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.

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