Domaine DuPage French Style Country Ale - Two Brothers Brewing Company

chicagoabbot

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 oz into a snifter...maybe I just shouldn't post this review...I don't like saying negative things about local brewers generally and my opinion of this beer is quite a bit lower than the consensus it seems.

Appearance is ok as far as color, a medium clean copper that is respectably bright. Head retention is on the weak side though. Also, for this style, I feel like it should be a little murkier.

Aroma is off for the style. Hops are appropriately subdued, but the yeast character definitely does not shine here. Where is the funk? This style traditionally has a nice funky yeast. The points it is getting here is for a decent malt profile.

Taste is not too bad, but again, it's like half of the style. It ought to be mustier and funkier. The malt backbone is pretty good and the subdued balancing hops are ok too. I guess they needed to keep grocery store beer buyers in mind when developing this taste.

Mouthfeel is fine, nothing objectionable at all. It's not outstanding, but good. Overall, it's not a bad deal and I like to support local breweries, but I can't recommend it unfortunately.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 17:53:47 | More by chicagoabbot

Northsider

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

From bottle at Fountainhead Chicago.

Appearance was light brown, with quick white head.

Smell was fruity with some hoppiness as well. Bitter/sour finish in my opinion.

Taste was not my cup of tea. Slightly too bitter and not enough fruity sweetness that the smell suggested.

Overall not a great beer. If I had bought a 6 pack I'd probably drain pour it. One drink is enough for me. The sour/bitterness just kills it for me. I might be open to trying again, but not for a while.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2011 23:31:21 | More by Northsider

maek228

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Amber in color. Small head.

Smell: Caramel is the prevalent smell....smells a bit toasty as well.

Taste: Mild toasty caramel upfront that fades into mild hop bitterness

Mouthfeel: It doesn't feel thin. has some backbone

Drinkability: This beer doesn't impress me enouhg to have me wanting to drink more than few

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2006 19:36:56 | More by maek228

jrallen34

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I drank this from a bottle into a pint glass.

This beer poured a copper/amber, fairly clear with a good white head, and very solid lacing.

The aroma is light fruity apricots but thats about it. Taste is a lot of yeasty and white wine characters. Just weird, confusing and not very good.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2009 20:21:37 | More by jrallen34

leakyfaucet12

Wisconsin

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz botte recieved in 24 sample pack.

a-redish orange with a pretty large head. When head goes down leaves tons of lacing

s-yeast, bread, sour, token beer smell

t- mild, soft, smooth taste and relatively sweet, almost too sweet

m- frothy, not to carbonated, but carbonated enough. I like he mouthfeel very easy to go down

d- not the best beer I have ever had but something I can stomach. Very easy to drink. If someone is not into craft beers then I would reccomend this.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2010 14:23:26 | More by leakyfaucet12

ZAP

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Burnt orange in color..barely any head...soft malty nose...a little thin in the mouth...not real familiar with this style,so it's tough to rate...toasty malt tones, but they are faint...dry finish...I'm glad I tried it but not a beer style I would seek out again..

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2002 15:56:41 | More by ZAP

twelvsies

Maine

3/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This is a saison? I guess brewers can do whatever they want to a style, and I'm all for experimentation, but this beer doesn't fit into any category really, and it's certainly not a saison. A bit of an identity crisis here. Pours a dark, stained-wood amber, kind of nice actually, but with no head at all. If I had to place a style label on this one, I'd lump it in as an ESB or English Ales in general. Full of toffee, carmel, and buttery notes, with a fairly quiet hop profile. Decently malty, but lost. Once again, definitely not a saison in my book. Chewy mouthfeel, kind of slick. Well, it does have a few redeeming qualities, but it's nothing more than a mild amber with a saison label on it. Who knows though, you might like it. Two Brothers do a great job in general, this one just needs a little work I'd say.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2006 19:07:19 | More by twelvsies

jtierney89

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Faintly hazed bright reddish coppery hue with a thin bubbly head. Candies fruit nose with a mild earthiness. Thin up front but oddly the body gets bigger on the finish. Rolling smooth medium body but close to flat. Sweet fruitiness with a coarse grainy flavor. Finishes with mild alcohol heat and faint woodiness. Long lingering Fruity finish. Balance is there somewhat leaning on the sweet side. Interesting and good beer but definitely something odd about it. Not as clean as id like with a very strange mouth presence.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 02:14:56 | More by jtierney89

justiceavocado

Ohio

2.98/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Enjoyed on a quiet Friday afternoon. The bottle has apparently been redesigned, but it is the same "food-friendly ale" as pictured on this site. Label stamped, "BEST BY 6/15/11."

