Robin Shepard
The old weather forecasting rhyme “Red sky at night, sailors’ delight; red sky at morning, sailor take warning” is the inspiration for the name of a new beer from Tyranena Brewing, Sailors Take Warning.
What is it? Sailors Take Warning imperial blonde ale from Tyranena Brewing of Lake Mills.
Style: Blonde ales are clean and balanced with medium to light body. They commonly finish around 4-6 percent ABV. The “imperial” designation means a bigger, bolder, stronger version of the style. This blonde ale is made with two-row brewers malt as well as pale ale, pilsner, Carapils and light caramel malts; then lightly hopped with Magnum and Cascade hops. It’s richer, more flavorful and bigger-bodied than Tyranena’s Three Beaches Honey Blonde Ale.
Background: Tyranena is well known for its hoppy beers. Bitter Woman IPA and Scurvy are among the brewery’s most popular offerings. Brewmaster Rob Larson also runs a fine barrel-aging program. Sailors Take Warning builds upon Larson’s expertise in wood aging. Here, he takes matters to another level by using tequila barrels for finishing this unique blonde ale. It also has additions of blood oranges, cherries and agave.
The most distinguishing characteristic comes from the agave itself, which provides fermentable sugar and adds to the beer’s strength, says Larson. Some find agave similar to honey, with an earthy sweetness. Larson uses raw, organic, blue agave nectar in liquid form; he adds it at the end of the boil. He also separately adds blood orange and cherry purees. Then, before packaging, it conditions for about four months in those former tequila barrels.
Larson drew inspiration from the tequila sunrise, which he prefers as a “morning after” drink, similar to a bloody Mary.
The beer finishes around 9 percent ABV with an estimated 10 IBUs (International Bitterness Units). It sells in the brewery’s taproom for $5.50 a glass (snifter) and in four-packs for $11/four-pack. It’s currently available in the brewery’s taproom on draught and in bottles. It will be at least another week or more before it appears in significant quantities in Madison liquor stores.
Tasting notes:
Aroma: A mild, sweet, fruity aroma of cherry and orange.
Appearance: Orange/golden/copper color. A thin to medium-soft, off-white head.
Texture: Full-bodied, round and soft.
Taste: An initial wave of earthy sweetness that is almost honey-like, which blends with the orange and cherry tones.
Finish/Aftertaste: A subtle, sweet, orange and cherry flavor, with the cherry slightly more prominent. There’s also plenty of alcoholic warmth in the end.
Glassware: This is an ideal beer to sip from a snifter to slowly appreciate the hints of cherry, orange and subtle sweetness of agave.
Pairs well with: Semi-sweet cheeses like Swiss and Emmentaler. Also, try it on its own to tease out the strata of flavors.
The Verdict: This beer should appeal to aficionados looking for something that’s out of the mainstream, even for craft brews. The layers of flavor really stand out, with the soft cherry and orange in the beginning eventually melding with the subtle musty sweetness of agave. Even though there is no honey in this beer, it has a honey-like sweetness in the finish. This is a big beer with flavor and alcoholic warmth, that will be great as the first flakes of snow fly. It has the perfect character to take the chill off a cold evening.
