Domaine DuPage French Style Country Ale
Two Brothers Brewing Company

Domaine DuPage French Style Country AleDomaine DuPage French Style Country Ale
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From:
Two Brothers Brewing Company
 
Illinois, United States
Style:
Bière de Garde
Ranked #41
ABV:
6.2%
Score:
86
Ranked #19,241
Avg:
3.82 | pDev: 12.04%
Reviews:
564
Ratings:
1,610
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 25, 2023
Added:
May 15, 2002
Wants:
  69
Gots:
  293
One of the most award-winning craft beers (period), Domaine DuPage is a French Country Ale that offers a toasty caramel sweetness with just enough hops to cleanse the palate. A true original, both in style and taste, this decorated ale continues to shine as the flagship beer of Two Brothers.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by salvo:
Photo of salvo
Reviewed by salvo from Indiana

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Rich brown beer pours from the bottle with a half inch of offwhite head that dissipates slowly. Light carbonation struggles to free itself from the brew.

Nose is all roasted, toasted grain, and earthy malts.

Taste is rich, thick, towards chocolate with very light coffee hints in the background. No real hops flavor to speak of, but there is an earthiness and dryness from balanced hops. Deep dried fruit finish with a tea-like astringency.

Rich, thick mouthfeel: an accomplishment in a session-able 5.9% alcohol. Nicely done and well-balanced.
Oct 25, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of tucson_brewson
Reviewed by tucson_brewson from Arizona

4.23/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
12 oz can poured into a tulip glass.

L - Pours a deep, clear amber color reminiscent of a darkly-brewed iced tea with about a finger of slightly tan head that leaves a nice lacing. Very nice pour in the glass to start.

S - Bready malt, caramel, sticky toffee, vanilla, dried fruit, spice, some earthy hop presence, balance of sweet and spice.

T - Follows the nose with caramely/malty sweetness up front, molasses, cherry, raisin, and apricot, slightly astringent alcohol bite in the middle, just enough of a hoppy bite towards the end to balance out the complex sweetness.

F - Light-to-medium body with decent carbonation. For all it has going on, a fairly drinkable beer at 6% ABV. Finishes slightly dry but smooth.

O - I wanted to try something different from hop-heavy IPAs and prefer the biscuity malt notes when offered. This “country ale” is reminiscent of amber or red ales with lots of emphasis on malt and caramel-sweetness, but there’s just enough bitter hoppy presence to make it a more balanced beer. An interesting and very drinkable offering from this brewery. Might be worth getting over the holidays.
Sep 25, 2023
Photo of Grax
Reviewed by Grax from Iowa

3.82/5  rDev 0%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Aroma gives off molasses and toasty caramel, sweet succulent malt. Body is pretty much the same. Fruitcake, thick, juicy malt, and sweet molasses, caramel lighting it up on the back end. It's light, but smooth and very flavorful. Not bad!
Sep 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.24 by FredTetusky1952 from Michigan

Jul 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.92 by TwilightBeerCareer from Illinois

Jul 03, 2023
Photo of mpk2020
Rated by mpk2020 from Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Draft at roundhouse.
Jul 01, 2023
Photo of Tricolour_Absurd
Reviewed by Tricolour_Absurd

4.31/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
nbsoc; drank after a lovely day on the river trail of the Fox River, very suitable. This beer passes the “six pack test,” of famous brewer Garrett Oliver, which is to say I could drink the “whole pack,” or more accurately have these for an entire evening of drinking. I am a personally weird American craft fan as I love amber ales and there is no better style for demonstrating the strong effect yeast strains have over a beers flavor and quality.

This beer really nails the biere de garde style, as the malt complexity and sweetness is off the charts. This beer brings a traditional ale experience to the table and as a result brings back memories made drinking a lot of other excellent amber ales, that’s how good the experience of drinking this is. Much like Bell’s amber this beers flavor derives heavily from the yeast strain, but in this case it creates more pronounced notes of dried fruit and warming alcohol, to restate what many have this beer really defies it’s low abv in terms of drinking experience overall.

