Feeling Disorderly? Lagunitas’ new ‘spiked’ tea hits the spot

As with many locals, Lagunitas Brewing Company holds a special place in our family’s heart, and on our palettes, having been born, raised and still brewed here in our own sleepy hometown. We were excited to see the news of their latest release – Disorderly Tea House, and since sampling the three currently available flavors, are happy to say Lagunitas has not lost a step in the fast-paced world of adult beverages.

For some, the luster was tempered a bit when Lagunitas sold to Heineken, starting with a 50% buyout in 2015 while the other half sold in 2017. However, the folks behind the scenes – the ones who have helped to make Lagunitas what is, are still “in the house,” coming up with new and innovative beverages, both with and without alcohol, and at least on a local level, have kept Lagunitas as regionally relevant as possible.

Brief Lagunitas legacy

For those that grew up with Lagunitas right here in our backyard, you may think they have simply always been here, kind of like many of us locals think of Snoopy and the Peanuts gang. However, Lagunitas did have to start somewhere, and the name is no coincidence. Tony Magee started brewing in his kitchen back in the early 1990s, just outside of the tiny “town” of Lagunitas, along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, in West Marin. In short order Tony outgrew his kitchen and moved his brewing operation to the nearby hamlet of Forest Knolls, where he introduced his IPA, as a hoppy way to distinguish himself from all the pints of popular and relatively high-hopped American Pale Ale being served in Bay Area bars. Admittedly, a lot of people thought it was a bit too much, present company included, but Tony stuck with it and made a real name for himself and his brand as West Coast beer drinkers started demanding hoppier and hoppier brews.

In 1995, Lagunitas moved to Petaluma and within a couple of years, outgrew their first space and moved to their current location. Entering the 2000s, demand was rising for Lagunitas’s bold flavors, and they continued to expand and innovate, often creating beers based directly on local customer requests, happily finding a wider audience once they were put into production.

In 2005 came Lagunitas’ famed shutdown, which not only spawned a new beer at the time, but would eventually inspire the name for their new line of alcoholic based teas. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control raided on one of Lagunitas’ weekly employee tasting parties, alleging that employees were dealing marijuana. No charges were filed, in large part because nobody was selling pot, but were instead sharing it for free. Nonetheless, the brewery did receive a 20-day suspension, which Lagunitas commemorated with their Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale. The law they had violated was known as the “disorderly house” law, which is where the currently release of spiked teas gets its name – Disorderly Tea House.

Personal attachment

Personally, my connection to Lagunitas started by accident back in the mid-1990s. My father, a general contractor, and I were building a home in downtown Petaluma and needed some plumbing supplies. We headed over to North McDowell Boulevard in search of Ferguson Plumbing Supplies, and with no cellphone navigation at the time, got a bit lost. We took a wrong turn and ended up wandering around a warehouse district, figuring we would find our way eventually. This was on an unusually warm autumn day, so we had the windows of our work truck rolled down.

All at once I got a whiff of something familiar in the air. Having spent a good portion of the early 1990s homebrewing myself, it did not take me long to realize that I was smelling beer production, which smells quite different than the bouquet of straight up beer. I could smell the malt and in short order, my nose led us to Lagunitas, which was still an unknown to most at the time and had yet to open a dedicated tasting room.

My father was never one to let a “no trespassing” sign stop him from exploring, especially when beer was involved, which during my youth led to quite a few brewers up and down the West Coast who found us sitting patiently in their taprooms prior to opening, had they inadvertently forgotten to lock all their doors.

However, in this particular situation, this unknown brewery had its door fully rolled-up, giving us a clear view inside to a rather inviting picnic table next to an even more enticing row of taps. It was around noon, so we grabbed our lunchboxes out of the truck, tapped a couple of pints, and sat down at the table to enjoy ourselves. After about 10 minutes of peace and tranquility, someone came out from the back and the look on their face made it clear that they immediately realized they were facing a different situation. But with a smirk and the raising of an eyebrow, he asked what we thought of the beer, and after we answered in the affirmative, simply requested that we wash our pint glasses when we were done, and then wished us a great day. With that kind of reception, that was not the last lunch we would enjoy in Lagunitas’s employee break area over the rest of our building project. Little did we know at the time but this was kind of status quo for owner/founder Tony McGee, who has always strived to offer great beer and in a space that is as inviting to beer lovers as possible.

Beer sanctuary

On a recent warm April work-day afternoon, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Sam Kennedy, director of communications, and Jeremy Marshal, lead brewer, at Lagunitas’ “TapRoom and Beer Sanctuary” to discuss their latest innovation, and what a surprise it turned out to be. Several weeks earlier I had received a press release from Lagunitas about their new line of “spiked” teas – teas with alcohol in them. As a tea drinker myself, and not someone overly excited about hoppy beers, this had me intrigued.

However, knowing that local readers prefer a local angle, I reached out to Lagunitas directly, and unlike even some of the smallest mom and pop local places, they immediately responded and invited me out to meet their head brewer and inventor of their new concoction. I explained that I was simply a small-time freelancer, who wrote pretty much exclusively for the local newspaper, but that did not deter them in the least.

