Flashbacks and Bitter Women:  No we are not talking about past college experiences; we are referring to some new must try limited edition beers that we have recently indulged in.  Flashback is Boulder Brewing Company’s latest offering, while Bitter Women in the Rye is the latest addition to Tyranena Brewing Company’s brewer’s gone wild series.

Boulder 30th Anniversary Flashback Ale, 6.8% ABV

Brewed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the brewery, this one can be classified as an India Brown Ale, which can quite simply be described as hoppy brown ale. The dark malts coincide surprisingly well with the citrusy hops, resulting in a refreshing and clean beer.  A very unique style in its own right, comparable to Dogfish Head’s Indian Brown Ale. 

Tyranena Bitter Woman in the Rye, ABV ??

Tyranena’s normal IPA is named Bitter Woman, and when they added a bunch of rye to a batch, they also added “in the Rye” to the name of the beer.  The rye seems to take away from the hoppiness of the original IPA a bit, but adds a unique twist on the flavor.  If you like rye beers such as Two Brothers Cane and Ebel and Founder’s Red’s Rye, then you will be pleased with Bitter Woman in the Rye.

It is pleasant and a good sign to see respected breweries toying with lesser produced styles.  India brown ales and rye beers can be exceptional, and hopefully other breweries will follow suit and start tinkering with some rarer styles.  What style would you like to see gain some exposure?