Matt Morgan reviews a few Two Brothers beers.

Two Brothers beers
Submitted by Matt Morgan

Two Brothers beers

Prarie Path beer is one of the all year releases from Two Brothers.

Prairie Path Golden Ale 5.1% abv; after opening and inhaling its first breath since bottling, I can smell the sweet Belgian malts giving this beer a caramel aroma.

I pour this beer into a pint glass. A very bold but standard taste with robust flavor and mild hoppy aftertaste, this beer qualifies in the middle of the pack of great tasting beers. This beer is somewhat of a let down after the sweet aroma it exudes, I liken it to Miller Genuine Draft with more character.

I might even go so far as to say it’s an adolescent version of Harp or Bass. On a scale of 1 to 5, this beer is about a 3.8, good tasting, great smelling, with room for improvement. It’s a good Wednesday beer.

Domaine DuPage French Style Country Ale 5.9% abv; I wasted little time with the aroma and visual characteristics of this beer. I pour, taste, BOO-YA, sucker punched right in the tongue.

This beer has a deep amber color and a flavor you don’t quite expect and can’t brace yourself for. Ever put your tongue on a 9-volt battery (don’t ask why)? Well, this beer holds quite a surprise in flavor. The label says it has a caramel start and hoppy finish, which in all honesty is pretty accurate.

It’s been a while since I’ve been surprised by a beer's sleeping flavor qualities, with the exception of my recent Sprecher beer experience. This, of all the Two Brothers beers I've tried, has an almost chocolaty aroma, beautiful color and a taste that says "Your Mamma" to the Harp and Bass beers of the world. It finishes masterfully and beckons you to drink again before you can breathe. Wow! This is truly a new flavor experience for me.

A late addition to my review of Two Brothers beers is The Bitter End. I had this beer served from a hand pumped keg at Tumans Restaurant and Bar, 2159 W. Chicago Ave.

The Bitter End beer is one of the all year releases from Two Brothers. The Bitter End was just delicious, it had good aroma full body flavor with a nice hoppy finish. I was told this beer is to be served at room temperature, but this beer was slightly chilled (It could have been that it was 10 degrees Fahrenheit outside).

Tumans, formerly named Tumans Alcohol Abuse Center (seriously), used to boast two-dollar Guinness and three-dollar black and tans. This was the dive of all dives, where often your only seat was an empty keg and the tables where old industrial cable spindles.

Victors MemoriAle beer is an Artisan release from Two Brothers. There was "the tamale guy" and "the bread lady" who roamed the Wicker Park and Ukraine Village neighborhoods peddling her artisan breads and special (wink) muffins. I will not confirm or deny the validity of the "special" claims, but I always had a good time when she came around. The old Tumans closed in 2002 and re-opened in 2003, with a refurbished look and a kitchen.

Two Brothers beers also include Artisan releases that I’ve yet to sample. Out this February is Victor's MemoriAle. It's named after the grandfather of one of the owners (though it probably doesn't taste like him - ed.).

Cane and Ebel beer is an Artisan release from Two Brothers. Also released in February on the Artisan beer label is Cane and Ebel Red Rye Ale. This beer is characterized as having a fruity vanilla flavor and then dry hopped yielding a pungent citrus aroma. Sounds like a good spring flavor.