The Beer Sanctuary was bustling when I arrived, but never seems to lose its relaxed atmosphere, no matter how busy it is. Maybe it is the mix of people and dogs, maybe it is the infusion of Lagunitas employees getting off work and grabbing a drink, or maybe it is simply that so many people at the tables either seemed to know each other, or quickly struck up conversations with strangers based around their common love of good beer (and food).

Sam spotted me from afar — cowboy hat usually gives me away — and immediately greeted and welcomed me to a table covered in colorful cans and six-pack boxes. I sat across from an equally colorful chap – head brewer Jeremy Marshal. (Jeremey commented that he wished he could sport a cowboy hat too, but people would think he was trying to look like Kid Rock.)

Meet the brewer

In perfect unison with the Beer Sanctuary itself, Jeremy was vibrant and enthusiastic, with an air of calm. I was honestly skeptical about whether I was going to like what I was about to taste, because I tend to regard “hard” version of classic drinks with a healthy splash of contempt. Not that I am a purist (I prefer fortified to regular wine) but turning drinks like coffee and seltzer “hard” seems to be the current craze, and I have never been good at adjusting to fads. However, not only did Lag’s newest innovation impress me, but within moments of meeting Jeremy, I knew I was going to have an enjoyable afternoon.

Jeremy hails from Tennessee, where like many beer fans, he dabbled in home brewing. Eventually his interest in beer grew into a true passion, in large part thanks to Anchor Brewing’s Liberty Ale, considered by many to be the first modern American IPA. Although the term IPA had yet to be coined when Liberty was first brewed back in 1975, it would later be introduced in order to differentiate the American-style single, dry-hopped ale from its British counterpart. The original India Pale Ale, which was hopped up in order to help it survive the late 1700s and early 1800s shipping journey from England to quench the thirst of British soldiers stationed in India, and other far off colonies. (IPA represents the American version of the British’s India Pale Ale.)

“I was blown away by the aromas and flavors of Liberty Ale,” said Jeremy, referencing the dry hopping, which adds aromas and flavors that wet hopping does not. (In short, wet and dry “hopping” refers to the timing of when hops are added during the brewing process, not the actual moisture content of the hops. Most hops are dry, to help with their preservation, although, during the short hop harvest season, some brewers will use fresh “wet” hops. However, wet hopping refers to the addition of hops in the early stages of the brewing process, which adds bitterness, whereas dry hopping is later in the process, which tends to add more aromatics.

“I decided I wanted to be fulltime brewer, and at the time, there were only two schools in the late 1990s – one in Chicago and one at U.C. Davis,” Jeremy said. “Chicago was too close to home. I wanted a change. And U.C. Davis felt like it was closer to the heart of American beer innovation at the time.” Being an hour or so from Anchor Brewing in San Francisco certainly had to have played a psychological role in Jeremy’s decision to travel out west.

After finishing up at U.C. Davis, Jeremy wrote Tony McGee of Lagunitas an actual letter, now claiming it was probably one of the last pieces of real mail he read. And since 2006, Jeremy has always answered directly to Tony. In 2014, Jeremy led the brewing crew that helped to open Lagunitas’ Chicago brewery. And it was at Burning Man, an event known for its penchant for trying to start outlandish rumors, that in 2015 Jeremy learned Heineken had bought a 50% interest in Lagunitas.

“I received a direct text telling me I needed to get home ASAP, so I knew it wasn’t a rumor,” he said.

The day I visited, Jeremy had been hosting a French brewer who had also been bought out by Heineken and relayed that it was interesting and encouraging to see how Lagunitas’s parent company has adjusted their approaches and strategies as they have work more closely with smaller craft brewers.

“Sometimes all you need is a good cup of tea”

Jeremy’s colorful shirt could only barely compete with the colorful display of cans and cardboard six-pack holders laid out on the table for us to share. And this was truly a “share.” I have been to a lot of media tastings, but none were as organic as tasting alongside the creator and brewer and watching him genuinely enjoy sampling through the three flavors.

Truth be told, the colorful cans immediately had my mouth watering, expecting to taste that sweet variety of tea that usually comes in the can. However, that is not what Disorderly Tea is all about. With the “illusion of sweetness,” as Jeremy puts it, there is no added sugar and the tea actually tastes more like real tea, with a splash of flavor by way of Yuzu Lemon, Mixed Berry, or their newest flavor, Peach.

This was quite an unexpected, yet welcome, especially when I realized that it tasted a bit like my beloved yerba mate tea, which is an herbal, not black tea, made from the leaves and twigs of the yerba mate plant of South America. Although caffeinated, it seems to be a different type or strain than normal, as it does not leave me with the same jitters as coffee or caffeinated sodas. However, I am no nutritionist, so do not quote me on this. (Lagunitas claims theirs has about the same amount of caffeine as a regular cup of black tea.)

Jeremy’s tea was inspired by Sebastopol’s Guayaki Yerba Mate tea, which is quite recognizable in its yellow cans, and is a common employee drink on the Lagunitas campus.

