Twin Elephant Brewing to open

Love it! Great idea guys.

 

I stopped in this weekend after wanting to go for a while. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of what they had on tap. Shimmy Ye was a citrusy, dank IPA that barely gave a hint of the 7% ABV. Mr. Pinkerton (hibiscus wheat) was nicely tangy with floral notes behind the wheat. Chingas (black IPA) had a great roasty finish after an upfront blast of pine. Was also nice to see their ESB on tap - rarely come across one of those.

I was expecting an "average" local brewery experience (ie. here's our pale, here's our stout, etc..) but was happy to find that they are brewing creative recipes. For my money, Shimmy Ye was every bit as good or better than Magnify's IPAs. I'm looking forward to another visit soon.

 

I was just telling my wife that I keep meaning to check this place out and I was looking at their beers on beermenus a few minutes ago. Thanks for the good input!

 

I second your optimistic outlook for the Elephant. Was there early in the day so Chingas wasn't on tap but between Shimmy Ye and Mr. Pinkerton, there is promise. I found Tula Bear (brown ale) drinkable even though the style is boring and never would order one on its own.

Another note is the space is well done. It's a bland suburban location outside but once inside you don't feel that way. The wood work is shiny, the ladder light fixture unique, and the seating is somehow both communal and individual at the same time even though there are no beer garden style tables to be seen. With the back door open the light shines in to brighten up a space that could otherwise feel like closed in bunker.

 

Did anyone have both the first batch and this? Any difference? I haven't had the new batch, but the first one just had no bitterness at all -- which was really odd for an IPA, and I got a rather decent amount of malt. This place seems like the type to improve with each batch, though. Shimmy and Biggenz both came across to me as IPAs for non-IPA drinkers, which is fine -- but I definitely wouldn't equate it with the big-time hoppiness and pleasant bitterness of Magnify's IPAs, based on my taste at least.

The space is gorgeous. But for $6.50/pint for styles between 4-7% and growlers only available sometimes I was hoping for more from a small batch system, at least in regard to the first batches of Shimmy and Biggenz. Diamonds and Pearls and Mr Pinkerton are both fine but it's rather difficult to pay $6.50 for a pint at the source for a 5% brew that's a rather basic style (milk stout and wheat)

I wish the best for this place, and the staff is very friendly and they're good with the maltier beers and the non-hoppy saisons (Squints was very nice), but the hoppy beers I've tried from them just (Juicy Busey, Biggenz, Shimmy Ye first batch) -- haven't been hoppy or bodied in any capacity.

 

How crowded is it on Friday? I work in Madison and always mean to go, but it's not quite on my way home and I worry it won't be worth my time. Want to try the beers though.

 

Mr. Pinkerton was really well done, even had a nice tartness to it (age?)…their other offerings need work. Loddy Doddy was a bit sweet, and the coconut was subtle, all of which they knew = a good sign. Nonetheless, it didn’t taste like water at 4.7%, so flaws but not flawed.

The body/mouthfeel on their IPA’s was slightly off (weak), and the hops felt a little jumbled with Shimmy Ye. That being said, Shimmy Ye grew on me as the temp adapted; noticed that they were serving “these” pours ice cold. In contrast, Lil’ Shimmy Ye was much better and felt lower than the recorded 6% abv.

In retrospect, after a few good conversations, these guys well versed and knowledgeable. Twin Elephant is aware of their surroundings; they are aware of what’s good...I think there’s something here. After all, the nailed everything from the interior design to the glassware

 

Lil Shimmy Ye is really nice. a fantastic pale ale. great color too. would love to see this become a regular in the rotation, as others and Untappd ratings seem to agree this is a very well done beer with wide appeal. I was complaining about a lack of good hoppy beers whatsoever here in this thread earlier, so I'm happy to see this addresses my primary concern and shows the brewers are capable of good hoppiness. THIS is a beer I don't mind paying $6.50 a pint for, even when Trap Rock down the road gives you a 22oz glass of their beer for that price lol.

yeah, Shimmy Ye is just off. hardly resembles an IPA, and especially odd when their pale ale has exceedingly more hop prominence and dankness than the IPA. just weird that an IPA lacks bitterness for the most part and is extremely muted on the hop profile -- actually resembled more of a bitter or English pale ale than the "American IPA" it's labeled as, but a non-bitter version of a bitter if that makes sense. just jumbled. I thought they were going to alternate IPAs and stuff due to small batch as well, so it was odd to see the relatively lukewarm received Shimmy back on tap just a few weeks after it was on for the first time, especially when they mentioned having hundreds of recipes.

hoping they'll get their hop profiles down soon, like they did with Lil Shimmy --- Shimmy Ye and Juicy Busey promise hop flavors but they just aren't there, so I'd personally be happy to see those disposed of or significantly modified. their better saisons have been the ones that don't promise hops anyway (and this is coming from a hophead).

