Purchased: 375ml bottle (corked & caged) bought at Sheridan 'L' Longue in Chicago, IL; 2014 (2013 vintage)
Style/ABV: American Wild Ale, 5.5%
Reported IBUs: 10
Two Brothers have been doing interesting things with barrels for a while now, and recently they have been cranking out some pretty good sour and wild ales. The Tangent has not been well received, and I'm curious to see how it stacks up. Fear not though, even if this beer sucks I have a bottle of Fathom in the shoot...and that one is delicious. About Two Brothers:
This one pours into a cola-colored body that is swampy and ugly, like Mickey Rourke circa today. I had some serious concerns pouring this one too. First, I worried that this would be a gusher; then I worried that this was not carbed as the cork slid right out with no pop. Thankfully, the Brett and whatever else is growing in the bottle have done their job. Did I mention this is an ugly, swampy beer? Even the head reluctantly gives you a finger of cola-tinged "meh." Shining a bright light through this beer betrays it a bit, as you see the beer's true color. This looks like a Belgian Dubbel, with those rich reddish/orange tones. This has active carbonation too.
On the aroma: Brett funk, gentle barrel character, oak, and big lactic character. I'm getting a lot of lemon here, some nice red cider vinegar, sour cherry candies, Warheads, green apples, and some malty cola backing. There's kind of a cherry cola thing lurking beneath and around the lactic sourness and musty Brett funk.
Ah...while the aroma is spot on in terms of what I'm looking for in a wild ale/flanders red, this one kind of falls way short in the taste. It just isn't funky and lactic enough, with flat malt backings. I'm getting sweet malts here, with cherry, mild barnyard, and absolutely no substantial lactic character or Brett funk in the taste. Damn...this beer is a clinic in disappointment. What went wrong here? This kind of reminds me of the Petrus Oud Bruin, only not as oxidized and cardboard-y. There are flashes of tingly apple cider vinegar in here, but mostly you get wort juice. There's mild apple, berry character, and flashes of that lactic-lemon-funk....but it's all dialed back to one or two, or hidden between the lines. I guess this is like malty, brown sugar seltzer water, with hints of apple cider vinegar. Bad.
They can't all be winners. I commend Two Brothers for making this beer, and for having the balls to experiment with this style. This is basically a malty Flanders Red, without any of the lactic overkill or Brett funk. It's too bad...look, this is a poorly executed beer. And I'd be mad about it but Two Brothers has followed this beer up with some really good sours, including their Fathom. The Tangent flatlines with a malty, medium-bodied mouthfeel. Seltzer water carbonation keeps this drinkable, but the palate depth and complexity are so off you really have no reason to go through the motions. You get brown sugar malts and hints of apple cider vinegar up front, with more apple cider vinegar and subtle lactic hints in the mids, and then it fades into malty nothingness. It's just...not good.
Rating: Below-Average (2.0/5.0 Untappd)
This is a Strong Below-Average. It's entirely possible that this will improve in the bottle over the next few years, but I kind of doubt it. Save your money and skip this beer, buy the Fathom instead. I can't recommend this beer in good faith, so I can't recommend any food pairings. I mean...sours go well with chocolates and mussels and fruity desserts, but yeah.
Reported IBUs: 10
Two Brothers have been doing interesting things with barrels for a while now, and recently they have been cranking out some pretty good sour and wild ales. The Tangent has not been well received, and I'm curious to see how it stacks up. Fear not though, even if this beer sucks I have a bottle of Fathom in the shoot...and that one is delicious. 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.The Tangent is part of Two Brothers "Project Opus." The Project Opus is a collection of aged, sour beers. Tangent is described as a "Dark Sour Ale" that is light and sweet, but not over the top. The bottle reads, "foudre aged dark sour ale with brett."
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| Two Brothers Tangent |
This one pours into a cola-colored body that is swampy and ugly, like Mickey Rourke circa today. I had some serious concerns pouring this one too. First, I worried that this would be a gusher; then I worried that this was not carbed as the cork slid right out with no pop. Thankfully, the Brett and whatever else is growing in the bottle have done their job. Did I mention this is an ugly, swampy beer? Even the head reluctantly gives you a finger of cola-tinged "meh." Shining a bright light through this beer betrays it a bit, as you see the beer's true color. This looks like a Belgian Dubbel, with those rich reddish/orange tones. This has active carbonation too.
On the aroma: Brett funk, gentle barrel character, oak, and big lactic character. I'm getting a lot of lemon here, some nice red cider vinegar, sour cherry candies, Warheads, green apples, and some malty cola backing. There's kind of a cherry cola thing lurking beneath and around the lactic sourness and musty Brett funk.
Ah...while the aroma is spot on in terms of what I'm looking for in a wild ale/flanders red, this one kind of falls way short in the taste. It just isn't funky and lactic enough, with flat malt backings. I'm getting sweet malts here, with cherry, mild barnyard, and absolutely no substantial lactic character or Brett funk in the taste. Damn...this beer is a clinic in disappointment. What went wrong here? This kind of reminds me of the Petrus Oud Bruin, only not as oxidized and cardboard-y. There are flashes of tingly apple cider vinegar in here, but mostly you get wort juice. There's mild apple, berry character, and flashes of that lactic-lemon-funk....but it's all dialed back to one or two, or hidden between the lines. I guess this is like malty, brown sugar seltzer water, with hints of apple cider vinegar. Bad.
They can't all be winners. I commend Two Brothers for making this beer, and for having the balls to experiment with this style. This is basically a malty Flanders Red, without any of the lactic overkill or Brett funk. It's too bad...look, this is a poorly executed beer. And I'd be mad about it but Two Brothers has followed this beer up with some really good sours, including their Fathom. The Tangent flatlines with a malty, medium-bodied mouthfeel. Seltzer water carbonation keeps this drinkable, but the palate depth and complexity are so off you really have no reason to go through the motions. You get brown sugar malts and hints of apple cider vinegar up front, with more apple cider vinegar and subtle lactic hints in the mids, and then it fades into malty nothingness. It's just...not good.
Rating: Below-Average (2.0/5.0 Untappd)
This is a Strong Below-Average. It's entirely possible that this will improve in the bottle over the next few years, but I kind of doubt it. Save your money and skip this beer, buy the Fathom instead. I can't recommend this beer in good faith, so I can't recommend any food pairings. I mean...sours go well with chocolates and mussels and fruity desserts, but yeah.
Random Thought: I know this review is harsh but I seriously appreciate that Two Brothers continued to experiment with sours after this beer. Their Fathom, Hoodwink, and Askew are all really really good. You gotta start somewhere, and I feel like this beer was a foundation beer to try out the oak barrels and mess with some wild yeast. Live and learn, as they say...
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