Beer – #475 – Garage Project – Texas Tea Brown Ale

I’ve been thinking about Snake Oil, Soul food, guessing and double guessing

Texas Tea is slang for oil and Garage Project operate out of an old service station in Aro Valley

It starts with a beer from the now prolific Garage Project, and a can of Texas Tea Brown Ale. A can, like a small barrel. They have a lot of tinned output.

Brewed by Garage Project in the style that is Brown Ale and they are in Wellington, New Zealand

330ml can of beer that is 6.2% ABV, making it 186 calories in the can, and 1.61 standard drink units.

A spicy and bold Texas brown ale brewed with a heady dose of American hops, habanero chili and prickly pear.

A Texas Brown Ale with a twist.

Brewed with Warrior, Columbus and Simcoe, habaneros chilli and prickly pear.

Think hot and hoppy cactus sizzurp. Welcome to weird Texas.

What could go wrong? Now I’ve done some research and this is a dark beer, not tea coloured. stand by for my amazed observation….

Pop the can, get a decent whiff of hops.

Lovely pour, looks like the colour of Malt vinegar, a decent head too!, unlike malt vinegar. Aroma is like stilted hops in the glass, which now looks like it contains oil or tar. It’s quite intriguing.

You get a bite of bitter, carbonation – pause – boomfha, a Chilli burst – pause – all calm nice finish.

Go again. Same thing, although the chilli hit is a bit stronger and longer.

Then is gave me the sneezes and the peppery chilli began to be prominent. At this point it’s where I decide that chilli-beers are not all that and a bag of chips, or in other ways you could say that this is a style that I’m not a fan of.

It might be very clever as a beer, but I’m not sure I like or enjoy it, and I like odd things usually.

This does have a nice hop level, and the chilli heat level is low to medium and not intrusive or off-putting, it’s a compliment to the beer and not a mask for something that may have not gone so well in the brewing.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing. I wanted to like it, and it looks great, sits well, and has a nice level of enjoyable hops, tonight though I’m not in the zone to enjoy the chilli hit. The double dip review Am I enjoying it? There are bits of this to like Would I have another? I don’t think that at the moment I would, but then I don’t know when would be the right time. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I couldn’t in all honesty talk too this beer enough to convince someone else to share it. “It’s About Time” is the album of choice for this, by Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics, this is the the track “My Dear”

For me a bit under produced, under sung, or poorly chosen songs for what should be a better album and effort.

Not the best of an evening.

Finally, almost, this is what a proper paid and trained journalist has to say Finally, in the tea-but-not-as-you-know-it category, I have to mention Yeastie Boys‘ fellow Wellingtonians Garage Project and their Texas Tea. While it doesn’t actually feature tea we’re still in the weird department as Texas Tea is made with habanero chilli and prickly pear (oh, all right, cactus). The beer starts with a lustrous chocolate malt base, has a spike of habanero heat and ends with a sweet, berry note that must come from the cactus. I love this name – Texas Tea is slang for oil and Garage Project operates out of an old service station in Aro Valley, so it’s a pretty slick name. Look out for it in the distinctive blue can with the with wispy cloud-like wording above a service station in the desert.

BROWN ALE

Color ranges from reddish-brown to dark brown. Lower in alcohol than porter, medium to full body flavor. Appropriate foods are apple pie, pork with brown sauce, beef vegetable soup and cheddar.

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