L - About an eighth of an inch of off-white head, doesn't quite dissipate after about two minutes, leaving a film on top of the beer. Hazy copper-brown color, with obvious carbonation continuing to rise for minutes after the pour. Little chunks of yeast swimming around in there like yummy minnows.

A - Sweet plum overwhelmed by wood and bread. The faintest whisper of hops floats just beyond all that, not quite out of reach of the senses.

M - Moderate to medium body, good carbonation. And by "good," I mean present enough to tickle the tongue but not so strong as to clamber up into the nose. It leaves a kind of film-y feeling after going down, like rubbing your finger on rubber. I'm not educated enough to know why, but I wish it didn't.

T - Follows the smell diligently. A small point of sweetness hits at first, if not plum certainly prune and raisin, followed by fresh bread and biscuit washing the mouth while a tiny bit of bitterness shines from the back of the tongue. Major points for the restraint shown in the hop presence - just enough to be refreshing. Throughout, the yeast is very present, both in taste and in mouthfeel. One could even say the yeast is an 'atmosphere' with this beer.

That said, the taste is weak, almost a background to the mouthfeel. Drinking it is like listening to a good band with the volume down. I like what I hear, but...what exactly are they saying?

D - Pretty decent. I wonder what this would be like with food for two reasons: 1) the rubber-rubbing after-feel might disappear with a meal, and 2) the taste might seem even weaker than it does here (and I haven't eaten for about three hours). At 5.9%, it could be a good one with which to begin an evening of moderate debauchery (as opposed to heavy or even wild debauchery, obviously). I would buy it again, but only after its next release to see how it changes.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 21:27:58 | More by justiceavocado

2.93/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On tap at Clark Street in Chicago

Poured a clear, dark gold/amber. Capped with a small, creamy, off-white head.

Aroma was pretty mild. A touch of vinegar, herbs, maybe some yeast.

Taste was vinegar again, faint. Spicy & herbal. Bit of sweetness, citrus -- tangerine/orange. Pepper at finish and some more citrus - lemon.

Light to medium in body. Medium + carbonation. Pretty dry.

OK. Vinegar taste not for me. Assumed, based on name, it was a Biere de Garde. Didn't seem to fit the style, based on others I have had. I wouldn't hurry back to this one.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2007 13:33:44 | More by

Cresant

Kentucky

2.9/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured this 12 oz. brown bottle into a Bordeaux glass. Best by date: 9/20/07. A moderately vigorous pour resulted in a minimal head that dissipated to a tiny ring. The body was slightly hazy and amber in color with strong ruby highlights.

Smell was rich and sweet. Dried fruits. One dimensional.

Taste was sweet up front with a musty, cherry-like flavor. Caramel maltiness appears as it warms. A mildly funky finish. Earthy.

Mouthfeel had a creeping zip with tiny bubbles of carbonation. Medium in body.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2007 13:18:32 | More by Cresant

dpodratsky3

Georgia

2.88/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into pint tulip glass

A: Crystal clear, very deep copper color, very handsome actually, just slightly off-white head, pretty small once it settles but it's clinging to my glass all the way to the top

S: Aroma is very faint, just a crisp malt flavor with a touch of caramel

T: Again very one dimensional, just that light malt flavor, but has a lingering flavor that is not all that pleasant, the caramel sweetness lingers way too long, decent hops attempt to clear your palate, but the hop flavor combines with the sweetness in a strange way and the hops still don't manage to wipe that sweetness away, I attribute this to a heavy hand with the caramel malt

M: Slight dry finish, good carb, medium-light body, one of the highlights of this beer

O: Tastes like a strange french craft ale version of many lagers, overly sweet and slightly unpleasant flavors that linger on your palate, it needs more lightness of flavor not just mouthfeel, the flavors aren't big and bold but they feel too heavy

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 01:44:59 | More by dpodratsky3

JohnnyChicago

Illinois

2.83/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Amber with a weak, white head.

S: Grainy and pretty rough. There is clear phenols and unrefined aromas that are unpleasant.

T: That gritty grain and old hop flavour is prevalent. Tastes like spoiling fruits and stale bread. Alcohol is clearly present throughout.

D: Booziness is far too strong for the ABV and the whole experience is unbalanced and just nasty...sorry. I know the style should show some booze, but this isn't a pleasant booze flavour...its just alcohol.

