Shakespeare-inspired IPA now on tap at Redemption Rock Brewing Company in Worcester

In brewing an IPA without hops, Redemption Rock uses spruce, fir, grapefruit peel and heather to try to recreate the floral, earthy and citrus notes of certain hops.

Redemption Rock Brewing Company in Worcester has done the unthinkable in the name of theater: As part of a collaboration with The Hanover Theatre Repertory, the B Corp brewery made an IPA sans hops. 

This unicorn of an IPA is helping to promote two of the theater’s newest plays: Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Judith, an original play inspired by the bard and created by THT Rep’s artistic director, Livy Scanlon.

No need to cry havoc over the unhopped IPA, though: There’s a method in Redemption Rock’s madness. 

The beer, dubbed “She’s The Man,” harkens back to Shakespearean days when ale differed from beer by calling for a myriad of botanicals instead of hops. This distinction prompted Redemption Rock to search out ingredients that could capture the same aromatics and tastes of traditional IPA hops. 

The brewery landed on spruce and fir tips, as well as grapefruit peel and heather, to produce an ale unlike anything it has ever brewed. The 6.8% ABV IPA carries a floral aroma intermingled with flavors of pine and grapefruit zest. 

“We’re excited about ‘She’s The Man’ because it not only explores historical brewing traditions, but, like Twelfth Night and Judith, it messes around with expectations of identity and expression to create something new, exciting and a bit silly,” says Dani Babineau, CEO and co-founder of Redemption Rock. “It’s both subversive and fun, just like the plays it’s inspired by.”

The ale gets its name, too, from the Amanda Bynes comedy, “She’s The Man,” which took inspiration from Twelfth Night.

The Hanover Theatre Repertory artistic director Livy Scanlon holds a new, hop-less IPA from Redemption Rock Brewing Company, brewed to promote THT Rep's two new plays, Twelfth Night and Judith. Scanlon, here in costume as her character Judith, created the latter, a solo play inspired by Shakespeare's works.

Redemption Rock’s collaboration with THT Rep is also promoting Judith, a new solo play Scanlon created and stars in. In the play, Judith—an imaginary sister of Shakespeare conjured up by Virginia Woolf—takes on her brother’s identity, traveling to London to save his reputation.

“The concepts of gender, identity and expression are as timeless as Shakespeare’s works, which is why they’re still inspiring new plays, movies and even beers centuries later,” Scanlon says. “Both Judith and this unhopped IPA take Shakespearean-era ideas and apply them to modern times, and we’re delighted to be able to enjoy both at the same time.”

“She’s The Man'” is now on tap and in four-packs at Redemption Rock’s Worcester taproom, 333 Shrewsbury St. And The Hanover Theatre Repertory will have samples of the ale throughout both plays’ runs.  

Twelfth Night runs until May 5, and Judith runs until May 3, both at the BrickBox Theater in the Jean McDonough Arts Center in Worcester.

This story appeared as an online exclusive in April, 2024.