Empire Brewing collaborates with Chinese company on beer made with tea

Two Dragons beer, made with tea from China in collaboration with a Chinese company.

Empire Brewing announced the partnership with JingWei Fu Tea Company of China during a news conference at its establishment at 120 Walton St. in Syracuse’s Armory Square area.

The partners didn’t disclose financial terms of the deal.

Empire Brewing is a Syracuse–based brewer of handcrafted ales and lagers.

The collaboration followed CenterState CEO’s trip to China in August 2014 to explore business opportunities.

David Katleski, owner of Empire Brewing and president of the New York State Brewers Association, joined those who traveled to China.

During the trip, Katleski met Mr. Ji, founder of the JingWei Fu Tea Company, and the two executives connected, despite their “limited verbal communication,” according to the news release the companies issued.

“He and I just absolutely hit it off,” Katleski said during his opening remarks at the Tuesday morning event.

Then, as he recalled it, Luo Ping, vice president of JingWei Fu Tea, wondered if Katleski’s company ever made a beer using tea.

“We haven’t but we certainly would like to try,” Katleski said, in recalling their meeting during the trip to China.

JingWei Fu Tea decided to allow Empire to brew a beer made with tea, hoping it would result in a product that “would be unlike anything on the Chinese or American market today,” according to the news release.

The release describes JingWei Fu Tea as “full of rich, earthy flavors as well as an impressive range of health benefits.”

Mr. Ji shipped 12 kilos of his Fu Tea from Shaanxi province of China to Empire Brewing where Tim Butler, Empire’s master brewer, and Nat TenEyck, an assistant brewer,” incorporated the tea bricks into an “original Empire brew,” according to the release.

The beer is named Two Dragons after Katleski and Ji in honor of the common Chinese calendar sign.

The companies hope to export and distribute tea-beer in China, the world’s most populous country, for Empire Brewing and assist JingWei Fu Tea in distributing tea in the U.S., they said.