Two Brothers Atom Smasher

Brewed By: Two Brothers Brewing Company in Warrenville, Illinois

Purchased: 6-Pack from Whole Foods in Chicago, IL; 2011

Style/ABV: Oktoberfest/Märzen, 7.7%

I've already talked up the Two Brothers Brewing Company. And yes, I agree...they could probably benefit from a website overhaul. Two Brothers Brewing hail from Warrenville, Illinois, a town not too far from Chicago. Two Brothers are one of the rising craft breweries in Illinois, filling a much needed void now that Goose Island has been purchased by the big guys.

Today's beer is part of Two Brother's J Series. The 2011 version of this beer is not currently on their website (surprise, surprise), so I'll tell you what I know. According to Two Brother's website, the J Series is "A fusion of updated styles and techniques with old brewing traditions." Basically, Two Brothers takes traditional styles of beer and ages them in French oak foudres (casks). They age their J Series beer for a minimum of 4 weeks in the oak casks. How does aging a beer in oak change the beer? It adds vanilla notes, woody notes, and other complex and subtle flavors that would otherwise be impossible to achieve without the use of casks.

Already we have a good idea what to expect here. An oak-aged Oktoberfest/Märzen. But what is an Oktoberfest/Märzen? (From now on I'm referring to Oktoberfest/Märzen as "O/M," just so you know). "Märzen" means March in German. This is a style of beer that is an adaptation of the Vienna style. Traditionally, Märzen beers were brewed in the spring and then stored in cold caves or cellars to preserve the beer during the warm summer months (no electricity...no fridgerators). The beer was then served as an Oktoberfestbier during Oktoberfest. This is a lager style of beer, usually darker in color, with more malt than hops. The BJCP says O/M should be around 4.8-5.7% ABV. Ratebeer states that traditional Märzen were between 5.5-6% ABV. Today's beer clocks in at 7.7% ABV, so it is on the high side of what you would expect for the style. But it is oak aged for at least an additional 4 weeks. Let's see if the oak aging stacks in favor of this beer.

This is an Autumn looking beer if there ever was one. This beer pours with a nice 2-finger, off-white head. The head has medium-thick, slightly soapy bubbles, and it is tinted slightly orange. The body of this beer is a hazy red-orange-copper color in low light. Under direct bright light, this beer has a nice "sunset effect" with hints of gold, yellow, and orange. There is low carbonation.

This beer is super aromatic. You really smell lots of oak and vanilla right out the gate. I'm also smelling alcohol, nuts, ham, hot dogs, ketchup, pork, berries, and some doughy and bready notes. This has a really interesting nose for sure.

Two Brothers Atom Smasher

As far as taste: I am a little bit surprised at the sharpness of the alcohol in this. It is almost slightly astringent. But at 7.7% ABV and being that this is a fall beer, I won't complain. When fall rolls in, I want a beer to warm me up. I'm getting huge oak notes, woody notes, tobacco notes, and lots of vanilla. There is this pork note as well: ham, hotdogs, and ketchup. I'm also getting lots of nuttiness, and sweet malts. There is some caramel in here for good measure. There may be some bread/toast on the back end as well. I'm still wrapping my palate around this slightly astringent note: is it the alcohol? Is it the sharpness of the dry fnish? It is hard to tell.

This is a light-medium beer that is highly drinkable despite the big ABV. At 22.6 IBUs this beer has enough bite to be entertaining to my palate, but not enough bite to ward off people who hate hops. Despite being such a light beer, this is a complex beer. This has huge complexity, and moderate depth. There isn't a ton of carbonation, which is kind of nice. The front end is smooth, boozy, and full of oak, vanilla and ham. The middle rolls into sweet malts with more oak. The back end has a slightly astringent bite - maybe from the booze - and finishes slightly drying with some hints of toast or bread. The back end is pretty vicious, actually pulling on my throat a bit. I kind of like it.

Rating: Above-Average
Score: 81%

First off, in order to enjoy this beer we need to acknowledge that this is not a standard Oktoberfest/Märzen. This has been aged in an oak cask for great effect. 

Second...I need to confess that I am a victim to subjectivity and variability. When I first had this beer a couple weeks ago I was not overly impressed. I'm glad I waited a little bit to sleep on this. This is a really complex and interesting take on the O/M style of beer. This probably isn't going to be a beer for everyone: the vanilla, oak, and ham notes are big on this one. This is also surprisingly boozy (although the bottle warns you in advance, 7.7% ABV). Finally, there is a slightly astringent component. It doesn't ruin the beer for me, but it is noticeable. I almost wonder if the astringent note will settle down if this beer ages/mellows out for a few months.

I will likely buy this beer again, and I will definitely pursue more offerings from Two Brothers Brewing's J Series. This is a beer that would pair well with sausage, bratwurst, potatoes, sauerkraut or many other German foods. This also works well as a stand alone beer to drink during the Oktoberfest season. I recommend checking it out if you like oak-aged beers. Cheers!