Latest Reviews

Double Dry Hopped pseudoSue
Toppling Goliath
Spaceman
Brewfist
Modus Vivendi
Wild Beer Co.

Recent Articles

Outdoor Winter Tippling Tips
Stay safe from the pandemic and stay warm with these winter patio drinking tactics. Shameless
Craft brewer sellouts become as tone-deaf and underhanded as their new overlords. Great Taste Eve
Check out the burgeoning Madison beer scene the night before the best fest in country. Good Beer Makes Good Conversation
The effects of drinking beer worth talking about. The Beers of Walmart
The largest retailer in the world now has its own line of beers. archives »

Beer Reviews

Oh Brother!

Two Brothers Brewing Company
Warrenville, IL
USA
http://www.twobrosbrew.com/

Style: Abbey Tripel
ABV: 8.5%

Jill’s Rating:
   (Outstanding within its style.)


Comments:
Two Brothers regularly comes up with artisan beers to add to their collection of eclectic brews. Oh Brother! is a tripel ale that came out in May. And although the Ebel Brothers aren’t monks, you might think they could be with this offering.

The pour on this is a beautiful golden that ends with a nice, thick head that produces a lot of lacing. It’s a clear beer with a lot of effervescence. The nose is a bit spicy, and you can pick up the “non-tradtional” hops the brothers use to make their version special. That spiciness hits your tongue right away on the mouthfeel and really makes this tripel something different and special.

The one problem is that as you drink this beer, the tripel style takes over, and you lose that initial spiciness that makes this style different. You know what I’m talking about. A tripel is normally pretty thick and mellow on the tongue. That thickness, while delicious in this version, takes out those fun hoppy elements. (And yes, I did actually say “fun” and “hoppy” in the same sentence. I can enjoy some nice hop texture.) The taste is still delicious, but it becomes just a regular well-done tripel, and not something as unique as it started out to be.

Still though, this is a beer that’s a lot of fun to drink. If you can still find a bottle, I highly recommend buying it and finding a nice long evening when you can savor this. The Two Brothers may not be monks, but they seem to have taken a vow to brew a fine beer.

Reviewed by Jill Jaracz on November 5, 2008.

Drinkin’ And Thinkin’

Beer Dorks News

Want to know how healthy the craft beer industry is? As always, look to Portland. Craft pioneer Bridgeport announces sudden closure, adding to a growing list of PDX casualties. Did Anheuser-Busch Chicago offer their shit beer to Cody Parkey before his missed field goal? Because that may explain why he "accidentally" biffed it. Chicago now has the most breweries of any city in the country. Other things Chicago has the most of: murders, mobsters, and Ditkas. Trying to spin it positive, BA releases end of year graphic. Only 5% growth in the craft sector when nearly 1000 new breweries opened? That's a collapse waiting to happen. R.I.P. Tallgrass... another casualty as the regional/national craft beer market continues to get squeezed. Wait... Constellation Brands cut all of the Ballast Point and Funky Buddha sales staff? They merged it with their Corona/Modelo staff?? We're SHOCKED!!! Pizza Beer founder crying about failure of company, blames everyone else. Reminder, the beer tasted like vomit. Try having better ideas or making better products so you're not a failure. It's Bud Light so doesn't really matter, but we expect this beer to be sitting around for awhile. Indiana brewery to open with controversial beer names to "get the conversation going". Translation: taking advantage of serious issues for free publicity. Hundreds of amazing beers in Wisconsin and the Cubs took back the one everyone drinks just because it exists and people have heard of it. How fitting...