Two Brothers Monarch White Beer

Brewed By: Two Brothers Brewing Company in Warrenville, Illinois

Purchased: Single 12oz bottle from a 6-Pack from Jewel-Osco in Chicago, Illinois; 2012

Style/ABV: Belgian White/Witbier, 4.5%

 

Today I'm checking out Two Brother's anniversary ale, their Monarch White Beer.

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.  

According to the Two Brothers' Monarch White Beer page, the Monarch White is an anniversary ale brewed once a year, and in a small batch. The beer is brewed with unmalted wheat and oats for a "light body and crisp, refreshing finish." The beer is also spiced with coriander and orange peel, which gives the beer a traditional citrus aroma and flavor as per the style.

What is a Belgian White or a Witbier? Well, some popular commercial examples include Blue Moon Belgian White and Hoegaarden. If you roll over to BJCP style guidelines, you can get a better sense for what the style is supposed to entail. The aroma is described as being sweet, grainy, tart, and spicy with aromas of coriander or pepper. There can also be some zesty, citrusy orange. The appearance is supposed to be a pale straw color, with a cloudy haze. The flavor is a supposed to follow through with the aroma, with a refreshing, crisp, dry, and often tart finish. Overall, this is a medium-light to medium bodied beer that is refreshingly crisp but dry, effervescent, possibly tart, and full of wheat flavors, coriander, and orange.

With those guidelines taken into consideration, you can have some idea what to expect. Again, this beer is brewed with unmalted wheat and oats. This beer has 13 IBUs and clocks in at 4.5% ABV. Onto the review:  

Two Brothers Monarch White Beer

The appearance on the Monarch is good. The beer pours with 3-fingers of thick, pillowy, white head. The head quickly dissolves from 3-fingers worth to 1-finger worth, but the 1-finger of head is hanging around. The head is leaving some nice lacing, and really is sustaining some good thickness. In low light, this beer is a dark straw/gold color. In bright light, this beer is a pale straw/gold color. The beer is slightly hazy, with some sediment floating around, but you can still see through it. I would say this is transparent, but slightly hazy. There is quite a bit of carbonation in the form of large and small bubbles; this beer is quite effervescent.

The aroma on this beer is quite nice, with some very mild aromas. I'm pulling out aromas of wheat and oats, lots of clove and sugar, hints of banana, hints of a crisp and tart note, and some coriander and lemon. 

The taste is light and refreshing. There is no spice overkill, and in fact you mostly get wheat and oat type flavors. Maybe a touch watery or thin? I taste crisp hints of lemon, light coriander (leaning less on the spicy side), wheat, oats, clove, banana, and some big grainy notes up front and in the back palate. 

The mouthfeel on this is more like light-heavy to medium-light. This is super drinkable, light, crisp, refreshing, and slightly dry on the finish. At 4.5% ABV, you would have no problem knocking 6 of these back in an evening. Complexity is moderate for the style, and palate depth moderate. Up front you get oats, grain, coriander, and some good supporting carbonation; this rolls into some wheat, clove, and hints of banana in the middle; the back end is grain, wheat, and some lingering fruit(orange).

 

Rating: Average

Score: 74%

Overall, I feel like this beer is a great execution of the style. It's not blowing my mind or changing my outlook on life, but it's not offending or upsetting me either. It's maybe a touch thin or watery, but this is a style of beer that is supposed to be light and refreshing. I actually would strongly recommend people drink this beer, especially if it is available to you. If you are in the mood for a Witbier and your choices are Blue Moon or this, I would take this every day of the week. This is just a much, much, better beer.

Mission St. 2012 Anniversary Ale

Brewed By: Steinhaus Brewing Co. in Paso Robles, California 

Purchased: Big 650ml bomber (22oz) bought at Trader Joe's in Chicago, IL; 2012

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 8.5%

Today I'm reviewing another exclusive beer from Trader Joe's. I talked a little bit about Trader Joe's when I reviewed their 2011 Vintage Ale. I mentioned that Trader Joe's contracts their brewing out to a number of companies, including Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Unibroue (Sapporo), and the Gordon Biersch Brewing Company. The Vintage Ale was a beer made by Unibroue. Today's beer is made by the "Steinhaus Brewing Co.," which is apparently a front for Firestone Walker Brewing.

For anyone wondering what Trader Joe's is: Trader Joe's started out as a small chain of convenience stores back in 1958. Back in 1958 the chain was known as "Pronto Market." The first store named after founder Joe Coulombe opened in 1967. Trader Joe's is known for its organic and gourmet foods, and they sell lots of food straight from the manufacturer at lower prices than other retailers. That's the textbook definition...Trader Joe's is a grassroots style store that sells a lot of fresh, organic, and hippy products. It's a cute little store, and it has gained a lot of popularity over the past couple of years. They are especially popular for their cheap wine, and they also sell Trader Joe's branded beer that is typically much cheaper than the competition. For example, the beer that I am drinking today costs around 2.99-3.50 a bottle. That's a steal for a bomber of 8.5% ABV Strong Ale. 

