Resistance IPA - Two Brothers Brewing Company

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Super clear copper color with nice bubling compared to most IPA's I've had. The head could use some tooling up though.

Toasted biscuits and Wonderbread, citric and piney hops, plus the faint nuance of oak and a ittle vanilla in the aroma. This is a very smooth smelling beer. Very nice!

Light oily txture combined with sweet oak and biscuits upfront. The middle has some earthen covered citrus fruit peels mixing with said biscuits, but less oak and vanilla flavors. The finish is a slow resin of bitter citrus peels, faintly sweetend by tasted caramel malts and oay vanila.

This isa great Ipa worth trying while its still available. Not a hop heads bitterness bomb, but a complex and balanced version of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2010 05:18:57 | More by scruffwhor

bluemoonswoon

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

More from the Two Brothers oak aged series and an IPA no less.

12oz bottle poured into the trusty New Belgium tulip.

A: Beer is pretty. Little ropes of bubbles twist up from the etchings on the bottom of the glass and hold up an bright and loosely foamy one inch head. Color is clear, soft glowing peachy gold.

S: A delicate aroma on this one. Hops are there to be sure but it doesn't come at you like a that blast of heat you get from a big red wine, or for a better comparison, like that blast of bitter fruitiness and pine that you get from something like a Surly Furious or other such beers. Aroma is more restrained with drops of honey mixed in with the traditional citrus and pine aromas that appear here. Malt presence is also stronger here than in similar beers of this style, sweeter with maybe a touch (that's stretching it I think) of barrel character.

T/MF: Not hugely bitter, not enamel stripping with a back hand of pine sap and pineapple. Instead this beer is a bit more restrained: orange blossom and honey are mixed in with a citrusy/piney profile. Malt character is also more pronounced with a caramel sweetness working its way into the fold. Feel is another story though. Filling though the middle with tiny pin pricks of carbonation filling the mouth like a blanket than leaves without much fanfare.

D: Again, I would like to see what the barrel does to this beer and beers like it down the road, maybe it needs to get broken in a bit as I don't seem to be picking much up in the way of oakiness that I'm used to from barrel aged beers. Still, this beer remains an interesting change of pace from the IPAs I'm familiar with.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2010 03:43:29 | More by bluemoonswoon

weatherdog

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Brixies in Brookfield IL, served in a shaker pint

It pours a clear medium amber with little to no head. A medium amount of lacing coats the glass.

The nose is pretty muted with just a little bit of pine type hops and crystal malts.

The taste is where this beer came alive to me. Huge amount of pine and grassy hops with a firm bitterness. To me the oak is very present and actually cuts through the bitterness well. I don't know if it's because this is the first beer out of the foundres but the oak is strong and I really like what its bringing to this beer. There is some crystal malt sweetness to it as well.

It finishes pretty dry and the oak helps with that. The carbonation is on the higher side. It's quite drinkable and I really prefered this over the Heavier Handed. I hope this beer sticks around for a while.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2010 18:20:21 | More by weatherdog

jsh420

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

best by 8/13/10

pours clear bright copper with a big pillowy white head that faded fast to a film but left lacing all over the glass

smells a little watery but i get some floral pine and citrus

taste is just like the smell - yes a little thin and watery but i still like it - reminds me of a lighter founders centennial ipa

mouthfeel - has a very light body with ok carbonation very creamy finish

drinkability - if this beer is really 6.9% abv i might have to watch might myself the 1st one went quick

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2010 01:05:45 | More by jsh420

trbergman

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A - Clear orange-gold with a half inch of rocky, orange-tinted white foam. Sheets of lace cover the glass with each sip.

S - Not much oak in the nose, but plenty of hop aroma - pine, grapefruit, orange - as well as tropical fruits and caramel.

T - Incredibly smooth and balanced, for an IPA. Tastes of caramel, candied orange peel, and pineapple are met with assertive hop bitterness and some citrus pith and pine hop flavors. Oak sits in the background, rounding out and combining the various flavors into a cohesive whole. Despite the 70 IBU, this beer is quite mellow, forgoing shrill hoppiness for a more stately disposition.

M - Medium body - smooth, almost creamy.

D - I wasn't a fan of Heavy Handed, so I wasn't sure what to expect from Two Brothers with Resistance. It's greatly exceeded my expectations and stands up to repeat tastings. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2010 23:29:39 | More by trbergman

emmasdad

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

In the glass this one appears a nice golden-amber color, with a nicely developed white head. Piney hops are present on the nose, but not as prevalent as one would think based on the IBUs in this one. On the palate, there is a lot of sweet malt, which is nicely balanced by the aforementioned piney hops. Finishes with just a hint of the advertised oakiness. Crisp, nicely balanced and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 04:43:06 | More by emmasdad

drewba

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

S- very pleasant aroma.

T- Extremely piney and citrusy hops flavors with a very mellow, muted malt flavor. Highly bitter finish.

M- Low to medium body with a fair amount of carbonation.

D- Though I do enjoy this beer, it doesn't blow me away in terms of drinkability and doesn't even compare to a Heavy Handed (to those who are Two Brothers drinkers).

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2010 07:57:45 | More by drewba

Alkiser

Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sampled this with the local distributor..

This beer pours crystal clear into the oversized sample glass. Big white foam sits on top releasing tons of aromatic hop compounds. Big pine with a nice citrus background with a layer of sweet malt and oak underneath.

This beer hits the palate without the force you might expect of something that is at 70 IBU's. It tastes much the same of the aroma with a great honey malt character creeping into the picture.

