Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Andersonville Wine & Spirits in Chicago, Illinois; 2014
Style/ABV: Rye Beer/Ale, 8.5%
Reported IBUs: 65
Another year...another anniversary. It was a little over a year ago that I reviewed the Two Brothers 16th Anniversary Ale. Last year's beer was just okay, and frankly, it kind of set the tone for the year that Two Brothers had. I'm hoping that tonight's beer is a bit more interesting. We'll see, right? About Two Brothers:
"Anniversaries cause us to pause for reflection and this year we are especially proud to have helped shape an industry that brings people enjoyment through flavor and good times. Every day we look forward to creating new beers and being a part of an ever growing community of brewers.
Our 17th Anniversary Rye Beer has been aged in oak barrels to lend complex flavors of vanilla and spirits. We added lactose sugar to soften the palette and finished the beer with fresh, sweet Thai basil to give a bold floral zest to the aroma. We're glad to have had you along for this great seventeen year ride. There is plenty more to come!"
You read that right, by the way. This one is oak-barrel aged. Yum. I'm curious to see how this stands up to one of my favorite beers ever, the Two Brothers Cane and Ebel.
This one pours out with a lot of rapidly-forming head. It's almost as heady as Duvel or something infected (knock on wood that this is not that). The head is thick like root beer floats -- think the topping when you pour soda over ice cream. It looks like it too, with tan/gray tones. The body of the beer is murky brown in low light, and when held to a bright light the body takes on a reddish-amber/auburn color. There's mid-sized carbonation bubbling away as well. Head retention is impressive, and so is the lacing.
I don't even know what I'm smelling on the aroma....I'm getting rye, basil, juniper, watermelon (wut), melon, melon seeds, fruity salad notes, and a weird spicy funk. There's like a curry note in here....and then lemon balls. Or lemon/lime candy. It's that Asian guava candy, which I've made reference to before in another beer which I can't recall. Lastly...I'm getting some wood on the aroma, but no oak.
Ah, you do get some oak on the taste. That's refreshing, to say the least. This is surprisingly complex, albeit incredibly subtle. That subtle thing was the reason that The More The Merrier was shit on by reviewers, despite being a solid beer. Anyway, I'm getting a lot here. There's some nice oak, vanilla, woody barrel, rye spice, rye, basil (big, big basil), fruity sweetness, guava, melon, watermelon, fruit salad, fruit seeds, light tartness, and some big bitterness that takes over towards the back. As the bitterness hammers your palate you're left with some nuttiness, medium roasted grains, and lingering coconut. To say this beer is complex is an understatement.
This is my kind of beer. This is a sipper with a lot of stuff going on. I actually really like this...and I think this is a big improvement over the unnecessarily boozy 16th Anniversary Ale. This is a medium-bodied beer with plenty of carbonation, and the beer is nicely attenuated with a shift towards bitter and dry on the back. Palate depth is outstanding with long duration, and the complexity is something to admire and think about. Like seriously...what is going on here. Up front is a tart blast of melon, watermelon, fruit seeds, fruit salad, basil, big spice, rye spice, sweet rye, sugar; the mids roll into some of that oak, with woody tannin showing up to fuck shit up, with more rye spice and basil; the back end features growing bitterness against nutty and sweet malts, and then the malts turn grainy with coconut and dryness. This is just...lovely stuff.
Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)
Ughhhh...this a Light Light Divine Brew. I'm so hesitant to elevate this to that status, because honestly, I don't even know what the fuck I have here. Is this a Rye Beer? Is it a Specialty Ale? Who cares, really. Honestly, I would have never expected Two Brothers of all breweries to roll out a Rye-Basil-Milk Sugar beer aged in oak barrels. That takes a brazen approach to brewing. This beer is a crap-shoot, but the end result is fantastically complex and big and bold. I will pick up another bottle of this if I see it on shelves. I'm about to pair this with some moo shu beef taco things, but I suspect this complex brew would pair well with delicate meats like duck, peppery chicken or turkey, and maybe even something as simple as a rye bread sandwich. I don't know for sure, but I am enjoying this.
Random Thought: The glassware was completely coincidental, but that bottle cap/glass combo. Dayum. Also, this beer is really good. It would be a shame if they never brew it again.
