Bitter Woman India Pale Ale
Tyranena Brewing Company

lwillitz from Wisconsin

3.94/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12-oz bottle into Belgian ale glass

A - cloudy body of golden amber under two fingers of white, moderate visible carbonation

S - citrus, sweetened grain, touch of pine

T - citrus, touch of pine, caramel sweetness, earthy hops

M - smooth medium body, medium/high carbonation; dry, bitter finish

O - just a really nice IPA all around

Aug 03, 2019

Piercan from Wisconsin

4.73/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

> My old time favorite.
Always my first choice when I can find it on tap. (Review is for draught at D&V Shorewood, WI. - Sep.2017. )
On the one hand, there is a lingering earthiness, counterbalanced by a light-weight hoppy bitterness on the other hand.
To me, 《 There's no better woman than BITTER WOMAN ☆ 》

May 29, 2017

BSiegs from Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Good looking beer. Rich amber, orange in color, extremely clear. Two fingers of sticky white foam with good retention and lacing. Aroma is heavy citrus, grapefruit and orange. Dank with mild notes of pine as well. Hops pop less on taste. Some pine and citrus. Big malty backbone. Body is medium, moderate carbonation, and a dry, bitter finish. Overall, a nice classic IPA. Citrus/pine forward, plenty of malt for balance, and a dry finish. Good brew.

Apr 21, 2017

rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.41/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

One of those early beers that had the orange color going on. Clarity wasn't its strong suit. 3/5" white head. Aroma was very bitter, not the traditional lush dry hopping, this was all about bitterness and alpha acids instead of aroma of a soft fruit nature.

Bitter definitely is a valid descriptor here. Grapefruit bitterness. Caramel malt. Standard stuff, amped up bitterness. 70ibu? Felt heavier than the 5.75% abv quoted. Not hot, just seemed like a bigger beer than that.

Nov 08, 2016

Beginner2 from Illinois

3.77/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Had a few times. I liked Tyranena's other brews for a while, then fell off of them in late 2016... but am now reconciled that they are decent again.

Bitter Woman, frankly, bothered me... implied misogyny I suppose or something like that. But transcending that, this is a balanced IPA. Actually not bitter, relative to the many micros playing to the crowd.

8/3/19 brewer review. I am not getting much from the Tyranena website ( but it may be my phone). So I will just say that filling up the space between the Milwaukee and Madison metros with something other than fields is work. And if it has a consistent brewer like Tyranena, then it is good enough.

Jun 04, 2016

farrago from New Jersey

3.84/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Moderate head, a touch past one finger, off-white to eggshell colored, even surface, the lacing is more broad sheets than streaks, pretty good stickiness. Deep golden to close to amber colored liquid, noticeable swirl of tiny bubbles, virtually wall-to-wall. Intense nose of saline, green herbaceousness, pretzel dough, tar, earth, touch of pine sap, minimal fruit presence, some apricot or peach pits. Medium-bodied, creamy texture in spite of its overall hard nosed nature and general dryness. Tar, black tea leaf, dried oranges, there’s more pep in the pine sap but this is indeed one bitter beer. If allowed to warm there is some roundness in the peach, pineapple fruit. For as bitter as it is, does display nice balance and does not overplay its hand.

Jan 02, 2016

ordybill from Georgia

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass. The appearance is crystal clear light orange colored beer with a medium sized off-white head. The aroma is full of hops and citrus, a great smell. The taste chock full of hops with a strong citrus blend. Overall, an outstanding beer.

Dec 21, 2015

vainosuomi from Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pale amber color, unfiltered, off-white head. Lots of pine and citrus hops in the smell. Taste is pretty bitter, with lemon and grapefruit citrus hops dominating. Light sweet malts, maybe a bit of caramel. Medium bodied, good carbonation, clean and somewhat astringent finish. Overall an excellent IPA.

Oct 28, 2015

Taybeh from Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I like bitter, and this didn't disappoint...nothing too crazy or exceptional, but solid, enjoyable, with a profile that suits me well.

pours a hazy bright copper with a 2 finger khaki head. nose is some crackers, light caramalt, resiny pine, more earthy/flowery hops and an edge of hard-to-identify citrus. Taste follows the nose but is amped up and more bitter, with a malty entry point and then really letting the earthy hops make things a bit more interesting. The citrus juiciness is secondary but always there and then there's some orange rind that lingers and dries out the mouthful. Though it brings a good degree of bitterness, its still a nice smooth and easy drinker...the carbonation is decent but it might be a little low, and sometimes feels a little more tea-like than is ideal for the style. All in all, pretty good...I'd definitely throw this in the mix if I saw it around on tap. Such a crowded field, I can't

Sep 26, 2015

pat61 from Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L: Pours brilliant amber to light chestnut under a 1” off-white foam collar that produces prodigious lace. S: Earthy hops with light malts. T: Bold citrusy hops balance sweet malts and fruit with a fine bitter finish. F: Creamy, medium body to a little above, carbonation medium low O: A little sweet but very drinkable.

