Two Brothers Dog Days Dortmunder Style Lager

Brewed by Two Brothers Brewing Company
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Warrenville, Illinois USA

I had this on tap at Redbones in Boston and it was great - good flavor, had the arcetypical lager feel, well rounded in that the malt/hop blend was balanced. Keep an eye on Two Brothers, these guys know what they are doing.

Dark yellow with thin lacy head. Corn aroma with slight lemon and some earthy aromas as well. Corn syrup and lemon with fresh cut grass flavors and alfalfa. Thin and carbonated, mostly boring.

Clear golden pour with a small off-white head. Aroma has spicy hops and light husky malt. Fairly light body with moderate carbonation. Flavor starts lightly malty with spicy hops. Finish has hops become more prevalent and some sourness making its way through. A nice beer.

Draught at Kane County Cougars game, served in plastic cup. Relatively faint aroma. Dark gold body, but hard to see; off-white, cream head. Wow! Really interesting and different flavor. Very good. Has the German doughyness that some of the unpasteurized helles’ I had in Germany. Dry and sharp. Outstanding and underrated.

Medium bodied for a lager, somewhat syrupy on the palate. ClarkVV summed up this beer very well - not amazingly complex, but cleanly done and easy to drink. The malts come through well in this beer and there is even a nice balance of mild hops to complement it. Two Bros makes some solid beers that are all worth a try. This is a nice change from all of the cardboard lagers out there.

Pours a clear glassy light amber, with minimal white head. A light sweet nose. Very light palate with some carbonation. Carmel start, light citrus middle, and somewhat hoppy finish. Not bad for a lager. Would drink again this summer.

2006 bottle, best before August or some time out there. Not much head, with that slightly more glassy-than-clear appearance of a coppery-amber. Without talking about the aroma, I’m going to talk about a multi-part series with Two Brothers. Their beers are not complex, not mind-blowingly well-textured. But what they do have is a drinkability, thanks to clean, flawless brewing, that allows their simple malt profile to shine. Yes, this is not the best Dort I’ve ever had, but the hops are strong, but not overbearing, whlie the yeast is at least noticeable, more than most can say in this style.

Medium gold colored body with a thin white head. The aroma is some light apple juice with a bit of sweet tobacco. Nice refreshing smells. The taste has some dry hay. There is also some funky dirt with a little bit of colby cheese. While crisp, I do not find this refreshing. It needs a little bit more malt to make this less dry.