Has anybody used Matcha Green Tea Powder in beer?
I've been wanted to do a tea beer for a while now, and I have a little time opening up in December where I can do a lager, and so I thought I would combine the two and make a Matcha Helles. I'm a little concerned after testing Matcha (the cheap stuff that's 90% maltodextrin) in our Cream Ale. It is a green, sludgy mess, unsurprisingly maybe, but I didn't realize that 0.15oz of tea in a pint of beer would muddy it up to that degree. The flavor was great, if maybe a little too mild.
I have a couple of pints of beer with that ratio of Matcha in my cooler to see if it will settle out in a few days, and if it doesn't, if maybe some gelatin might help. I've done some research, and Baxter Brewing Company makes a beer called Ceremony with green tea and Macha, and it is golden like any IPA you've ever seen. So, there's hope. I haven't contacted them yet, as I've had no success in the past contacting other breweries directly, so I was hoping somebody on these boards might have some insight.
A lot of (mostly homebrew) sources say that 1oz of tea per gallon of beer is pretty standard. Not sure how different that would be with Matcha. Getting my hands on the pure stuff will make a big difference, but the local grocery store I was at today didn't have any, so I'm dealing with the cut stuff for now. Thoughts on rates?
Also, I am worried that the astringency of the tea - mild as it should be being dry-hopped, as opposed to being added to the boil - might make the beer come across as too dry. The maltodextrin in this powder makes it seem alright. I'm considering adding some lactose to the beer itself if I'm going to use the pure tea, just to make sure that it isn't astringent. I'd never add it to a Helles normally, but as much as a Helles is thoroughly attenuated, it should have some grain sweetness that I fear might get eaten up by the tea. Thoughts?
Finally, should I have any sanitation fears with adding Matcha powder directly to the finished beer? The brewer from Baxter, in an article about the beer, says that they add it directly to the fermenter. I assume it should be pretty clean.
I've been wanted to do a tea beer for a while now, and I have a little time opening up in December where I can do a lager, and so I thought I would combine the two and make a Matcha Helles. I'm a little concerned after testing Matcha (the cheap stuff that's 90% maltodextrin) in our Cream Ale. It is a green, sludgy mess, unsurprisingly maybe, but I didn't realize that 0.15oz of tea in a pint of beer would muddy it up to that degree. The flavor was great, if maybe a little too mild.
I have a couple of pints of beer with that ratio of Matcha in my cooler to see if it will settle out in a few days, and if it doesn't, if maybe some gelatin might help. I've done some research, and Baxter Brewing Company makes a beer called Ceremony with green tea and Macha, and it is golden like any IPA you've ever seen. So, there's hope. I haven't contacted them yet, as I've had no success in the past contacting other breweries directly, so I was hoping somebody on these boards might have some insight.
A lot of (mostly homebrew) sources say that 1oz of tea per gallon of beer is pretty standard. Not sure how different that would be with Matcha. Getting my hands on the pure stuff will make a big difference, but the local grocery store I was at today didn't have any, so I'm dealing with the cut stuff for now. Thoughts on rates?
Also, I am worried that the astringency of the tea - mild as it should be being dry-hopped, as opposed to being added to the boil - might make the beer come across as too dry. The maltodextrin in this powder makes it seem alright. I'm considering adding some lactose to the beer itself if I'm going to use the pure tea, just to make sure that it isn't astringent. I'd never add it to a Helles normally, but as much as a Helles is thoroughly attenuated, it should have some grain sweetness that I fear might get eaten up by the tea. Thoughts?
Finally, should I have any sanitation fears with adding Matcha powder directly to the finished beer? The brewer from Baxter, in an article about the beer, says that they add it directly to the fermenter. I assume it should be pretty clean.
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