Those dried fruit notes are met by an incredible mouthfeel, matched by a lovely overall drinking experience by the balanced abv at 6%. The malt bill is on another planet though, notes of toasted molasses and deep caramel malt notes meet the slight hop profile and yeast esters in a bouquet of flavors and sensory expressions.

Overall masterful, this beer will be at the table to go with dinner at every future holiday. This would be fully appreciated as a seasonal, as a flagship it’s stupid quality
Jun 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.12 by MacStinson from Michigan

Apr 11, 2023
Photo of Luscious_Malfoy
Reviewed by Luscious_Malfoy from Illinois

3.86/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
draft pour served in a clear plastic cup. dark amber with a finger of off-white head. aromas of dark bread, caramel and flora, earthy hops. get a lot of the same on the taste. the caramel / toffee flavor really pops but there’s enough hop bitterness or presence to balance it out. medium-full mouthfeel with a lower carbonation. finishes quite full and really quite smooth. this beer is quite the anomaly - rich and full of flavor yet quite smooth and easy drinking. it at once drinks heavier than 6% but at the same time drinks like a beer well below that. it’s not one i would reach to or order often but it’s still enjoyable. and pairs quite well with a meal.
Jul 17, 2022
 
Rated: 4.68 by armin777

Jul 03, 2022
 
Rated: 3.61 by KT3418 from Colorado

Mar 11, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by AndrewFord666 from Illinois

Mar 08, 2022
Photo of milkshakebeersucks
Reviewed by milkshakebeersucks from Maryland

3.74/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Medium amber appearance with virtually no head or lacing. Sweet, caramel malt aroma along with some fruitiness. Taste did not stray too far from the same attributes. Finish was drier than the early sweetness had led me to expect, although it did not linger very long. Had higher expectations
Jan 28, 2022
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.92/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
"Best by 12/23/21"; drank 11/28/21 @ the Yarchives.

Cloudy orange rust appearance.

A rough pour yielded a nice khaki head; thick lacing.

Orange citrus, acorn, caramel & faint orange soda notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Orange citrus, acorn, mild caramel, faint dill pickle & a hint of smoke.

A lot going on here, but it's just a bit "off" / too much. It aims for transcendence, but misses the mark.
Nov 29, 2021
 
Rated: 3.77 by Elemental19xx from Illinois

Nov 25, 2021
Photo of 40ontarget
Reviewed by 40ontarget from Colorado

3.56/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Amber and clear with about a pencil width of light tan head. A very bready smell with a bit of citrus and a somewhat floral brightness. The taste is much toasty malt, some vanilla, and some earthy black pepper. The finish is dry and mildly bitter. Somewhat bubbly but also somewhat thin. Mostly an OK beer...not great...not terrible...an OK beer.
Sep 25, 2021
 
Rated: 5 by Fredric from Illinois

Aug 20, 2021
 
Rated: 4.19 by STOOOO from Wisconsin

Aug 17, 2021
Photo of GRPunk
Reviewed by GRPunk from Michigan

4.21/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12 oz. Bottle ($9.99 sixer at the Two Brothers Roundhouse Brew Pub) best by 11-05-21, poured into a Stone snifter

A- A normal pour creates a 1-finger, fluffy, tan head atop a clean, amber body with lighter carbonation. The head settles to a thin film with nice webs left on the glass.

S- A nice mix of caramel, stewed stone fruit, and some light herbal/leafy hopping. Plum and fig-like aromas. A little warmth brings out a nice leathery scent, and heightened stewed fruit and herbal tones. Maybe a little rum-like.

T- Much as the aroma suggests. There's big caramel malt with a touch of leafy hops. Light notes of leather. Some tobacco with warmth.

M- Medium body and carbonation. Relatively dry with just a little hop tickle.

O- A really pleasant brew that's quite drinkable. Almost a malty amber/red ale. I can see why this is a "flagship" beer, it's very user friendly.

A-4 S-4. 25 T-4.25 M-4 O-4.25
Jun 28, 2021
 
Rated: 3.76 by n_william from Illinois

Jun 14, 2021
Domaine DuPage French Style Country Ale from Two Brothers Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 1610 ratings