Two Brothers Heavy Handed India Pale Ale

Bottle (12oz). Shared with biegaman, my bottle. Poured clear deep copper with a minimal off-white head. Mil d aroma of slightly woody malt, medium bitter resin/herbal hops - not much, really. Taste - very bitter, almost harsh resin hops, lightly herbal, enough toasty juicy malt backbone to keep it somewhat in check. Slightlly weak IPA body, extremely astringent/bitter mouthfeel, enough bitterness in the long finish to seem harsh and more alcholic than 5.7%. A decent IPA, lacks character (sort of generic "bitter" to my taste) but okay.

Repectable IPA. better than average, but nothing to distinguish it. Better than their pale ale.

On Cask @ Map Room: Poured a copper color with a thin head that faded to a swirlling white line. Pine, grapefruit, and malty aroma. As it was on cask it was very mellow and in need of a little carbonation. Carmel and citrus hops filled the palate with a sweet and lightly bitter finish. I’d like another handful of hops in here, but otherwise a tasty brew. 6/3/7/3/14 = 3.3.

Bottle from Kan Presents: Fresh Hops - a blind tasting. Pours a red mahogany with a beige head. Sour lemons and malts. Sour cherries, red fruit, lemons. Tart and strange. Watery and sour. 6/3/6/3/10 = 2.8

Bottle from River’s Bend. Poured copper color with a large off-white frothy head that was mostly lasting with excellent lacing. Moderate malty and sour citrus hop aroma. Medium body with a slick texture. Medium bitter flavor with a smooth biiter finish of moderate duration. Solid drinkable beer.

Pours a rich copper with a cream colored head. The aroma is hoppish with pine and citrus. Pleasent hoppish flavors of citrus with a mild amount of caramel coat the tongue and the finish is quick and snappy.

Pours clear rich dark copper with a sudsy tan head that gives pretty nice lacing. Aroma is hoppy with citrus and pine with some caramel malt backing things up. Medium body with some prickly carbonation. Starts with a small amount of malt and a good amount of resiny pine / woody hops. The finish has prickly carbonation adding intensity to the hops. A nice solid IPA.

Tasted on 9/29/2006 from bottle (2006 vintage) at River’s Bend - Thanks Matt! According to JCW and the Two Brothers web site, there are two versions of this tasty brew for 2006: Lot 2556 is made with Willamette hops and Lot 2706 is made with Galena hops. Color is a very clear and vibrant copper color. Aroma and flavor is of tart citrus. Pleasing hop bitterness, almost soft. Don’t get me wrong, the bitterness is definitely there all the way through, but it isn’t overpowering or unbalanced. Some of the malt and pine hop flavor comes through. Moderate carbonation with a fair ivory head. Good mouthfeel and overall quite enjoyable. It would be really interesting to find a bottle from each lot and try them side by side to compare the aroma and flavor of the two hop varieties... 12 oz bottle (Lot 2706 - Galena Hops).


UPDATE from 10/16/2006: On 10/14/2006 I sampled some of the Lot 2556 (Willamette hops) version of this beer on draught at McQuiston’s Malthouse in Madison, Indiana. Color was copper and clear. Moderate carbonation with a huge, creamy, ivory-colored head. Aroma was sweet, citrus (orange) hops. The flavor was like candied oranges and was very hoppy, but had a very even bitterness. The finish left a lingering, grassy bitterness in the throat, but was not repulsive. Overall I felt that the bitterness of the Willamette-hopped version was a bit more overwhelming, more sharp, and less citrusy than the Galena-hopped version.


2007 ~ Lot 2617 ~ Cluster Hops

10/21/2007 and 10/22/2007: This batch of Heavy-Handed India Pale Ale has an lustrous copper color with gentle carbonation. It has a nice sweet aroma of caramel malt and some delicate floral qualities. The flavor is well balanced with some good toffee-like maltiness up front that transitions to a nice floral bitterness. The pine and floral bitterness is gentle at first, but then the 62 IBUs can be tasted in the finish and aftertaste as it clings to the top and back of the mouth. The bitterness is smooth as is the palate. This batch seems a bit more malty and less citrusy than other batches that I’ve had, but that’s okay as the differences are clearly due to the variety of hops used. Overall Heavy-Handed is a really good IPA that delivers a nice appearance and a clean flavor that really showcases the individual hop varieties well. Highly recommended!

12 fl. oz. bottles shared by Rob. Thanks Rob! 15.5° Plato, 62 IBU, 5.7% A/V.

Bottle. Small ivory head with poor lacing, transparent, no visible carbonation, and an orange hue with some gold peeking through. Malty, hoppy and notes of grapefruit in the nose. Flavor was some maltiness, hoppy and dry. Not overly hoppy. Mildly tingly and dry mouthfeel. Quaffable, but nothing outstanding.