Googling "Steinhaus Brewing Co." results in Firestone Walker Brewing Co. as the second most popular hit. Firestone Walker Brewing is considered to be one of the best breweries out there by many craft beer enthusiasts. For that reason, it is very exciting to see such a cheap beer being outsourced to such a high quality brewery. If you stroll over to the history page, you can get some background on Firestone Walker Brewing. The brewery is based out of Paso Robles, California, and was founded in 1996 by Adam Firestone and David Walker. 

Before I jump into the review, I want to mention again that this beer is a great bargain. The bottle states that this beer "showcases complex malt flavors with roasty notes layered in and medium hop character. It is a blend of three incredible brews carefully blended for maximum aroma and flavor." The label goes on to say that this beer is an Imperial Brown Ale (which is perfect since I had this beer not too long ago). It's pretty rare to see a beer made out of blended beers sold at this price. I did have the 2011 version of this beer last summer. My opinion was that it was a great beer with lots of malts. I did find the 2011 version to be somewhat vicious with a lot of sharp alcohol. The 2011 version settled down when I drank a bottle a few months later. If I had to guess right now, I would say that this beer is probably going to be a bit heated. With a beer this cheap, it is worthwhile to invest in 2 or 3 bottles so that you can drink one fresh, and throw another in the cellar to drink down the road. Let's pop this open and see what we get!

Mission St. 2012 Anniversary Ale

The pour reveals a brownish looking beer with a one-finger, hazy brown head. The head is made up of small, thin bubbles. When held to bright light, this is clearly a redish/orange-brown beer. The head is leaving a nice cauldron effect atop the brew, and there is some lacing as head pulls away from the glass. The beer is murky and hard to see through, but there is quite a bit of carbonation visible as tiny bubbles stream upwards. All-in-all, not a bad looking beer. 

The aroma on this is slightly less vicious than I remember the 2011 edition. In fact, I recall the 2011 version having more molasses, twizzlers, and sharp malts. I'm pulling out some roasted malts, some chocolate, some twizzlers, and some sugary notes. I'm definitely picking up some hops, with hints of orange and grass, and some floral and mild English hop notes. Maybe a hint of pine, maybe a hint of vanilla, and faded hints of fruit sweetness.

The taste is definitely a lot more subdued than the 2011 version. Right up front I'm getting some interesting malt flavors, including caramel and molasses. There are hints of alcohol in the back, but honestly this hides the alcohol very well and is not giving off any vicious burn. I'm also picking up some interesting dark fruit notes: raisins, raisin puree, cherries even. There are notes of butterscotch, some DMS (veggies), and hints of German malts (think: Oktoberfest). There is some chocolate in here, and hints of roasted malts as well. The hops seem to provide balance to the malts, and you do get some bitterness in the back palate, along with hints of pine. It seems like some mild hops balance the beer throughout (think English hops; or the balance in a Pale Ale). Lots of big malt flavors though, including that really interesting raisin and chocolate note.   

I'm really surprised at how balanced this beer is. I was originally pulling for some cellar time, but I feel like the malt and hop balance in this beer is pretty solid as is. This is incredibly drinkable, with nice maltiness, good bitterness, and alcohol that is pretty well-hidden for 8.5% ABV. This is well-carbonated, with a medium-full mouthfeel that has some bitterness. The finish is a touch dry. Complexity is moderate, but the palate depth is is large. Up front you get carbonation, sweet malts, hints of chocolate and caramel; the middle is more sweet malts, with some dark fruits, DMS, and those Oktoberfest malts; the back end rounds out with some pine, even hints of citrus, and hop bitterness balanced with malt sweetness; the finish is malty and dry.  

Rating: Above-Average  

Score: 84%

Well, I am impressed. This is truly a value beer, especially at the price of around 2.99-3.50 a bottle. There are a ton of big malt flavors driving this beer, and the notes of chocolate and raisins are awesome. There is also a nice hop balance, with some good bitterness. Unlike last year's edition, this beer does not seem to need any time to "cool down." I remember the 2011 edition being a little bit more malty, but it also had a lot more vicious alcohol qualities. This beer is balanced and good to go. For the price that this beer costs, this beer is a steal. It also happens to be a damn delicious brew. There are really good flavors in here. This is worth picking up several bottles of. I would highly recommend this beer, and I would happily pair this beer with some fish or chicken. You might also be able to pair this with some sweeter, or even dessert. So until next time, cheers. 

