What’s amazing about judging international beer competitions is the chance to get a sense of the beers that people drink ‘over there’. Two places in particular have made an impression: Singapore last year, and Beijing, China, at the end of September. This is where I discovered how fantastic tea can be in beer.

When people talk about ‘local beer’, I’m curious as to what they actually mean. Do they refer to beer produced locally, or beer actually made with local ingredients? Anyhow, when I visited Asia last year and again this year, it dawned upon me how much brewers there need the beer to be local – in terms of flavour profile – for consumers to like, and ultimately, buy them again.

Before my travels, I had no idea how deeply rooted the tea culture is in Asia, and that brewers have made so called tea beers for over a decade. Judging both Asia Beer Championship in Singapore and China International Beer Challenge in Beijing, I’ve been lucky to taste and give feedback on a number of tea beers. What a privilege!

As some brewers and beer experts in Asia have told me, tea can be used in a similar fashion as hops: for aroma, bitterness, and preservation. Tea ranges from white to yellow, green, red, dark, and black, and different types of tea suit different styles of beer, obviously. Sometimes tea beers are also infused with flowers, spices and fruits, just like with tea.

In every taproom I visited in Beijing, I was excited to find beer made with tea on the menu. My preferred style for tea beer seems to be Pilsner, Belgian Witbier or American Pale Ale – not surprising really as these styles work well with the addition of green tea, my favourite type, for a refreshing, bright and herbal character.

I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Asia, to discover more about the fascinating tea culture, which spans thousands of years, and to try more tasty tea beers.

Malin Norman Booking.com

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