Tim O’Meara stumbles for a moment trying to outline his new Bohemian Brown Ale.
“The tea gives it and earthy” — there is a pause — “I don’t know,” he said.
Yes, tea. Maybe four pounds of fair trade Chinese black tea, steeped in the beer for the final 30 minutes of the boil.
While coffee has long been part of the brewer’s pantry, tea is a more recent shelf item — one trending by more traditional means. Here and there a green tea infused IPA or chai tea spicing up a porter catches someone’s attention.
O’Meara listened to a fellow brewer praise a beer teased with tea and had to give it a try.
The result is O’Meara Bros. Bohemian Brown Ale. On the nose it resembles a more traditional version, offering creamy malt aromas with hints of brewed coffee, spiced bread and a trace of dried herbs.
But it is altogether more expressive when sipped, spouting dark French roast coffee with bitter fringes followed by a flow of caramel. While the creamy aspect begins to sooth the coffee note, a toasted, earthy impression alerts the palate again — something akin to allspice.
Just as you begin to comprehend this, the ale stirs in a little more intrigue. The rich savor of cured fruit begins to form, but is consumed by the familiar moxie of root beer and cola. Behind this, a riffle of gentle white pepper introduces the finish.
And on the finish, you find dense black tea.
No wonder O’Meara struggles when defining the Bohemian Brown. There is a lot going on — at times turbulent, at times strident, at times calm and collected. Lost are the mellow, nutty moments that still a more typical brown. Gone are the hearty sugars — it is a dry brew.
But, when you sip again the initial impression of tumult disappears. This is a beer of great individual character bounded by rich, earthy, bittersweet flavors.
“I still wanted it to be balanced,” O’Meara said. “It’s a good combination.”
He tamed the hops in order to allow the tea some space to interact with roasted malts. And he followed tradition before introducing the cured leaves at the end. So it remains a great brown ale, rather than a novelty.
A great brown ale with a unique twist.
Already O’Meara is considering other options — different tea and beer style combinations.
“That was fun,” he said of brewing the Bohemian Brown. “Now it’s got me thinking.”
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
