With notes of fig, apricot and lemon, Tamarind is an ingredient our brewmaster has wanted to work with for years. So the stars have never been more aligned than when our cellarman Jake Beamer threw a tamarind-infused English brown ale into the ring during last year’s Brewhouse Rarities pitch session.

Beamer stumbled upon tamarind beverages while aimlessly scanning the shelves of an international grocery for unique and interesting ingredients (as brewers are apt to do). For the uninitiated, the tamarind tree, which grows in tropical regions, produces a pod-like fruit with large seeds and a sticky pulp. These guys have an intensely tart flavor and are commonly used to make thirst-quenching beverages similar to lemonade. 

(Tamarind, according to Google)

Beamer initially deliberated on the beer style that would pair well with this unique ingredient before settling on an English brown ale. The idea was to use a medium malt body as well as fruity esters from the British yeast strain and a hint of earthy Goldings hops. The tamarind flavor is not in the foreground of this beer; it's subtle and perfectly intermingles with the cast of other flavors.

Tamarind Ale will be unleashed in our tasting room on Friday, March 17. Stop by and shake Beamer's hand, pick his brain on our firkin program and listen to the concepts behind his specialty made firkins for the release party, which include:

• Tamarind Ale with additional tamarind
• Snake Dog IPA with Meco Chipotles
• St. EADman Abbey Ale with mango

We'll see you on the 17th, or you can track down Tamarind Ale today with our Beer Finder.