We've seen some hideous examples of what can happen when a product attempts to combine several things into one. We've also seen some pretty good examples.

Well, now there's a pretty stellar one: Mateveza Yerba Maté Ale, a pale ale enhanced by maté, a South American tea that is known for its health and energy benefits.

Jim Woods -- the beer's creator, and long-time Bay Area resident (grew up in Lafayette; currently a San Franciscan) -- stressed that while the maté's extra effects may add an interesting twist to his product, that's not the beer's main selling point. Rather, it's all about the taste.

And that, in our opinion, is why it works so well.

Perhaps it helps that Jim's love of maté is a healthy one--he enjoys it in moderation. This undoubtedly helped him in developing the formula for Mateveza, which was the most challenging stage of the process. How much should the yerba maté shine through, in terms of flavor or effect? How much maté should he add to get to that level? At what point in the brewing process should it be incorporated?

Using his network of friends as a focus group was a great help and very much in the spirit of yerba maté. Consuming maté in its traditional form -- it's passed around in a gourd filled with loose leaves, constantly being refilled with hot water -- is a very communal activity. He involved his friends as a focus group, and worked with another friend (Bret Hobbs, a North Beach resident) on the product's graphic design. While a glass of beer isn't usually passed around the table per se, by honoring the taste of the ingredients rather than trying to twist them and incorporating his friends' opinions, Jim Woods has built something of a communal feeling into what is just a gimmick to other companies with similar products (B-to-the-E, "caffeine beer," etc). Additionally, it's the influence of certain communities--Jim's neighborhood store, organic foods purveyors, and organic foods enthusiasts -- that are starting the ball rolling of Mateveza's success.