Tyranena Rocky's Revenge Review

Name: Tyranena Rocky's Revenge
Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 5.75%

For the final beer of the day, I'm taking a look at Rocky's Revenge from Tyranena Brewing Company, which is based out of Lake Mills, Wisconsin. This is a brown ale of which a portion of the beer is aged in bourbon barrels.

So why the name, you may be asking? Well I did some research and I found out it's half urban legend & half inside joke. According to local legend, Rocky is a Loch Ness Monster-like inhabitant of Rock Lake, which borders the town of Lake Mills. There's also something in there about Rocky being the protector of the local populace. If anyone who resides in Lake Mills happens to come across this blog, feel free to correct me to your hearts content.

Rocky's Revenge pours a dark brown color with a thin white head. Nothing really in terms of visible carbonation and the lacing is fairly sparse.

The aroma has a potent vanilla and caramel maltiness upfront. I'm also picking up on some chocolate notes along with some mild oakiness. As it warms up, the bourbon barrel-aged aspect really gains some momentum.

The flavor starts out with some roasty chocolate & caramel malts with some nice vanilla and oaky notes. There's also some mild floral hoppiness but it's eclipsed by the rest of the flavor profile.

The body is moderately weighted along with the carbonation, which is also moderate and gives the flavor a bit more depth.

My only complaint about this beer is that it's not completely barrel aged; I can only imagine how it taste if it were so. Perhaps as a limited release beer maybe? For the time being, it's still an excellent brown ale and worthy of your attention.

Tyranena Rocky's Revenge - 9/10

Tyranena Sheep Shagger Scotch Ale Review

Note: Since this photo was taken, my Tyranena glass broke

Name: Tyranena Sheep Shagger Scotch Ale
Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
ABV: 7.5%

Based out of a sleepy little town called Lake Mills, Wisconsin, which is just 15 miles west of Madison, Tyranena Brewing was one the many craft breweries I dabbled in when I first got into craft beer. They are also the makers of, in my opinion, one of the best pumpkin beers out there: Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale.

However I'm here to look at their Sheep Shagger Scotch Ale, which to my knowledge is a seasonal beer. Beer Advocate claims it's a fall seasonal but I've always seen this beer come out around March/April. Now some of you are probably wondering: Why such a bizarre (disturbing) name? Well according to Tyranena's website, the term "shagging" means retrieving and sure enough, the dictionary can back up that claim, though they refer to it as "pursuing."

Sheep Shagger pours cloudy dark brown color with a thin light-khaki colored head and some sparse lacing.

Aroma-wise, it starts off with a nice caramel maltiness, peated scotch and some vanilla notes. There's also a subtle roastiness and a light hint of maple syrup on the back of the nose.

In the flavor, the vanilla and peated scotch characteristics take more of a center stage. These are backed up with a solid caramel maltiness, some roasted barley and there are even some floral hoppiness thrown in for good measure. The aftertaste is mainly caramel and toffee sweetness with a hint of smoke on the back of the palate.

When it comes to the overall mouthfeel, it's pretty thick bodied almost to being chewy but the carbonation is very subdued so it's easy to drink. All of this gives this beer a nice creamy texture.

At the end of the day, Sheep Shagger is a quality scotch ale that possesses a vibrant flavor and some easy drinkability to boot. If this were a year-round offering, this would be a regular visitor in my fridge. If you're able to get Tyranena in your area, this is a beer worth checking out!

Tyranena Sheep Shagger Scotch Ale - 8.5/10