Aug 17, 2015

Franziskaner from Missouri

3.72/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Dark gold to light copper in color with a fingernail of off white head covering the majority of the top. The aroma is faint but pineapple to tropical hop scented. The taste is citrus hops and well balanced light malt. The body is slightly sticky and moderately carbonated.

Mar 15, 2015

champ103 from Texas

3.45/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a hazed copper/orange color. A minimal white head forms to about a finger, and recedes in a moment to a light ring. Some patchy lace is left behind.
S: Biscuit and caramel malts. Burnt sugars, lingering citrus bitterness.
T: Like the nose a substantial biscuit and caramel malt presents up front. Burnt sugars, and lingering bitterness. Orange rind and citrus fruits in the finish.
M/D: A medium body and moderate carbonation. Way to sweet for the style. Wish this was much dryer and cleaner. Not hard to drink at all. Easy to put a few away.

Certainly a sweeter IPA. At one point in my beer drinking, this was the type that I enjoyed more. Though outside of the mats, this is a little one sided on the hop front. Enjoyable to drink, but many other IPA's that are better.

Dec 31, 2014

Gobearswalter34 from Illinois

4.09/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice orange hue with a thin head that dissipates quickly. Nice lacing. Can smell the citrus hops but not overbearing. Nice combination of the bitter hop with a clean citrus finish. A variety of citrus sits at front of the tongue. Mouthfeel is about as smooth as can be for an IPA. This one really came up and surprised me. Very solid beer.

Dec 22, 2014

KYGunner from Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

Tangerines, oranges, cantaloupe, pine, dry barley and a bit of alcohol on the nose.

Called Bitter Woman for a reason, this is dry, bitter and astringent. The palate doesn't sense much fruit, like the nose, but more resiny Lupilin and pine needle. Some pithy grapefruit rind couples with a dry barley malt that at times seems biscuity. Not bad, and definitely bitter.

Sep 12, 2014

Sageclaire from Wisconsin

2.98/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I found this beer to have a nice balance of malt and hoppy bitterness. Beautiful golden color as well. But the flavor profile with the hops is pretty one-sided, like Cascade, sticking straight out of the maltiness underneath. So it just stings and goes away.

Jul 25, 2014

NODAK from Tennessee

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Interesting name, I'll admit that it makes me chuckle. I picked this up in Minneapolis, as they don't distribute anywhere near TN.

Nose has a predominant pine aroma to it, though not too pungeant. Mildly sweet perhaps...it isn't a very interesting beer as far as aroma is concerned.

Taste wise it's a fairly subdued IPA. Primarily piney and a bit malty sweet at the same time, it's never very bitter....although it does taste pretty good as a more laid back IPA. Not every IPA has to kick you in the teeth, after all. There's some resin that lingers after the drink as well. This went down very fast....certainly easy drinking.

All in all, a pretty good entry IPA or fallback IPA....and hey, the name is awesome, right?!?!

May 12, 2014

Carb-Overlord from Wisconsin

3.43/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

This is a very nice Everyman everyday sort of IPA. I could see swigging this drink after a hot day mowing the lawn. Better than average craft and slides down refreshingly well.

A: This pour a relatively clear amber/orange color a thin line of foam that fizzles clear in roughly 30 seconds. I personally enjoy beer with heady foam so this appearance detracted from my preference.

S: A sweet hoppy smell; not overtly strong as I experience them in other more hoppy IPA's.

T: Taste was pretty straight forward, nothing underlying or overtly interesting about the flavor. Refreshing wheat with a medium bitter hop flavor that lingers after every swallow.

M: This beer felt "refreshing," the effervescence was very nice making the physical texture feel light and crisp passing the tongue & palette.

O: I enjoyed this beer and would certainly serve this at a picnic. The flavors weren't overpowering, while they also weren't that interesting. However, the overall effect was of a refreshing spring or summer beer.

May 11, 2014

KFBR392 from Illinois

3.29/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Appearance: burnt orange color. Slightly cloudy body. Finger and a half of head on the pour which settled in but was present while drinking. Sticky lacing left behind at each level. Average active carbonation for the style.

Smell: Airy biscuity malt backbone hits the nose first. Some light tropical fruits pop up on the body but are stifled by substantial bitter pine. Caramelized malt is present and well integrated throughout. Accents of pineapple, kiwi, and peppery spices round this one out.