Dangerously drinkable, Wow... Two Brothers thanks for the long awaiting IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2010 19:41:24 | More by Alkiser

musashi138

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A little under a year ago, when touring the Two Brothers Brewery, my friends and I noticed an oak cask sitting behind a bunch of boxes in the back of the warehouse. When question and answer time came around, we were prompt to ask about it. Jim simply mentioned that it is for something they are working on, and left it at that. Since then, I've been sidetracked with Bare Tree and their Moaten Flemish sour. That beautiful oak cask had long since left my memory. So, you can imagine my surprise when, walking through the local beverage store (I was "just looking around") when I came upon a special display for the J Series oak aged Resistance IPA and Long Haul session.

The bottle and label are pretty standard; with a simple barrel pictured in the center, the earth toned non-flashy art work is just enough to catch your eye.

Upon pouring it into the glass, the aroma is sweeter than expected. The mouthfeel, a little heavier than what I thought it would be, was another interesting surprise. Super smooth, Resistance is smooth upfront with a latent bitter punch on the sides of your tongue. The bitterness then sticks to the back of your throat but dissipates well as you exhale through your nose.

During my first pint, I was barely able to put the glass down as I kept wanting more. Highlly drinkable at 6.9% by volume, this beer can be dangerous, but a sweet danger at that.

Resistance IPA can be enjoyed alone or with a nice dinner, preferably something with a lot of meat. This is a good spring and summer ale.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, so should you.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 01:48:54 | More by musashi138

hawks10

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz. bottle (Best by August 13th, 2010) poured into my Piece pint glass...

Pours a nice golden color with some amber appearance depending on the light. This beer has some great clarity and a nice two finger soft white head which leaves a bit of lacing and a nice little cap of haze on top of the beer...honestly, this looks like a crisp, clean lager...

Decent floral hop presence in the nose balanced by a bit of sweet bready malt. There is a bit of an oaky character here, but it is very subdued...

A good amount of bitter earthy hop flavor upfront, pretty drying to begin with. The oak character shows through in the taste much more than the nose and works with the hops to dry out the taste even more. A bit of a malt background to balance things with a very quick burst of citrus, but pretty light on that aspect. More of a drying characteristic than an overall bitterness, but there is actually more of both the oak character and bitter hops than I was expecting...

Mouthfeel is a bit lacking compared to the other aspects of the beer. Pretty thin, light bodied with a good carbonation level. The oak character kind of lingers in the aftertaste keeping my palette pretty dried out...

Pretty solid offering by Two Brothers. Really didn't know what to expect when I cracked this one open but I was pleasantly surprised. Nothing earth shattering, but overall a very decent, easy drinking, borderline light IPA with a unique oak characteristic...

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2010 22:31:38 | More by hawks10

jwinship83

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle with a best by date of sometime in august 2010 drank out of a standard pint glass.

A- this one pours out a bright orange colored body with a finger and a half of foamy white head. the head fades quickly leaving behind small spots of lacing.

S- sweet honey and caramel malts and herbal hops are the main attractions here. the oak which they brag about on the bottle is hard to find, if its in the nose at all. a very mild smelling IPA.

T- the start is a decent amount of sweetness. honey stands out, as do caramel malts. after that comes a bit of an herbal taste which i believe is the only hint that this has seen any sort of wood. a nice hoppy finish rounds this one out. well balanced.

M- medium to light bodied with ample carbonation. the alcohol is well hidden.

D- i was expecting more from this one, and my hometown brewery. its not a bad brew, but with so many truly great IPA choices out there for about the same price i dont think ill find myself picking this one up often at all.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2010 12:26:05 | More by jwinship83

emerge077

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bright gold fading into orange, with sparkling white suds on top. Spotty bits of lace here and there.

Grassy, soapy, floral hop aroma. Mildly herbal, not too pungent though. Not picking up on the oak in the aroma at all.

Honeyish pale malt, some drying bitterness, and leafy hop character. Floral traces hinting at spice. Where's the oak? Not getting any at all. Just a dry, bitter IPA. Overall not bad, worth sessioning, but don't expect much wood.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2010 03:20:33 | More by emerge077

paco1029384756

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear golden color with a small white head.

Scent of light oak, sweet, juicy hops, citrus, grass, and a hint of caramel. The oak character is nice and balanced here.

Taste of cereal, malts, light sweet sugars, honey, subtle hops, and sweet oak. The bitterness is nice, but the beer falls just shy of being great. It's a bit like eating Honey Combs with an IPA poured over them.

Mouthfeel is medium light bodied with a good, smooth carbonation.

If this is a sign of things to come, I cannot wait to drink more of the Two Brothers oak aged beers.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2010 22:36:59 | More by paco1029384756

homebrew311

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Saw this at the store today... part of the new Two Brother's J Series. Aged in French Oak Foudres.

A: Pours a brilliant bright copper, crystal clear, dense white head with lots of lacing, good head retention

S: the nose starts with some aromatic hops..not huge on the hop aroma, but definitely there... not quite what I was expecting for a IPA with 70 IBUs. The hops on the front meld into a bready malt profile with a presence of oak. Lots of different notes come up in the aroma, but the malt and oak dominates the end.

T: the hops on the front are bitter and subdued, slightly piney, which then gives way to this strong malty backbone that integrates with the oak pretty nicely, the finish is nice and long with lingering notes of oak

mf: crisp and smooth body with low carbonation

D: this is an interesting brew, something about it isn't quite latching on for me. The oak and malt backbone is nice, but something about the hop profile isn't adding up for me. There is some bitterness, but not that nice fresh aromatic hop profile that you would expect a freshly bottled 70 IBU IPA to have.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2010 23:59:29 | More by homebrew311