 

I might swing by today after Magnify since it's "on my way back down" and trying to avoid some of the Parkway traffic. I tried looking on their facebook to see what their tap is (When are people going to learn to post these things?), and nothing. Saw that their website has it listed, but I'm not sure I can trust that?

Reading all this feedback has me curious since it is that close and I've never gone. But the $10.50 for a flight has me ridiculously turned-off. But as the young kids say "You only live once".

Has the service improved? If I get there around, say... 5 - will it be a hassle?
Have a camera itching for a new brewery...

 

Check the website when they open, which should reflect what’s pouring that day. That is of course, if they do not announce via other media outlets ahead of time.

I can’t speak to the service as to Friday night, but had no problem last Saturday commingling with some of the fellas at Twin Elephant: recipes, direction, future goals…Granted, everyone was probably at the shore, given the circumstances.

I do think Twin Elephant has potential. Yes, I was not too impressed with Shimmy Ye; however, and based on the comments here, it seems as though it was much worse a few weeks prior. Hence, they seem to be making slight modifications. Granted the line-up changes pretty drastically from week to week, sometimes a completely new set of recipes. Nonetheless, I’d like to think they are working on prior batches (old recipes) while they are benched. Unless one has name recognition, where they focus on one or a few particular styles, it’s hard to draw a mass-consumer base in without variety (i.e. your macro drinker isn't gonna like your hoppy DIPA).

In any case, would recommend Mr. Pinkerton for your refreshingly summer tart wheat needs, and Lil’ Shimmy Ye (i.e. not Shimmy Ye) for your dank pale ale needs. The nose on Lil’ Shimmy Ye was the most impressive aspect, not to take anything away from other characteristics in that pale ale.

I think your camera will love this place, but as far as the service on a Friday afternoon/night after a Magnify release…Well. Maybe not?

 

$10.50 for a flight is about par, no? Is it 4 or 5 beers? Either way it's about $2- 2.50 per sample.

 

Reads to me like they are 5 per flight.

I guess because at Carton I can have a "flight" of 6 for $5 and at Kane I can have a flight of 4 for $6, if I see anything in the double digits, I immediately question it.
But you are right about the per sample. It just looks jarring at first.

 

You got me sold. I'll give it a shot either way, looks like they have improved pouring since. There's no adventure in not trying!

 

Does any other brewery actually exist that charges $6.50 per pint at the source and isn't churning out wild ales or something special? I've been to many many breweries and this is the priciest for sure.

I don't mind a nice DIPA for that price, but a 4.5% wheat beer or 5% brown ale for $6.50? Sheesh.

 

Yeah, Carton has the best flight deal I've ever seen. But I could've sworn that Kane's came out to $2 per and special ones were $3 each. I could be remembedding wrong of course.

 

If you buy them individually, they are $2 or $3... if you buy four of them at once in a flight, it's $6... so there's more value in purchasing as a flight than singles.

 

So I went there... and I'll say this in advance... I loved Lil Shimmy Ye. That thing is great.

Nailed Pinkerton, although I wouldn't say it's excessively tart. I think it's a good introductory sour/tart beer for people who have never had a beer like that.

I actually enjoyed Whammy far more than I thought I would.

I did not enjoy Loddy Doddy at all. This is pretty weird to say... but out of all the beers I had there, this was the most "sour". I don't understand what happened for a beer claiming sweet chocolate and coconut, I simply couldn't get a grip on this beer, especially since they had another porter that was okay. Now my problem with Loddy Doddy that I've NEVER experienced before was the nose was pretty good, but the taste was absolutely different... and it was my first beer there, so I can't even claim that it was the order of the beers.

That said, the order of the beers was unusual, but whatever, they saved Whammy and Lil Shimmy Ye for last. I had an 8oz pour of Lil Shimmy last. I did take pictures but the lighting there is unusual as hell. So a lot of post needs to be done to them.