Heavy-Handed IPA

Two Brothers Brewing Co.
Warrenville, IL

Available: IL, IN, MA, MI, OH, PA, WI

Alcohol (vol.): 6.2%
Bitterness: 62
Original Gravity: 17 plato

Deep copper color with a complex bouquet of nuts, marzipan and toffee, balanced by tart hops. Malt loaf, tangy fruit and bitter hops dominate the palate. The finish starts bitter-sweet with creamy malt and fruit, but hops take over and lead to bitter and spicy finale.
- Roger Protz

A “fresh hop” delight, as we call them here in the Pacific Northwest. Another well-spoken head and tangy fresh-hop nose and palate. Such beers are rare even here in hop country, where I live. Drink this beer soon because the fresh hop character dims with age. And yes, the malt increment is very well managed, too, ending in a nicely balanced aftertaste.
- Fred Eckhardt

The brothers may have been a little heavy-handed with the ingredients, but this beer is quite drinkable for an IPA. It’s all in the balance, isn’t it? Citrus zest is coated nicely by sweetness (particularly honey and caramel), with that classic, muscular IPA hop bitterness emerging on the finish. Kind of like lifting weights for two years—but wearing a bulky sweater, so no one knows how buffed you really are.
- John Hansell

Roger Protz
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

Fred Eckhardt
Fred Eckhardt lives, writes about and drinks beer in Portland, OR. He is the author of The Essentials of Beer and Sake (USA).

John Hansell
John Hansell is an equal-opportunity drinker. He writes about beer, wine and spirits. He is the creator, publisher & editor of Malt Advocate, a magazine for the whisky enthusiast.

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