On the Road: Two Brothers Brewing

Two Brothers Tap House holds a special place in my heart. Warrenville, Illinois is where I was born and Two Brothers is the town's brewery. I make it a point to go there every time I'm in Illinois visiting family. This year marked my third trip to the brewery.

The Tap House is inside the warehouse that houses the brewery. The warehouse itself is not exactly easy to find, because it's hidden off of a secondary highway that is currently the site of much road construction. However, the hidden location doesn't deter the locals. I was there on both Tuesday and Friday nights, and the place was hopping.

The Tap House has seating for perhaps 90 people. There's a small bar area at the back, while the rest of the seating is made up of tables and chairs. Aside from large prints of Two Brothers beer labels, the walls are bare. Behind the bar is a wall of windows that look into the brewery. The floor is concrete, the duct work exposed, and there are no dividing walls. That combination makes for a fairly loud room.

Despite the noise and sparseness, the vibe here was really good. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. My waitress was wonderful, and knew all there was to know about the various beers. The food; which was a mix of sandwiches, plus some Italian and Mexican items, was quite tasty.

All of Two Brothers' regular beers were on-tap, plus three seasonal brews. There were also several guest beers available. The only things missing versus my last trip were Cask and Tap Room Only offerings.

Overall, I had a most excellent time both nights. Next time I'm in Illinois, I'll be back yet again.

Comments

In the Fermentor: Bohemian Kölsch

Being a brewer on a budget, I don't have an extra fridge to lager in. That poses a bit of a problem, because I love a good Pilsener on a hot Summer day. To my palate, the closest style to Pilsener in the ale department is a German Kölsch . To that end, I've wedded a Bohemian Pilsener influenced recipe with a Kölsch yeast strain to create my Bohemian Kölsch pseudo-lager. I realize that the finished product won't be as clean, crisp and clear as a traditional Pils, but I'm hoping to come close. I want a full five gallons of this beer. Since my kitchen setup isn't conducive to five gallon all-grain batches, I've taken the partial-mash approach. I've also thrown in a bit of Irish Moss toward the end of the boil to help with clarity. Here's the five-gallon recipe: Grains: 3.5 lbs German Pilsener 8 oz Munich 8 oz Crystal 10L 4 oz CaraPils Hops: 1 oz Saaz: First Wort Hopping 0.5 oz Merkur: 60 min 1 oz Saaz: 7 min Extras: 3 lbs Pilsen ...

Out of the Bottle: Porter vs Porter

My Beer My attempt to clone Samuel Smith Taddy Porter is ready to pour. For a change of pace, I've picked up a 4-pack of the real deal to compare and contrast against my efforts. Since I'm not exactly an impartial judge, my girlfriend agreed to blind taste test the two beers side by side in identical, unmarked glasses. I've mixed her notes in with mine. First off, I must say that the beers look remarkably similar. Taddy pours with a slightly larger head, but the beers share the same deep garnet hue. Mine has a bit more carbonation going on. Both beers have good head retention and leave some lace behind. My girlfriend's first comment was that my beer was very similar, but finished quicker than the Samuel Smith. She also noted that the Samuel Smith is slightly more bitter, with more depth of flavor. The first thing I noticed was that my beer has a more roasted edge and is a bit nuttier. It also lacks the unique dark fruit esters that I sense in all of the Samuel...

Out of the Bottle: Insert clever use of the word Wit here

My latest Wit was a hit at my friend's birthday party. He especially liked the beer's citrus components. Others found it to be light and refreshing. I heard no Blue Moon comparisons, which actually made me quite happy. Compared to My Wit's End , this beer is much closer to style. Unmalted Wheat is part of the reason, as there's much less grainy sweetness at work. Instead, the beer is crisp and dry. The bitter orange peel really does its thing. The peel's sharp flavor melds nicely with the sweet orange peel I also used. Coriander pushes the beer's spicy character along. If I were to change anything, it would be to dial it back a notch or two. Some light sourdough aromas round out the flavor and aroma. Despite the relatively low ABV of right around 5.0%, the beer sports a fairly hefty body. Overall, I'm quite happy with this Wit. Next time, I'll hold back on the coriander. Maybe I will even take a shot at a Turbid Mash, which sounds like a great sub...

Colorado Kitchen Brew

Search This Blog