21st Anniversary
Two Brothers Brewing Company + Tap House

Well, the morass of the past few days is finally behind me! The CANQuest's backlog is lighter, the reviews heavier, the reefer emptier & I am drunker. The latter is kind of tough to quantify, but my tolerance must be sky-high by now. My county (Lancaster) is pushing to reopen in defiance of our governor's orders, so I am laying low & staying in even harder than before. This means increased opportunities to drink beer, especially since the backlog is still quite extensive. My next horizontal is of/from Two Brothers from Illinois. Either I got these in one of my excursions or local, in-person trader @tone77 dropped them off at some point. Hmm.

From the CAN: "Twenty One Years of Beer"; "IBU[:] 77"; "21st Anniversary India Pale Ale"; "For 21 years, Two Brothers has had a passion for brewing big, flavorful beers with our own unique spin. And since we are turning 21 this year, (Hey, we're legal!) we thought we'd showcase that passion and creativity with an ambitious blend of hop varieties in our 21st Anniversary IPA.
Unique and flavorful, this IPA is the perfect representation of our 21 years in the Chicago Craft Beer Scene."; "Cheers!".

I Crack!ed open the vent & beCAN a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. I was perhaps a bit too gentle since it did not raise much head on its own so to remedy the situation, I performed an in-glass swirl. I got two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with good retention as a result. Color was a hazy Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7). Nose smelled great with notes of especially pine & grapefruit, acCANponied by orange/CANgerine and caramel malt(s). Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach. It made me curious as to its Style identification since the word "Double" or "Imperial" did not appear on the label, while the verbiage "India Pale Ale" most certainly did. Hmm. The taste was incredibly citrusy with a huge grapefruit flavor acCANponied by orange/CANgerine, underlain by pine, grassiness & light caramel. Mmm. This was the kind of thing that really trips my trigger. Finish was dry, as it should have been, but not so dry as to be gasping. Again, just the sort of thing that I really like. Mmm. YMMV.

 

Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a dark golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of malts, light citrus. Taste is of malts, caramel, some pine and orange peels, light bitterness for the style. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall, it's not bad, but was a bit lacking in hop punch for the style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picked up at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. Big, wet, billowing head above a golden body loaded with bread and biscuit malt notes but almost no hops at all, which seems odd in a DIPA.

The malt is also assertive in the taste, although now accompanied by herbal and medicinal hops leading to a bitter finish. Plenty of carbonation and a bit of alcohol burn but nothing extreme. This one grew on me a bit but still nothing to write home about.

 

Pours a golden tan. Aromas are very subtle with some citrus, pine, and grassy hops with a mild biscuity malt presence. Flavors follow through with the nose. Mild bitterness. Medium bodied.

 

 

Far and away superior to the 20th. I would prefer this to Wobble and Heavy Handed as well. Nothing spectacular. Poured from can into a pint glass. Quickly disappearing white head, sticky lacing, clear golden amber body. Smells almost like a golden ale. Feel is resinous, bitter back bite, orange rind taste.

12oz can, date stamped "21 YEARS! 08/01/2018". Golden colored ale with a tall & frothy ivory head that holds excellent retention. Muted aroma reveals some citrus, pine, and grassy hops with a mild grainy malt presence. Hop forward with a persistent malt backbone; hop notes of pine, grapefruit, orange, mango, and grass meld well with light caramel, nutty grain and a touch of honey. Fuller body, moderate carbonation, finishing moderately bitter and semi-dry. Decent DIPA; glad I opted for the single can vs buying the whole 6-pack.

 

Best by 8/1/18. 12oz can poured into a tulip. Pours golden with nice clarity and has bubbles racing upwards; small white head that fades leaving nice retention and lacing. The aromas are subtle and mild. Lots of crackers, fresh bread and malts. It doesn't smell bad, but it doesn't really smell like anything. The flavors are clean, crisp and refreshing. Lots of fresh grass. More crackers and fresh bread. Subtle hints of citrus. Moderate to low bitterness. Mouthfeel is nice. It's medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's very fluffy, smooth and easy to drink.

This is an okay brew. It's not bad, but it honestly doesn't have much going on for the style. It is clean, crisp and refreshing though.

Perfectly clear light copper body with plenty of streams of bubbles, coarse off-white head fades to the corners of the glass. The nose and taste are... average. Generic citric and piney hop aromas and tastes. I'm trying to pick out anything specific, even if it's just a typical flavor (orange rind/grapefruit/toasted malt), and it's all just... mush. Moderately to intensely bitter. The body is medium, the bite of the bitterness accentuates the fine but meek carbonation.
It's not bad, just forgettable. Happy 21st?

Tasted in a pint glass from draft at Emil's on March 22, 2018. Brewed with Lemon Drop, Eureka and Citra hops. Smell is grapefruit and resin. Taste is lemon and tangerine with a citrus finish.