important people:

Charlie Hoxmier of Guilded Goat

Ali Schultz of New Belgium Brewing

Victoria Chaplin of Draught Labs

Kevin McCabe of Double Strand Consulting

Henrique Rio of CSU