Two Brothers Philosopher's Stone (15 Years With 15 Beers Series)

Brewed By: Two Brothers Brewing Company in Warrenville, Illinois

Purchased: 22oz bomber from Friar Tucks in Urbana, Illinois; 2012

Style/ABV: Dark Saison/Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale, 8.5%

In celebration of 15 years of brewing (Two Brothers opened in 1996), Two Brothers has been rolling out 14 of their past artisan beers as part of a limited series. The 15th release in this limited series is going to be a new artisan beer. A bit about Two Brothers:

Two Brothers are based out of Warrenville, Illinois, a town not far from Chicago. Two brothers was founded in 1996 by brother Jason and Jim Ebel. Their brewery and Tap House Restaurant are both located in Warrenville. Their distribution and production seems to be increasing with each year, and along with their beer you can buy home brewing equipment and supplies at the Tap House Restaurant.  

The Philosopher's Stone is release number 9 of 15. The bottle states: 

This highly regarded beer was our first experiment with Brettanomyces, a yeast that gives wonderful complexity, mild tartness, and a pleasant earthiness. We originally made this beer as a way to grow the special yeast for our 10th anniversary beer. The result was an extremely complex, dark, saison inspired ale. We produced it in early 2006 and now have brought it back for our  ninth beer release in our 15th anniversary celebration.

I'm really excited to get this beer into a glass and check it out. It seems like more and more brewers are rolling out these darker takes on the Saison style. That includes Goose Island's delicious Pepe Nero, which I reviewed a few months back. The Saison style can be brewed with Lactobacillus, according to the BJCP's guidelines. So the inclusion of the wild yeast Brettanomyces is not what makes this beer strange. It's the fact that this beer is a dark Saison, and likely has some darker malts added. I'll be looking out for dark fruit flavors, as well as chocolate.

As a general rule of thumb (I give thanks to Jolly Pumpkin), I recommend opening any bottle conditioned beer, sour beer, or beer brewed with wild yeast over a sink or on a counter you don't mind getting wet. These things have a tendency to gush. And if it has a cork on it, aim the cork away from your face and your friends.

Two Brothers Philosopher's Stone

The beer pours with one to two fingers of thick, creamy, head. The head is really hanging around, and it has that funky, wild yeast look to it. You get that funky, Saison-looking cauldron effect. As the head dissolves, you are left with some lacing, and this has some alcohol legs. The head has a slightly golden/purple tint to it in both bright and dim light. In low light, the beer has a purple/golden raisin color to it. In bright light, this beer has a murky, swampy, hazy, reddish/brown/purple color. 

The aroma is pretty straight up Brettanomyces funk. I'm getting leather, vinegar, tart/sour fruitiness, horse blanket, and a whole bunch of Brett. If you let this one sit around, it's going to get really funky. I'm also smelling band-aids, and some tart dark fruits. Honestly though, the main aroma on this is funky Brett.

The taste is not at all what I was expecting, with a wash of dark malts and Brett funk up front, followed by some fruit and dryness. I'm getting roast and hints of coffee and chocolate, wheat notes, hints of dark fruits, and then some lemongrass, citrus, and a hint of coriander spice on the finish. There's some nice tartness and Brett funk in this.

This is incredibly subtle, if not a bit understated. This is incredibly drinkable for 8.5%. I'm literally getting no alcohol in this. Really? 8.5%? Palate depth seems a bit front loaded, and is okay. Complexity seems to be moderate to high. I'd say this beer is crisp, light, and dry with lingering hints of darker malts: mouthfeel is light. Up front is a blast of tart, followed by a kick of dark malts, followed by a hint of wheat and grain; the middle rolls into fruits, Brett funk, and some lemongrass and spice; the back end is lingering funk, and another wave of roasted/dark malts with some drying on the finish. You get a lot of lingering funk/Brett on this, as well as hints of roast.

Rating: Average 

 

I'm feeling a strong Average on this. I actually really like this beer for what it is, and think it would pair wonderfully with poultry, or some dense vegetable dish. I wish it was a bit more stated in the body, but maybe not. It's really light, and the Brett plays well with the darker malt profiles. I'm also starting to feel some warming in my tummy, which suggests the 8.5% ABV is legit. I'm happy to have hunted this one down, and I hope to see Two Brothers doing more stuff with wild yeast. I'm actually itching to try this year's Atom Smasher...but I digress. This beer is totally worth picking up to check out, and cheers to 15 years of Two Brothers.