Pages

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Tyranena Brewing Company Bitter Woman IPA

One of my favorite beer styles is the India Pale Ale or IPA.  Since I started this blog, I have reviewed a few India Pale Ales, such as Fat Head's Head Hunter IPA and Stone Brewing's Ruination IPA.  My father recommended that I try Tyranena Brewing Company's Bitter Woman IPA and even bought me a bottle.

According to the bottle, the "bitter woman" is based upon Aunt Cal, an early resident of Lake Mills, where the craft brewer is located.  "Local history remembers her for blindly running into a hitching post and saying, 'Excuse me, Mr. Dodge.'"  The brewer continues by adding that it was said that Aunt Cal was "an old sweetheart" of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Unfortunately, she never wed, with only the love letters to remind her of lost possibilities.  Tyranena Brewing says that it brewed the Bitter Woman IPA "the way we imagine Aunt Cal may have been, very fruity and intensely bitter."   

The beer pours the color of amber and copper, with a thin foam and good carbonation.  The aromatic elements of the Bitter Woman IPA are focused on the hops and are rounded out with the aromas from the malts.  This is a good thing for an IPA.  What makes the beer even better is that the hops do not overwhelm the drinker.  There is a bitterness along the edges.  

As for the taste, there is a bitterness up front, which diminishes at the end, giving way to a little sweetness.  The beer is not very heavy or obnoxious.  Instead, it is a drinkable IPA that should appeal to hopheads like myself.  To be sure, I have tasted much hoppier IPAs, such as the Head Hunter, but this beer provides a little complexity that fits in well with the name and the story behind the beer.  

This beer is available in Wisconsin and surrounding states.  I believe my father picked up the beer at a Binny's in the Chicago area.  

ENJOY!

No comments:

Post a Comment