“We have been drinking Guayaki forever and decided to start experimenting with it, first with hops and then with alcohol,” said Jeremy. “Mark Hughes is our specialty brewer, also from U.C. Davis, and we turned it over to him for further development.”

It was a relief to hear that this we something they came up with themselves because of their love of the base flavors and was not simply an attempt to follow a trend. Nevertheless, Jeremy was quick to add, “We never fear being inspired by others.”

Lagunitas’s tea is made from a slightly different plant than yerba mate, but has a similar earthy flavor. The pair come from South America where they are both regarded for their health and spiritual properties by the tribes that grow and consume them. Called Guayusa, where the mate leaves are smoked dried, the Guayusa leaves are sun dried, giving them a slightly different taste, and a slightly more naturally sweet flavor.

Spiked not hard

With an alcohol content of 5% by volume, Lagunitas calls their tea “spiked” as opposed to “hard,” which is just one of the many important distinctions from their competitors. Another is the aforementioned lack of sweetness. Although I was expecting something along the lines of a hard version of Arizona or Snapple iced tea, Disorderly Tea is very well balanced and taste more like real tea, which it is, with just a hint of flavor and sweetness coming from the added fruit.

“We are not shooting to make a ‘kids’ drink,” said Jeremy. “This is real tea that tastes like real tea.”

In fact, the aroma, something that Lagunitas is known for, gave the biggest suggestion of sweetness, in part thanks to the slightly sweet smell of the Guayusa leaves. It had me constantly taking a big whiff of my drink prior to taking another sip.

Another major distinction from competing “hard” teas is that Lagunitas brews their tea, in actual professional brewing equipment to boot. And so as not to have this turn into a kombucha, where sugar, tea and yeast are all brewed together, Disorderly Tea is brewed on two separate tracks. The tea is brewed on its own, as is a sucrose-based alcohol, which are then blended together. (The reason for a sucrose-based alcohol is so they have a blank canvas. Other alcohols could adulterate the tea’s flavors and aromas.)

This is a far cry from some of the other manufacturers, who simply use tea concentrates and add a portion of their alcohol as spirits in order to spike their products.

“This is harder than making beer,” Jeremy said. “It is two separate processes, with the tea taking minutes, while the alcohol takes weeks to ferment. Then the two are brought together and properly balanced for flavor, color and clarity.”

After blending, it takes a couple of days for the two to marry, before the quality control people make sure it has the right flavor and consistency.

A further divergence from standard industry hard teas is that the Guayusa is not a “commodity” crop. Lagunitas works directly with the Ecuadorian indigenous tribes to source this tea, meaning they retain a greater level of quality control and help sustain local small-scale farming.

Other innovations

Other recent Lagunitas drink innovations include Lagunitas’ 2018 release of a THC and CBD infused IPA-inspired sparkling water, called Hi-Fi Hops which is currently only available in California and can be found on their sister site, lagunitashifi.com.

In 2019, Lagunitas started exploring the non-alcoholic market with a hoppy water, called Hoppy Refresher, which is a zero-calorie sparkling refresher. Next came a “near-beer” called IPNA, which is a non-alcoholic IPA alternative, and one of our beer substitutes when entering yet another ill-advised “dry” week or month.

The real deal

I find truth in Sister Busche’s quote that, “We are like tea, we don’t know our own strength until we’re in hot water.” This never holds as true as when I have an impending writing deadline, however, Lagunitas’ Disorderly Tea, what with a bit of alcohol, is likely not the kind of tea the good Sister was thinking of.

Thankfully, it just so happens that Jeremy was kind enough to share a bag of actual Guayusa tea leaves after I inquired how it tasted on its own. Simply enough, I boiled some water, crushed up a few leaves and in short order was sipping home brewed Guayusa tea and loving every minute of it, in part because of its similarity to my favorite yerba mate but also in part because it gave me true insight into the genuine connection between the actual tea and the Disorderly Tea House spiked tea that Lagunitas is currently offering. In fact, I thought the warm tea in my mug would be improved with a bit of lemon, which helps explain why Lag’s Yuzu Lemon Squeeze spiked tea was my favorite of their three current flavors.

Still local

One of the biggest post-buy-over surprises is that Lagunitas has never wavered in its commitment to, and involvement in, our Petaluma community. This engagement runs the gamut from direct donations to any nonprofit event that asks, to putting a real effort into their participation for events like the Butter and Egg Days Parade, for which they won this year’s award for best “commercial/sponsor” float.

One of Lagunitas’ most iconic trademarks is the saying, “Beer Speaks. People Mumble.” Although certainly catchy, and true in certain respects, Lagunitas’ continued connection to our community sits squarely on the shoulders of its dedicated staff, whose actions certainly speak louder than any words they may mumble.

Getting your own

We recently found Disorderly Tea House available at Petaluma Market in single cans, but the “Beer Finder” on the Lagunitas website points towards other local favorite shopping spots, such as Wilibees, Grocery Outlet, Lucky’s, Lombardi’s and Steele Bear Deli, just to name a few, as well as local watering holes, including McNear’s and Lagunitas’ own taproom, as well as over at the Petaluma Speedway for the Saturday evening races. Visit lagunitas.com for more information.