This beer has intrigued me since I first heard about it. Being a casual tea drinker and a IPA lover, this was one that I couldn’t pass up. Such an interesting concept for a beer and a joy to see that this is a collaboration between two other breweries, Baird Brewing Company and Ishii Brewing Company, both out of Japan. This is the second edition of this beer and the hop varieties include: Australian Helga hops, Aramis hops from France, and a late boil addition of Japanese Sorachi Ace hops. Paired with the whole leaf Japanese green tea certainly sets this beer up for a must try. Check out my first Stone review for one of their Enjoy By editions here. Now on to the review for this one.

Baird / Ishii / Stone – Japanese Green Tea IPA (2nd Edition, 10.1% ABV, Enjoy By: 4/12/2015)

Appearance: loud hiss from carbonation on bottle open, finger width of white head, golden light orange, almost bronze in color, nice carbonation throughout the tasting

Aroma: tons of oranges, citrus notes, grapefruit, melon, earthy tones, flowers, grassy notes, hints of the green tea, really started to smell of tea leaves once the beer warmed up

Mouthfeel: medium body, huge tea notes that fill every bit of the palate and mouth, decent hops that help balance out the beer, and a subtle hint of a malty backbone

Taste: tea tea and more tea, biscuits, crackers, citrus, huge bitterness from the hops and green tea leaves, but starts to mellow out as the beer warms up

Finish: clean/crisp finish, not at all boozy for clocking in at 10.1% ABV, tea notes are lingering around, as the tasting went out the palate was coated with the taste of green tea leaves, at that point it seemed like the hops were non-existent

Personal Recommendations of Food/Cheese Pairings: grilled shrimp, pad thai, chicken stir fry, fresh spring rolls, mascarpone, any of your sweeter cheeses, would pair really well with coconut ice cream 🙂

Overall: 8.4/10

Overall this was a very clean and crisp brew and unlike any flavor combination that I’ve ever tried. For how high in ABV, this was very well hidden and extremely well-balanced. When the beer started to reach room temperature the green tea was the only thing that was permeating through the nose and mouth. The hops just quickly diminished, which was a bit disappointing. Overall though this was an interesting collaboration and brew. Great to see these mash-ups between craft breweries, keeps not only the consumer on their toes but also the producer.

Cheers!