Overall: I like 2Bros; I really do. But this beer is just no good. Most of their regulars/seasonal are appropriate and faithful representations of their respective styles, but Domaine Dupage is just poor. It is unbalanced, harsh, and tough to finish. Grab a C&E or Resistance if you want to see 2Bros at their finest. This is them at their weakest.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2011 23:59:42 | More by JohnnyChicago

ngandhi

Illinois

2.8/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Sorry Brothers, but this is an American pale ale. In fact, this is basically the same beer as the 2Bros contract-brewed pale at Clark St. Ale House in Chicago, IL. A hint of spice and a little bit of floral character that leads wonderfully into a honey finish sets this brew apart from APAs, but puts it no where in the class of good saison. Medium to full-bodied, this is too rounded in the mouth. Quaffable, yes, but not at all quenching.

When I had their "weiss," I said I'd never drink another 2Bros again, but curiousity called -- I'm just glad it didn't kill me.

Relax, relax.
ng

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2004 01:51:42 | More by ngandhi

lurpy1

Minnesota

2.75/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

First sampling of a Two Brothers beer. Pours a pretty enough orange, with a little bit of head, but once I get down to enjoying the beer, there's just no there there. Nothing unpleasant aromatically or tastewise, just bland. VERY bland. Left a strong impression the brewers were afraid of the flavors they were using. More power to the hundreds that have positive feelings for this beer. I just didn't get it.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 03:22:05 | More by lurpy1

Weissenheimer

New Jersey

2.73/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This is the third Two Brothers beer I brought back from Chicago and, like the others, it would do better if I were to judge it solely by its appearance. It's a hazy dull copper with a medium-sized light fawn head. As I drink, pretty mountains of lacing form on the side of the glass.

Also like the others, this one doesn't have much scent. What's there is sweet and fruity in a slightly syrupy way. Eventually I realize what it reminds me of; it has the creaminess of Gale's Christmas Ale, but without the spiciness.

I take a taste and am somewhat disappointed. The taste is slightly watery, and rather wimpy and thin. A nondescript fruitiness composes most of the taste. The "legs" on the glass look rather thick and oily; that, along with a certain winelike aspect of the taste, makes me suspect that there are some tannins involved.

After examining the overall taste and brooding on the finish, it becomes apparent that this beer's main problem is one of balance. Normally the hops wouldn't show through so much in a French ale. But this one is so thin, one-dimensional, and uninteresting up front that the hops in the finish end up overbalancing the whole affair. Also, certain elements that should be invogorating somehow manage to fall flat. The carbonation doesn't feel very interesting or lively; it's there, but it somehow feels dead. During the finish the woody tannins languish on my tongue in a rather uninspiring way. I won't be bothering with any more of this.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2003 15:54:02 | More by Weissenheimer

dpnelson1978

Minnesota

2.73/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle into glass pint.
40°F

$9.99 / 6-pk.

A: Cloudy deep copper body with medium, tight rocky head of low retention that leaves moderate lacing and a thin cover.

S: Strong bready malt aroma. Slightly sweet, and perhaps a bit grassy. Low hop profile.

T: Slightly sweet, heavy bread malt profile. A little buttery (intentional?). Hay, and slightly boozy... at only 5.9 abv.

M: Medium body with medium carbonation. A little too oily, and not remotely crisp.

D: Goes down easy, and tastes good enough, but nothing special.

O: A little disappointed with this selection.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2010 02:10:14 | More by dpnelson1978

JDV

Texas

2.68/5  rDev -29.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at Clark Street. Pours a medium amber with a sweet malt smell and taste. Very lightly bittered. Faintest hint of belgium yeast like influence to it, but not much. Kind of drying in the finish, but still sweet flavored. Decent but unremarkable compared to some of their other beers, I thought.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2008 19:31:25 | More by JDV

BedetheVenerable

Missouri

2.68/5  rDev -29.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Presentation: 12oz brown pop-top w/nice label and clearly marked best-by date; this one is December 2010

Appearance: A dark burnt-orange beer with low carbonation and a flurry of fine sediment in suspension. The ivory cap shows decent retention.

Smell: Toasty, biscuity malt, fresh strawberries, and maybe just a hint of some darker roasted grains, perhaps chocolate? No hops to speak of. This is definitely kind of biscuit-forward.

Taste: The flavors follow pretty closely. Tons of toasty biscuit up front. This may be lightly fruity, but not as much as the aromas suggested. There's actually a fairly strong bitterness here, and it's not really working for me. It's fairly clean, maybe just a BIT herbal, but it still doesn't really meld well w/the crackery biscuit IMO. Ends bittersweet, but leaning more towards dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied

Drinkability: Medium

Conclusion: This came highly recommended from a friend who generally knows her beers, and by several people here on BA. I dunno, maybe I don't "get" the style, but I LOVED Schlafly's Biere de Garde and thought that the oddball that is Jenlain Noel was pretty tasty as well. Maybe this one's just not for me...

