Addison's Bitter Sisters Is Brewing Great Beer That's Going Largely Unnoticed in DFW

In April 2015, nearly a year after originally planned, Bitter Sisters Brewing Co. opened its doors just off Belt Line Road in Addison. Named after owner and brewmaster Matt Ehinger's wife and her sisters, Bitter Sisters is the only brewery in the Addison area. Before opening, Ehinger brewed at home while attending the University of Oklahoma and was for a few years the head brewer at Coach’s Brew Pub in Norman. After several years of working in corporate jobs, Ehinger and his family decided to take a chance and make his dream a reality.

Bitter Sisters visitors will be surprised at the size of the brewery, located in a nondescript building on the corner of Surveyor Boulevard and Arapaho Road. Despite a small parking lot, the taproom has plenty of seating but is pretty bland when it comes to decor. While the high ceilings make it feel larger than it is, Bitter Sisters is sized right for a group happy hour or for anyone working nearby to walk over for a quick beer before heading home. Behind the bar were eight different taps, five featuring Bitter Sisters' main lineup and three dedicated to experimental and seasonal brews.

The main lineup of Bitter Sisters includes Busy Body, a sweet and malty, 5.9 percent ABV blonde ale that has a light body and really crisp taste; it's a smooth Helles that's perfect for summer drinking. Hissy Fit is Bitter Sisters' malty, 5.8 percent ABV marzen lager with an almost sweet bread flavor and aftertaste. With a smooth feel and medium body, Hissy Fit is easy to drink and should be a hit among fans of German beers, Oktoberfest beers and other typical fall seasonals.

Knock Out, an 8.1 percent ABV Irish red ale, is deep red and smells almost smokey, with a rich taste and boozy hints. Like their other beers, Knock Out is very smooth and a nice, traditional Irish red. Cat Fight is Bitter Sister's very hoppy 6.6 percent ABV IPA; the hoppiness hits hard, but in the best way for those who love hoppy beers. Like most IPAs, it has a medium-to-heavy body, and with a balanced flavor, this is a smoother IPA made for hop-loving beer snobs. The best aspect of the beer is its citrusy flavors that come on strong thanks to the cascade, centennial and mosaic hops. Family Trip, a Belgian tripel, is bitter Sisters' strongest beer at 10 percent ABV. It smells sweet and fruity and has a slightly tart but sweet aftertaste that clears the palate.  

While Bitter Sisters is near a popular area of Addison, its taproom is not terribly exciting, like so many other smaller breweries, and might not attract much more than post-work happy hour drinkers. Even still, brewer Matt Ehinger and company are creating excellent beers that have been going unnoticed. Currently, Bitter Sisters does all their own distribution, which means they're not in every bar. For those living or working in Addison, this brewery is a hidden gem that beer snobs should check out.