Bitter Woman IPA - Tyranena Brewing Company

Vitals:

Name: Bitter Woman IPA

Style: American IPA

IBU: ??

ABV: 5.75%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a deep orange with about a finger of off-white head. Looks to be moderately carbonated. Excellent lacing makes up for a bit of a lack of retention. Patchy cap on the beer after the head dissipates. 

Smell: Not much to speak of here, which is surprising for an IPA. I get some biscuit malt and earthy hops, but that's about it. The malt wins over the hop smell though, also surprising. Not sure I like that...check that, I dislike it. Not impressed so far.

Taste: I will start by saying that this beer is well-balanced and the malts blend right into the hoppiness. It's a smooth transition whereas a lot of IPAs have a noticeable "bite." Orange up front and some sweet malts. The hops are earthy, maybe piney, and some citrus. There are some other citrus flavors but I'm not completely sure what they are (I think lemon). The beer is aptly named, but doesn't leave you with overwhelming bitterness. The taste is not fantastic by any means, but I completely appreciate how the elements flow together so well.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, with somewhat noticeable carbonation. It has a nice level of resin-y feel to it, but not too much. Prickles your tongue a bit. Nothing spectacular here except the moderate level of resin.

Overall Grade: B-

Comments: So, there are a few things worth noting here. 1.) This beer is a victim of its style - it just simply isn't as good as a lot of other IPAs out there. 2.) I strongly considered giving this beer a C+, but the taste experience (not the flavor, mind you) pushed it to a B-. 3.) This tastes like a really hopped up amber more than an IPA. I've had so many good IPAs up here I can't justify a higher grade for this one.

Cheers,

Hurls

Scurvy - Tyranena Brewing Company

First of all I'd just like to say that I love the name of this beer - SCURVYYYYYY. If the newest Pirates of the Caribbean didn't suck ass so badly I would make a POTC reference here, but alas...'tis not to be.

However, to lay a little history on you, the real reason that people first started adding hops to beer is because hop resin acts a very powerful preservative for beer. This was extremely helpful in trying to transport beer on long sea voyages, because otherwise it would spoil. From this usage sprung the Imperial Pale Ale (IPA), which is typically loaded with hops. So, hopefully now you have a bit better of an appreciation for the Scurvy beer name, quite fitting if you ask me.

Vitals:

Name: Scurvy

Style: American IPA

IBU: ??

ABV: 7.5%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: The Old Fashioned (BYO 6-Pack)

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a deep amber color, very pretty looking with an off-white, almost tan head on it (about 1.5 fingers worth). The lace retention is very good on this beer - spotty in places with thin strips of thick lace in others.

Smell: The aroma you get is mostly floral with a little citrus mixed in there. Smells good but nothing sticks out incredibly to me.

Taste: First tastes give you a blast of orange and lemon, and a bitter finish with some caramel malt sandwiched in between. Does a so-so job at hiding it's 7.5% ABV.

Mouthfeel: This beer drinks relatively light for being an IPA, but definitely leaves you with the resinous/sticky hop feeling coating your mouth (not a bad thing IMHO). There is some carbonation but not enough to detract from the beer.

Overall Grade: B

Comments: This is a pretty solid IPA, nothing more, nothing less. I would recommend that any hop-head try this beer because it is a good showing from Tyranena, but I wouldn't drink this more than every once in a while simply because I believe there are much better options. Go out to the Old Fashioned, get a Beer Tour of Wisconsin card and give this one a try once you'd have a beer or two - you won't regret it, but I wouldn't lead off with it either...

Cheers,

Hurls