A New Kind of Brew: Dead Low Brewing's First Ever Hard Tea

Dead Low Brewing is taking on a whole new kind of brew. 

For the first time ever, we’re brewing a hard tea  and we knew from the beginning that if we were going to venture into new territory, we wanted to do it with a local partner who knows tea inside and out.

We reached out the Churchill's Fine Teas, a Cincinnati treasure with more than 23 years of experience, Churchill’s has built a community around premium loose-leaf teas, tea education and bringing people together over a great cup of tea. Today, they have locations in both Madisonville and Findlay Market. 

From Tea Tasting to Beer Collaboration

Before we ever fired up the brew kettle, we had some homework to do.

Angela and David, the owners of Churchill’s Fine Teas, joined us at Dead Low for a tea tasting. We sampled five different teas, exploring the flavors, aromas and characteristics of each one to figure out which could make the perfect foundation for our very first hard tea.

It wasn't an easy decision, there were plenty of great options, but eventually, we found our golden ticket:

Manuka Magic.

Manuka Magic is a black tea blend made with manuka honey, almonds, pistachios, coriander and rose petals, along with natural flavor. The result is a tea with a nutty character, natural sweetness and layers of spice and floral notes. 

We knew immediately that this was the one.

So... What Happens When Tea Meets a Brewmaster?

That was the fun part.

Our goal wasn't simply to make a beer that tasted like tea. We wanted to create something that brought together the best parts of both worlds, the refreshing drinkability of a hard tea with the creativity and brewing experience that goes into every Dead Low beer.

With Manuka Magic as our inspiration, we set out to create a brew that would be refreshing, unique and approachable, while still letting the character of the tea shine through.

And because this is our first hard tea, there was plenty of experimenting, tasting and fine-tuning along the way.

Why Churchill's?

For us, partnering with Churchill's was about more than finding a great tea. It was about finding a local Cincinnati business that shares our love of craft, community, and trying something a little different.

Dead Low Brewing has always believed that some of the best things happen when local businesses come together. Whether it's beer, tea, food, music or community events, we're always looking for ways to collaborate with the people who make Cincinnati such a great place to live, work and drink. This collaboration felt like a perfect fit. Churchill's brought the tea expertise. We brought the brewing equipment. And together, we're creating something neither of us has made before.

The First Pour

So what does a hard tea brewed with Manuka Magic actually taste like?

You'll have to try it to find out.

We're excited to share Dead Low Brewing's first-ever hard tea, created in collaboration with our friends at Churchill's Fine Teas.

Available now in the taproom only!