Two Brothers Domaine DuPage

Brewed by Two Brothers Brewing Company
Style: Bière de Garde
Warrenville, Illinois USA

Pours deep copper color with a small beige head. Sweet malt aroma, a hint of fruit. Flavor is unique (first rating of this style for me), some sweetness from the caramel malt, also has a little sourness on the finish. Medium body, interesting beer but not something I would actively seek out.

Pours a deep reddish amber with a big fluffy white head that diminishes pretty quickly. I love the color of this beer. Aroma has some caramel and fruity almost cherry notes, with light notes of alcohol and toast. The flavor is toasty and malty with an herbal bitterness. There is something going on here that reminds me a lot of wine, maybe a leatheriness mixed with just a light fruitiness that finishes dry. The alcohol is more pronounced than I would ever have expected but I really like the way it gives a warming sensation much in the way that alcohol can help out a barley wine, this beer is a far cry from the intensity of a barley wine so this is really something unique. Cherry, dusty, and bready flavors round this all out very nicely. I had a few bottles of this beer this summer and it failed to impress, I think I’ve got a fresh one this time around and I have to say that this is a fantastically made beer. Not quite as rustic as a classic example but delicious none the less.

12 oz bottle purchased at Blue Max in Burnsville, Minnesota. Best by 12/10/09 stamped on the bottle. Pour is slightly hazed copper golden with a one inch off white head that falls quickly. Streaky lacing left behind as the beer drinks down. Some pretty settling bubbles build up the head dramatically. Aroma of straw, sweet caramel malt. Fresh, but faint. Taste is toasty caramel malitness with an edgy sweetness that is sort of honey, but not quite. Decent earthy, ashy mineral element to the finish. Palate is medium heavy, coats the mouth a bit. The ashiness is quite long lasting and detracts a bit. Overall, a nice take on the style.

bottle poured an amber in color with a thin white head. aroma has grains, caramel, and nutty malt. light mouth feel with solid carbonation and a nice coating for the weight. flavor has more earthy yeast, pale malt, caramel, grains, and dull hops. enjoyed this one.

Bottle purchased at Corral Liquors in Granite City, IL. Pours a hazy burnt orange with a finger of beige head that drops quickly to a thin skin and patchy lace. The nose is an interesting blend of lightly floral, nutty/toasted and earthy notes. I haven’t smelled another beer quite like this. Light-bodied and slick but possessing a subtle, fine carbonation that gives it a bit more body at the back and middle of the tongue while feeling thin on the tip and sides (curious). It’s displays just a touch of tartness at the finish which rolls into a more nutty aftertaste. Toasty caramel malt with some subtle sour/tartness and a touch of grassy/earthy hops at the conclusion. This is pretty interesting stuff. After 1100 ratings, "interesting" is a good thing. This would be a beer to explore with food paring. I think it could do remarkably well with a lot of different types of foods.

Bottle from Whole Foods. Pours tan bronze. Sour notes coupled with sweet caramel malts.. some nut and dry toasted grain. Flavors work pretty well together. Nose is biscuit, musk and slight alcohol. Mouth is medium and slightly syrupy. Although I expected something lighter, spicier and fluffier from the style.. this is decent. 2.95