Two Brothers Outlaw India Pale Ale

Two Brothers Outlaw India Pale Ale. 60 IBU. 6.3 % ABV. A whole family of Great Beers (even if one is an outlaw.) Two Brothers Brewing, Warrenville, IL.

Clear and amber colored, under a good 1/4 inch of creamy off-white foam. Looks good, looks nice.

Aroma: Ah, beautiful bitterness, plenty of hops, but a good smack of sweetness, too. Grapefruit and pine, and a squirt of lemon. Very good.

Taste: In the mouth, it's …hoppy, and …bland, …and lifeless. Plenty of juicy malt lays below, but the hop profile, which should be the cornerstone of any IPA, is rather blase. I want to like this. I want to like every beer, of course. This is low on the bitter hop bite, utterly quiet, lacking character. Man, oh, man, I keep wishing I could get behind this.

Let's see what they say on their own label: "As bold as the name suggests, but as friendly as the masked man, come our first adventure in to the world of cans. This IPA is full of cirrus and pine hop character and aroma. The hop flavors play off the pleasant malt complexity like a good sidekick. Giddy-up."

I'm gonna drink the rest of this 6-pack, and I'l do it with a lack of enthusiasm. It's not terrible, but lacks inspiration. Maybe I'll change my mind by can #5, but as it is, this one is just kind of…eh.

Two Brother Domaine DuPage French Country Ale

Domaine du Page, French Style Country Ale, Two Brothers Brewing Company, Warrenville, IL. "This food friendly ale is deep amber in color, with a toasty, sweet caramel start. It finishes with just enough hops to clean off the palate. Bon appetite!" Ha, they made a funny there.

So, what do I have to say? Let's find out, won't we?

Dark amber, nearly crimson coloring, lightly toasted tannish head, soon to disappear.

Caramel malt aromatics, minor fruit, even more minor hops. Apples and nuts with a side of toast.

Taste: More of the same arrives in the mouth, with an added dose of spice. Little pricks of spice and heat jab the palate, then duck away as all is smooth and malty. Just a dash of hops, for a minute or two, to match the Belgian yeast character. Warm and welcoming, expert censurability, and, yeah, a fantastic food parer, to be sure. Fruit, spice and bread are already in the mouth, let's let some more flavors in to join the merriment.

Okay, I can see how as tasty and easy-drinking a brew like this should be their flagship ale. Nice stuff, indee

Two Brothers Bare Tree Weiss

I haven't had this one in a while. The wheat wine from Two Brothers that rings in at high alcohol volumes. Used to be in big bombers, but this year I noticed in 12 ouncers for the first time. And there it sat in the beer fridge, when I had no "drinking beers" left, and I was spent on reviewing. Doing five in one day will do that, sometimes.
But, wait, didn't I write about this one earlier? So, here you go, notes from a bottle, way back in 2001!

And then, a later assessment, from 2004:

2001...been saving this for 3 months, hope it's worth it... 

Hazy, orange color, slight white head. 

Fresh nose, citric, orangey, but a bit flat and metallic. Doesn't jump up much. 

Mmmm, tangy, slightly tart taste, very fruit-forward, orange all over, with a banana touch coming through, a bit of pepper, a whisper of apricot, and, yes, a hush of vanilla, too. An interesting approach, but I still am unconvinced of how they can call this a barleywine..there seems to be nothing in common with any bw I've ever had before. Maybe because none of them were wheat beers? 
Wonderful texture, though, practically floods the palate, with the bright, full fruit, thick, and tasty texture. Yum, and yum, and yum. Good, goody, McGumdrops! 
I'm going to enjoy this big ol' bottle all the way to the end! 

2002 "vintage", enjoyed 10-31-04....golden hued, huge bollowy head, a lovely thing, sublime aroma, atmospherically uplifting, magnificent taste, utterly gorgeous, ...I do believe I shall edit my assessment of the previous year's effort, ...doing a bare-bones review, though, and am not attempting on this tasting to dissect every aspect of the brew, but just let it slide down, and it's good for that...wow, I likety-like it.