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2010 03:21:14 | More by BedetheVenerable

nrbw23

Ohio

2.6/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

A- Pours a dark burnt-orange color with a nice tan colored head. Head has ok retention and leaves no lacing. Great color here in this one.

S- Smell is a bit biscuity malt, darker roasted grains, no hops at all and a bit of a funk to it.

T- A little fruity and grainy. A bit of an off funky taste here. Some what herbal and Earthy too. Nothing really went well together.

M- Medium in body and fairly light in carbonation.

D- This one must not be for me. I thought it was pretty odd and just hard for me to drink. Good luck.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2010 00:02:44 | More by nrbw23

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a hazy orange-ish to copper color with an off white head. In the aroma, mellow gingerbread note, but very faint. Inthe aroma, a faint earthiness and a small spice, but thin. A small spice bite and medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry spice in the aftertaste. OK, but really nothing notable.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 17:03:58 | More by OWSLEY069

shbobdb

Indiana

2.45/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2

Let's break it down:

Look: Awesome! A wonderful, inviting ruddy amber with a white, macro-lager head.

Smell: Yeast Funk mixing with a twing of malt

Taste: Like a mouthful of cloves. If you like cloves, you'll love this beer. If you don't . . . errrr . . . why are you drinking it?

Mouthfeel: Thick and round. Reallly nice.

Drinkability: I don't live the clove taste. At all. Yuck. Can barely finish one.

I get where they are going with this beer, and it succeeds admirably. Too bad what they were shooting for wasn't good taste.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2006 21:57:49 | More by shbobdb

baos

Indiana

2.4/5  rDev -37%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

12 oz into pint glass

A: Pours really dark with lots of sediment and a huge 4 finger plus dark tan head.

S: Butterscotch sweet smelling, caramel, malts. Yeasty and fruity. Kind of like fruitcake.

T: I'm not too fond of this one. Really strong tasting and sweet. Doesn't seemed to be balanced very well. Maybe I got a bad beer. I'll have to review it again.

M: The only thing that was decent in this review.

D: I only drank half of the beer. It was too strong and syrupy for me. Like I said before. I'll review again, to see if I just got a bad beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2007 14:42:55 | More by baos

alleykatking

Indiana

2.35/5  rDev -38.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours from 12oz bottle.

A- Pours a semi-hazed brown amber body. Red highlights really shine when held to the light. Half finger off white/light tan head show poor retention. Light streaks of lace that fall back into the glass when I drink this one down.

S- Some sweet malt gets overtaken by darker fruit....I mean a ton of prune really. Hints of brown sugar here and there but mostly just darker fruit dominates the aroma.

T- Caramel malts mix in the a light darker fruit in the front of the beer. This comes to light brown sugar flavor in the middle with a bready malt base backbone. The darker fruits kick this back up a notch along with caramel malts and a light alcohol flavor.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Carbonation is alright for the style. Caramel malts, brown sugar, and darker fruits left on the palate. Aftertaste is mostly sweet alcohol and darker fruits with a hint of caramel malts. Medium drying on the palate. Flavors are not really balanced on this at all. Light metallic off flavor does make this beer a little off putting flavor wise.

D- This beer might have been a little off and I will review it when I get another bottle. For now this beer is a horrible drinker and I think they did not hit the style at all. Oh well some people might like this but not me.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 02:22:12 | More by alleykatking

zeledonia

Minnesota

2.35/5  rDev -38.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bottle says best by 18 Aug 2011.

Pours a fairly deep, coppery amber, and clear, with a thin whitish head that recedes pretty slowly, leaving nice sticky lacing.

Smell is nicely sweet, dominated by caramel malts and light fruit. I get a bit of spice, and no hops at all. Smells a bit bland, actually.

Taste is, well, pretty bland. Gentle toasted malts, a touch of bitterness that comes in in the middle and carries on through the finish. But it really doesn't taste like much. I get no fruits, very little hops, no spice, no alcohol. I'm quite shocked at how bland it is. Did I get a bad bottle?

Medium-bodied, with rather light carbonation.

I found this beer to be very dull. Not much flavor to it at all. Disappointed in it, and do not plan on drinking it again, unless someone can convince me it's a lot better than this bottle I had. Thinking maybe I was drinking it too cold, I let it warm up. But then it tasted worse (stronger, but more unpleasant, flavors). Down the drain it goes.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 02:54:43 | More by zeledonia