Lavender in beer is just as polarizing as politics. For some people, it works and people will agree with it until the cows come home. For other people, it will never work and they can’t understand why anyone would put it in a beer.
For Witch’s Hat Brewing Co in South Lyon, MI they decided to throw both lavender and politics into an IPA with honey. Enter – That Woman, a Michigan style IPA with honey and lavender and based on President Trump’s recent references to Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Jonathan ‘Danger’ Cole was a recent guest on Better on Draft Episode 232 and explained how That Woman is joining the Witch’s Hat family of beers that vaguely reference people including This Guy, That Guy, Tough Guy, This Guy Gets Stoned, and a ton of other variants. There was bound to be a lady to join the ranks. The reference is a nice play on words with the beers already in Witch’s Hat’s portfolio and they didn’t even have to come up with the name!
This beer is self categorized as a “Michigan IPA” because it’s brewed with “the finest Michigan barley, hops, lavender and honey.” I’ve noticed an uptick in the number of beers from Michigan breweries that are trying to use 100% Michigan ingredients in the beer, so hats off to Witch’s Hat for joining the ranks with this one.
The nose and front end of this beer have strong aromatics thanks to the lavender. The hops work well with the lavender. It felt like a complimentary duel between the two of them as I was enjoying each sip. The mouthfeel is sharp but mellows out on the backend thanks to the honey. As far as my take goes with lavender in beer, it works if paired with the right ingredients. That Woman’s combination is excellent and, at 5.5%, it’s not too heavy.
According to Jonathan on the recent Better on Draft episode, word reached Governor Gretchen Whitmer in regards to Witch’s Hat’s nod to her nickname from the President in beer form. Friends gave her a four-pack of the beer and, before Jonathan knew it, he was on his way to Lansing to deliver more. Witch’s Hat’s Facebook page recently shared a picture of That Woman herself enjoying a can as seen below.
Photo Credit – Witch’s Hat Brewing Company Facebook (screenshot taken on August 21)
Cheers!
Disclaimer: Thanks to Witch’s Hat Brewing Co and Jonathan “Danger” Cole for their hospitality during the recording of Episode 232 of Better on Draft and for the complimentary can for this review.
0 Comments