Two Brothers Heavy Handed India Pale Ale

Brewed by Two Brothers Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Warrenville, Illinois USA

This beer is fantastic, it pours a carmalized sugar color. It leaves a thin white lace that not only sticks to the side of the glass but continues almost like the meniscus on a glass of wine. The smell is of citrus, lemon, honey, floural, loads of hop. The taste on the palate is sweet, balanced with the bitterness of the hops. I can really taste the honey as well as a little alcohal on the palate. Overall this beer is great, a fantastic IPA

Not my favorite IPA. This is my second of the Two Brothers brews. I think that I am having problems with their yeast strain primarily. There are some hops in the aroma, but a lot more malt than I would guess. Call me a hophead, but I like my IPA’s devoid of anything in the nose but hop bitterness. That said, they nailed the color -- beautiful peachy amber. The malt hits you as strongly as the hops upon tasting. Not a bad pale, but nothing close to an IPA.

12z bottle. Clear ruby hue with a fair amount of white head. Sweet appley citrus aroma. Slight pine in the nose. Sweet and smooth body, closely followed by a bitter dry hop finish, but wait, a floral lingering note. Front part of the profile is slight caramel sweetness, followed by a piney resinous note, and finished up with an orange and pine, melon and floral flavor.

(12 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with Ughsmash, thanks Jason!) Quite a flavorful and full-bodied IPA here. Husky, caramely and fairly sweet, but also reasonably hoppy and bitter, so though different from the IPAs I’m used to, it presents a pretty balanced assault on the palate. The nose is less balanced and pleasurable, showing the same sweet and caramely maltiness and a fair amount of husk and grain, but little in the way of hops. Mild chalkiness in the flavor and mouthfeel. Medium-full body has good heft from start to finish and carbonation is good, so this feels solid on the palate. Medium amber in color with only a slight haze. Short but tightly-packed head pours an off-white color and gradually settles to a ring, but not before leaving a moth-eaten curtain of lace on the glass. Not among the elite of IPAs, but solid enough to buy regularly if I lived in the area.

Pours copper with very little head. Weak aroma for an IPA, but I picked up some caramel and faint hops. Initial taste is malty, but finishes bitter and grainy.. A tad resiny in the mouth. This beer was nothing special. With the exception of the Hop Juice, Two Brothers beers have so far been a disappointment. I’ll keep trying, because I hear good things. UPDATE:10-6-07. Draft at Radio Maria in Champaign. I noticed some soapiness/hairspray notes on the finish. Rating will stay the same.

Poured a slightly cloudy amber color with a small beige head. Fruity citrus aroma..sweet. Flavor is dominated by the piney and citric hoppiness...getting gradually bitter and dry in the end. Resiny and tasty.

Poured a clear deep amber with a red hue. and small off-white head. Citrus and earthy hops. Some caramel and candy with a light fruitiness. Some alcohol notes which was surprising for <6%. Malty start with fair amount of hop acidity. Bitterness starts midway through and goes for a long finish. Semi-dry. Light-medium body. Decent beer.

Red copper IPA with a thin white head. Restrained hops in aroma with light caramel notes. Good whiskey malt base with nice Fuggles hops (or very British style), lightly floral. Nice and fresh, lighter bodied, a bitr week for an IPA, more like a pale ale. On tap at the Map Room, Nov. 12, 2005.