Southern Tier 2XIPA

Brewed By: Southern Tier Brewing Company in Lakewood, New York 

Purchased: 6-pack bought at in Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 8.2%

It's been a pretty suckass week or two in terms of my own person health. I've had a pretty nasty head cold that has inhibited any enjoyment of beer. On the plus side, we have been seeing record breaking warm temps in Chicago. I think we hit 86 degrees one day this week. The best part is this warm weather is during spring break, so all those suckers that paid for their expensive vacations to go experience warm weather could be experiencing warm weather here, for free. Obviously you can't blame them though...typically it's like 10 degrees outside with 5 inches of snow on the ground this time of year. I guess what I'm saying is bring on the global warming.

Being that I'm feeling a bit better, I figured I'd think out loud over Southern Tier's 2XIPA. Southern Tier Brewing Company is based out of Lakewood, New York. The brewery was founded in 2002 by Phineas DeMink and Allen "Skip" Yahn. Using equipment purchased from the old Saddleback Brewing Co., the company began production with the vision of reviving traditional small batch brewing to the region. By 2003, the brewery was distributing their small batch ales, and by 2005 their sales covered New York and Pennsylvania. Before the brewery had any seasonal beers, it produced a Pilsner, Mild Ale, and IPA. Due to popularity, in 2009 a 20,000 square foot facility was built to allow for the brewing of large-scale beers. Since then, Southern Tier has continued to expand, and continued to invest in better equipment to keep up with the increasing demand for their beer. You can read more about Southern Tier's history on their history page.

Today's beer is an Imperial IPA. According to Southern Tier's beer page, the 2XIPA is not quite an Imperial, but not a standard IPA. The beer is brewed with 4 types of hops, and 3 types of malts. According to the BJCP, an Imperial IPA clocks at 7.5-10% ABV. At 8.2% ABV, the 2XIPA certainly has the alcohol to contend. The question is how do the hops, fruity bitterness, and IBUs hold up. Let's pop 'er open and find out. 

Southern Tier 2XIPA

The beer pours with 2-fingers of foamy, slightly off-white head. The head is very fine, and made up of tiny bubbles packed closely together. The body of this beer is a golden-amber color in low light, and a golden-yellow color in bright light; it almost looks Lager-like. There is definitely a bit of carbonation, as evident by small bubbles rising upwards. There is a nice centimeter of head hanging around, and there is lacing being left on the glass from where the head was. This beer is totally transparent.

The aroma on the 2XIPA is sweet, sticky, bright, and slightly fruity. I'm picking up some sweet notes, and some hop notes: sweet tangerine, sweet orange, sweet hops, sugars, orange candies, and honestly even some bready malts. Maybe a touch of caramel? This is bright and light, and reminds me of Spring.

The taste is a nice follow-through of the nose, with lots of sweet fruit notes. Right up front I get sweet grass, lawnmower, sweet tangerine, some booze, and a layer of malts that are sugary/caramel/and hinting towards bread. I'm picking up tangerine, orange, some orange rind, sweet/sticky/sugary bitterness, and a hint of some nice bitterness towards the back.

This definitely isn't an Imperial IPA relative to many of the frequently cited Imperial IPAs. This beer has a large malt presence. This is perfectly carbonated, with medium carbonation. It drinks very smooth for a 8.2% ABV beer, and has a medium-light mouthfeel. Palate depth is great, and complexity is moderate. Up front you get carbonation, sugary malts, sweet hops, and some hints of bitter; this rolls into citrus hops, some grass, more bitterness; the finish is sweet and bitter with some hints of bread; the finish is sugary, pungent and dry.

Rating: Above-Average  

Score: 78%

This is not a bad beer at all. But is this an Imperial IPA? I dunno. The folks at Southern Tier call specific attention to the fact that this beer is not quite an Imperial IPA, but more than an IPA. I almost feel like this beer is an Imperial Pale Ale, or a Double Pale Ale. This beer reminds me of an amped up Pale Ale, with those grassy hops and those sweet/bready malts. I would totally unwind with one of these beers after mowing my lawn on a summer day, for example. 

So what we have here is a beer with an unfortunate identity crisis. The good news is that even with the identity crisis, I feel like my rating stands. This is an Above-Average beer. Especially when you consider that you can pick up a 6-pack of this stuff for 8 or 9 bucks, and it clocks in at 8.2% ABV! That's a killer dollar vs. ABV ratio. I'm really digging the warm, bright, and sweet notes you get in this beer. The finish trails off with some cloying bitterness and sweetness, but otherwise there isn't much to criticize. And the carbonation is literally perfect. I would definitely recommend trying this beer, and this beer is a steal when you consider the price that it is sold at. Recommended, at least once.