Stone Brewing Company- Japanese Green Tea IPA: Amazing Collaboration, Amazing Cause!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 4:28PM | by Jason 
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know about the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan this past March. This event devastated Japan, its people and took tens of thousands of lives and the country is still feeling the effects to this day. This hit close to home as my cousin Christopher is in the Navy and is stationed mainland Japan. Thankfully, he and his wife were safe but I cannot say the same for others. Back in June I had read a Stone Brewing Company Blog post about collaboration between Baird Brewing, Ishii Brewing Company and Stone that would have 100% of the proceeds going to Japanese relief efforts. Reading the bottle, the glass and bottle printing were donated as well. This was a real collaborative effort by all to benefit the people of Japan. I had to have this beer.
I had started seeing things on FB and other places on the internet at the beginning of August that the Japanese Green Tea IPA had been released. I had kept my eye out but hadn’t seen any on the shelves. It was August 26th, I had just drove Dale from the grounds of the Midwest Brewers Fest to Finnegan’s Irish Pub because it was time to celebrate his B-Day and Pam was getting impatient. Shortly after we arrived, Clancy popped around the corner with a couple of bottles of the Japanese Green Tea IPA. Immediately I asked, “Where the hell did you get that?” He said that he picked it up at the Binny’s in Plainfield and that I should be able to swing by and get some. To make a long story short, he offered to run to Binny’s for me and get me some, and returned with 3 bottles, ensuring that I was going to get to enjoy this special brew. Big thanks to you Clancy, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!!
Stone Brewing Company classifies this brew as an India Pale Ale and the bottle describes this brew as, “When our old friends Toshi and Bryan Baird approached us about brewing something special for Japan relief efforts, we of course jumped at the opportunity. We created this very special IPA, brewed with 100% Maris Otter Malt and Belgian Candi Sugar. Once we decided to tie it all together with the addition of Japanese Sencha Green Tea in a dry-hop, the rest of the recipe came together easy. We included hops that we believe would blend well with the tea flavors, and we went with Warrior hops, we used Crystal and New Zealand Pacifica for flavor. And then for the first dry hop, we again used Crystal and Pacifica, and added a brand new hop variety, Aramis, from the Alsace region of France. Then we went all Japanese for the 2nd dry-hop, with Sorachi Ace whole leaf hops, and then Sencha Tea. It’s always fun to use new ingredients and new hop varieties, and for that, I say to Toshi and Bryan: “Domo Arigato!” – Mitch Steele, Head Brewer – Stone Brewing Company.
Japanese Green Tea IPA pours a sediment laden golden orange with a ¼” off white head. The aroma is green tea, citrus, piney hops and lemongrass.
I am greatly appreciative that I was able to get my hands on a few bottles of this brew (thanks to Clancy). Not only does my money go to a Japanese Tsunami Relief Fund but I have never had a Craft Beer like this before. It is 100% unique. Because I don’t drink coffee (despite the fact that I love coffee beers) I will usually grab a green tea if I hit a Starbucks or other café. This blends my undying love for IPAs with a twist of green tea culminating in a supurb drinking experience. The flavor is interesting, I mainly get green tea and Belgian Candi sugar but the bite is all hops. I don’t get what I had anticipated as bitterness from the green tea but I am sensing that the Candi sugar balanced that out. There are also slight citrus notes in the flavor but only noticeable as the beer nears room temperature. The body is highly drinkable with the carbonation being spot on and no hint that Japanese Green Tea IPA is 9.2% ABV. Japanese Green Tea IPA goes down easier than Wes at a sausage party in Boy’s Town. As far as one-time brews go, this is one that I would highly suggest you get your hands on, not just for the once-in-a-lifetime experience but because it’s helping a great cause. Kampai!!
ABV: 9.2%
Glass: Mother Earth Brewing Globe Glass
Verdict: Buy A Case