Reported IBUs: 65
Another year...another anniversary. It was a little over a year ago that I reviewed the Two Brothers 16th Anniversary Ale. Last year's beer was just okay, and frankly, it kind of set the tone for the year that Two Brothers had. I'm hoping that tonight's beer is a bit more interesting. We'll see, right? 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. If you get the chance, swing by and check out their Roundhouse. It's an awesome joint, and needs all the love it can get. For more information, check out their about page/website.This Rye Ale is brewed with Thai Basil and Milk Sugar. Punching in at 8.5% and 65 IBUs, the back of the bottle reads:
"Anniversaries cause us to pause for reflection and this year we are especially proud to have helped shape an industry that brings people enjoyment through flavor and good times. Every day we look forward to creating new beers and being a part of an ever growing community of brewers.
Our 17th Anniversary Rye Beer has been aged in oak barrels to lend complex flavors of vanilla and spirits. We added lactose sugar to soften the palette and finished the beer with fresh, sweet Thai basil to give a bold floral zest to the aroma. We're glad to have had you along for this great seventeen year ride. There is plenty more to come!"
You read that right, by the way. This one is oak-barrel aged. Yum. I'm curious to see how this stands up to one of my favorite beers ever, the Two Brothers Cane and Ebel.
 |
| Two Brothers 17th Anniversary Rye Ale |
This one pours out with a lot of rapidly-forming head. It's almost as heady as Duvel or something infected (knock on wood that this is not that). The head is thick like root beer floats -- think the topping when you pour soda over ice cream. It looks like it too, with tan/gray tones. The body of the beer is murky brown in low light, and when held to a bright light the body takes on a reddish-amber/auburn color. There's mid-sized carbonation bubbling away as well. Head retention is impressive, and so is the lacing.
I don't even know what I'm smelling on the aroma....I'm getting rye, basil, juniper, watermelon (wut), melon, melon seeds, fruity salad notes, and a weird spicy funk. There's like a curry note in here....and then lemon balls. Or lemon/lime candy. It's that Asian guava candy, which I've made reference to before in another beer which I can't recall. Lastly...I'm getting some wood on the aroma, but no oak.
Ah, you do get some oak on the taste. That's refreshing, to say the least. This is surprisingly complex, albeit incredibly subtle. That subtle thing was the reason that The More The Merrier was shit on by reviewers, despite being a solid beer. Anyway, I'm getting a lot here. There's some nice oak, vanilla, woody barrel, rye spice, rye, basil (big, big basil), fruity sweetness, guava, melon, watermelon, fruit salad, fruit seeds, light tartness, and some big bitterness that takes over towards the back. As the bitterness hammers your palate you're left with some nuttiness, medium roasted grains, and lingering coconut. To say this beer is complex is an understatement.
This is my kind of beer. This is a sipper with a lot of stuff going on. I actually really like this...and I think this is a big improvement over the unnecessarily boozy 16th Anniversary Ale. This is a medium-bodied beer with plenty of carbonation, and the beer is nicely attenuated with a shift towards bitter and dry on the back. Palate depth is outstanding with long duration, and the complexity is something to admire and think about. Like seriously...what is going on here. Up front is a tart blast of melon, watermelon, fruit seeds, fruit salad, basil, big spice, rye spice, sweet rye, sugar; the mids roll into some of that oak, with woody tannin showing up to fuck shit up, with more rye spice and basil; the back end features growing bitterness against nutty and sweet malts, and then the malts turn grainy with coconut and dryness. This is just...lovely stuff.
Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)
Ughhhh...this a Light Light Divine Brew. I'm so hesitant to elevate this to that status, because honestly, I don't even know what the fuck I have here. Is this a Rye Beer? Is it a Specialty Ale? Who cares, really. Honestly, I would have never expected Two Brothers of all breweries to roll out a Rye-Basil-Milk Sugar beer aged in oak barrels. That takes a brazen approach to brewing. This beer is a crap-shoot, but the end result is fantastically complex and big and bold. I will pick up another bottle of this if I see it on shelves. I'm about to pair this with some moo shu beef taco things, but I suspect this complex brew would pair well with delicate meats like duck, peppery chicken or turkey, and maybe even something as simple as a rye bread sandwich. I don't know for sure, but I am enjoying this.
Random Thought: The glassware was completely coincidental, but that bottle cap/glass combo. Dayum. Also, this beer is really good. It would be a shame if they never brew it again.
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