Taste: Mixed front on some medium bodied pine, light tropical fruits, and chewy caramel malt. These flavors are non-desrcript and nothing really pull the drinker in. An above average malt thickness takes over on the body and finish. Light lingering pine is felt on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Sweet malts, light to medium bodied lingering pine throughout. Carbonation fits the mission for this brew.

Overall: An easy going, malt forward IPA. Light fruits are picked up but hop profile comes off with more of a piney bitterness. Good starter IPA for an inexperienced drinker.

Apr 23, 2014

marcobrau from Illinois

4.14/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A solid IPA. Looks fantastic with a rocky head that leaves lacing as the beer is sipped. A more subtle and mildly grapefruity hop aroma than one might expect. The first sip is delicious; toasted malts and spicy, fruity hops mix wonderfully together. Not much of a middle to it, but a long, tantalizing dry and bitter finish enhances drinkability. If there were ever such a thing is a sessionable IPA, this would be it. Delicious!

Dec 16, 2013

jwc215 from Arizona

3.91/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled on 24Sep13 (printed on neck of twist-cap bottle):

Pours hazed amber-orange with a thin head that becomes wispy. Spotted lacing sticks.

The smell is of pine/resin, some lemon/lime-like citrus with a hint of caramel.

The taste is of bitter, citric, piney, leafy hops with some balancing caramel, with a hint of tobacco. It has a dry, bitterish finish.

It is smooth, with nice medium carbonation.

A hoppy IPA with a firm caramel-like malt backbone. This is certainly enjoyable!

Nov 14, 2013

larryarms847 from Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a darker golden yellow.

Pine, herbal, earthy, citrus.

Piney and citrusy hop bitterness with a touch of toasted malt caramel like sweetness.

Light-bodied, medium carbonation, crisp, bitter.

Overall, a decent beer, but with so many IPA's on the market now you can pass on this.

Nov 03, 2013

stewart124 from Ohio

3.72/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Light amber or copper in color with off white head.

Citrus hops. Maybe centennial and cascade. Seems fairly basic. Nothing against the nose but it isn't overwhelming.

Good bitterness. Some pine and loads of grapefruit. Light caramel and biscuit characters. Lower abv than most IPAs and very easy to drink. Lingering citrus bite with a nice light touch of caramel.

Pleasantly surprised here. I need to try some more beers from this brewery. Bitter indeed.

Sep 21, 2013

RickS95 from Indiana

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The look is classic IPA from the color to the head. The color is a light burnt orange, with just enough haze to keep the light out. The head is spot on. A very contrasting white, foamy and craterous, with a sticky lace.

The smell presents a nice combination of the hops and malts involved. First impression is from the malt, I guessed pilsner, but it's actually carapils...close enough. It stands out. Next impression was the Cascade hops. As the beer warms, the two impressions merge into one and both scents evolve into one.

Taste is similar to the smell as each ingredient is noticeable. You can, at different times during the sip, pick out the caramel, the pilsner, and the citrus hops. I don't care for pilsner flavor, but the caramel and citrus notes work nicely to keep the bitter pils in check.

A nice combo of sweet and bitter. The sweet is just a tease because the bitterness comes on strong quickly and builds well into the swallow. It's medium bodied, though it borders on a session with the only moderate ABV, a bit low for an IPA at 5.75%. So, it's sessionable if you can tolerate the just under 70 IBUs. The finish is dry and crisp, though it makes your mouth water slightly.

Overall, it's a good IPA and as mentioned, could be a session beer. It would go well at any time of the year and is simply a pleasant beer to sip on.

Aug 05, 2013

TheSSG from Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours a soapy, white head that collapses quickly to leave a thin lacing. Nice, mellow hop aroma is dominated by grapefruit. Golden-amber color. Starts off with big notes of pine sap bitterness. Moves into a medium bitterness, and then the malt comes through right before the hops peak in a citrus rind flavor. The finish is lingering citrus ring atop biscuity malt.

Overall, very nice. A good balance of hoppiness, bitterness, and maltiness.

Jul 03, 2013

parejkoj from Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Light amber, good head that lingers. Clear, no haze.

Smell: Citrus aromas, predominantly grapefruit. A bit of malt, Munich or Vienna malts used possibly? Could use a little more late addition/dry hop aromas.

Taste: Well-balanced bitterness and very clean. A little minerally toward the end that isn't necessarily bad as it pairs with the bitterness. Some malt up front but doesn't overwhelm the bitter character. Really nice lingering bitterness toward the back of the mouth.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, not overly cloying or astringent. As far as IPAs go, it's about what I expect. Might benefit from a drier finish.

Overall: A nice IPA that is well-balanced and not too malt-heavy. Definitely recommended, it won't disappoint for those that like bitter, yet not overly aromatic, IPAs.

May 18, 2013