Massachusetts Brewery’s New Hard Tea Might Be Summer’s Best Drink

I’ve heard of breweries diving into hard seltzers and canned cocktails, but during a recent visit to Canned Heat Craft Beer, I stumbled across something I honestly hadn’t seen before: hard iced tea brewed completely from scratch and served ice cold on tap. Let me tell you, this stuff screams summer.

I toured the brewery and sat down with brewer Justin Holmander, who has been brewing for about four years, to learn all about the new Tilt-A-Whirl Hard Teas. Right now, there are two flavors on tap: lemon and peach, both clocking in at 5.5 percent alcohol by volume. Personally, I gravitated toward the lemon, while my good friend and coworker Tim Weisberg from WBSM couldn’t stop talking about the peach.

Both were crisp, refreshing and dangerously easy to drink.

More Than Just Alcoholic Iced Tea

What surprised me most was just how much work and creativity goes into making these teas. Holmander explained that the process starts with a neutral alcohol base, similar to vodka, paired with black tea that’s boiled, cooled and steeped with fruit flavors. For the lemon tea alone, they use 18 pounds of dry lemon in a 300-gallon batch.

That sharp citrus punch is impossible to miss. What also makes them unique is Canned Heat uses hops to craft its hard teas, whereas most other hard teas do not.

READ MORE: Fall River's Canned Heat Craft Beer Teams With Gregg’s on Death by Chocolate Beer

The hops are handled separately through a cold-steeping process to avoid bitterness. Local hops grown at Happy Hops Farm in Taunton are then combined with the tea blend, giving the drinks a signature Canned Heat twist. The lemon tea uses Tahoma hops for a bright citrus flavor, while the peach tea features Triple Pearl hops for a softer, fruitier finish.

A Side Project With Big Potential

The teas fall under a new sub-brand called Tilt-A-Whirl, keeping with Canned Heat’s carnival-style branding and colorful artwork created by local artist Travis Nunes. Holmander said the brewery wanted the teas to feel like their own creative lane since they aren’t technically beers.

After six to eight “bench tests,” the team finally nailed the balance of tea, fruit, sweetness and hops. “There’s no standard way of making it,” Holmander said. “I wanted to make a tea, but make it our own way.” He explained the difference between the science and the art of brewing something along the lines of a hard tea and for him, he harnesses his creativity as "the driver" while science is nothing more than a mere "tool."

What's Next For Canned Heat's New Hard Teas?

Next up: raspberry is already being worked on, and a seasonal mango flavor could eventually join the lineup. The hard teas will also be featured on draft during the Fall River Seafood Festival, which honestly feels like the perfect pairing for a warm late spring SouthCoast day.