Circus Penguin - Two Brothers Brewing Company

mattyrubes

New York

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

04-15-2012 03:08:40 | More by mattyrubes

spycow

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

05-01-2013 05:50:35 | More by spycow

coffygrinder

Illinois

3/5  rDev -14.5%

04-23-2013 11:11:41 | More by coffygrinder

Jamison85

Indiana

4/5  rDev +14%

03-27-2013 05:35:40 | More by Jamison85

t0rin0

California

3/5  rDev -14.5%

03-04-2013 13:55:47 | More by t0rin0

TheSSG

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%

01-20-2013 18:40:48 | More by TheSSG

mishtif

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

01-16-2013 20:55:24 | More by mishtif

DrFunkenstein

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

11-20-2012 01:38:06 | More by DrFunkenstein

AleApostle

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

10-24-2012 15:17:39 | More by AleApostle

HosP

Indiana

3.48/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Been a while since reviewing. Picked this up the other day, hadn't bought a bomber in months! Poured into fff pint glass. Poured hazy, golden color. Fluffy white head with lace left on glass. Interesting nose. Some citrus hop smell, with a mild maybe musty beet? smell. Not sure. Taste has a good amount of hop burst up front, citrus mostly. Pretty refreshing. Sweetness at the end. Not a beet fan so not sure if its beets or what. Medium body with a little bit of a dry mouthfeel. Overall interesting beer. Not something normal. Good, but not sure I would pick it up again. Worth the $7 to try!

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 02:32:34 | More by HosP

WoodBrew

Illinois

4/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The Circus Penguin is pretty decent....and definitely different. The beer poured an orange with some floaties with nice foamy white head that is lacing. The smell has beets with a touch of orange peel. The taste is a moderate pale ale with some hints of beet and orange. The body is medium to light with good carbonations. Overall it is pretty decent.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 03:16:50 | More by WoodBrew

jenray

Texas

3/5  rDev -14.5%

07-15-2012 22:51:38 | More by jenray

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle from Binny's in Champaign, IL
No bottled on date
Poured into a standard US pint glass

Two Brothers' Circus Penguin is an interesting blend of ingredients into a pale ale, but the result does not come through in the actual beer. The beets are totally absent (and when were they added, because any beets I've cooked would have died this a hearty magenta?) and the blood orange seems to be reduced to a bit of rind-like essence and bitterness in the flavor. While this isn't amazing, it's still a satisfyingly enjoyable beer, though I think I'd take their normal offerings over it..

Pours a 2cm whitish head that has fairly decent retention, eventually diminishing to a ring around the glass with some islands of foam, leaving good lacing along the sides of the glass. Body is a transparent golden orange color, with light bringing out paler yellow-gold accents. Carbonation is visible and quite streaming.

Aroma is of light and slight caramel-colored malts, with notable citrus from hop choices and, possibly, blood orange, though blood orange isn't particularly sharp and citrusy like grapefruit. Not particularly strong or effusive, but enjoyable enough.

Taste is well-balanced between light and caramel-colored malts, bittering and citrus hops, and a bit of orange rind that shows up mid-palate and continues through, lasting into the aftertaste. Not pulling in any of those beets, though. Taste is akin to an amped-up English Pale Ale, with more bitterness than across the pond.

Beer is medium to medium-light bodied, with medium amounts of carbonation. The result is a beer that is crisp and taught across the palate, easily drinkable and enjoyable. Closes out expectedly dry, with no residual stickiness in the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 03:16:51 | More by falloutsnow

hoppymcgee

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

06-06-2012 15:14:28 | More by hoppymcgee

metter98

New York

3.48/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is slightly hazy yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high white head that died down a bit and left lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of orange citrus in the nose, but these seem to be more from the blood oranges rather than the hops.
T: The taste has flavors of pale malts along with notes of orange citrus and hints of beets. A light amount of bitterness is present in the finish.
M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied, smooth and a bit crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer isn’t that difficult to drink because the beet flavors are subdued.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 20:12:45 | More by metter98

CelticAleMan

California

3/5  rDev -14.5%

05-28-2012 04:26:01 | More by CelticAleMan

cestlavie

Yukon (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%

05-26-2012 21:40:06 | More by cestlavie

gshackles

New York

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

05-20-2012 02:03:54 | More by gshackles

beagle75

Iowa

3.35/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a tasting glass.

A: Clear, medium golden color with a sparse surface residue of white bubbles. Scant lacing remains on the glass and fine solids hang motionless in the column.

S: Mostly floral, lighter citrus, lightest malt. All qualities are generally mild and refreshing.

T: Begins dry, with early floral hop aromatics and chalky base malt. Sweetness enjoys a brief peak into the middle alongside moderate citric acidity. Floral qualities persist to the finish where bitterness is more aggressive than expected, and detached from other aromatic flavors.

M: Thin viscosity, slightly acidic on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: This is an interesting ale of the palest variety that struggles to really distinguish itself. While early aromatic qualities are titillatingly floral, heavy bitterness and synthetic plastic tend to give back any ground that was gained. There is such an obvious disconnect between bitterness and earlier aromatic flavors that the source of those flavors is revealed not as hop but other flavor adjunct such as the blood orange. Still, it presents a flavorful blond ale with pronounced floral qualities, derived from whatever source, that drinks easily enough.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 19:41:10 | More by beagle75

sweemzander

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22oz bottle poured into a tulip. Thanks chris for sharing!

(A)- Pours a cloudy orange color. Some good tan froth.

(S)- A lightly zesty citrus profile of orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit. Subtle vegetable hints. Even more sublter pine. Great citrus though.

(T)- Much heavier in the vegetable department, though the citrus still shows up from the smell. Its a bit like a citrus and vegetable garden with a hint of pine.

(M)- A good carbonation level. Definitely a unique balance to it. Unique, but I am not as sold if that is a good thing or bad; might be a bit "too" unique.

(D)- Definitely a unique beer for the style. The blood orange definitely adds an interesting dimension to the beer, but I think the beets could have been toned down or not added at all.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 15:09:16 | More by sweemzander

LJWalker

Alabama

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

05-05-2012 15:50:45 | More by LJWalker

ChadQuest

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Visual is clear with some small particles floating about. It is not hazy like yeast, so i bet it is from the beets and blood oranges?
lacing and head to give it proper headwear.
The aroma is pale malt biscuit, with a citrus that could either be well done hops or the blood oranges, but ill assume its both. not strong, but pleasent.
Flavors are less crisp then i expected, i cant say i notice the beets, and once again i assume the citrus is a hop/blood orange combo, but the malt backbone is supportive. I think if they added a light spice in here that would have been the missing element, but props for experiments, Two brothers needs more of it.

A solid beer, average, half better, half worse.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 01:52:42 | More by ChadQuest

SFC21

New York

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

04-29-2012 01:10:43 | More by SFC21

rmcnealy

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a medium amber gold that wasn't very translucent and appeared to not be totally filtered. Produced a dense bone white head that fleeted to a solid ring around the glass and a foggy layer atop the brew. The initial smells are of very slight hop and a Belgian-esque yeast smell that may be from the beets. Not much on the malt side. The hop tastes (which aren't prevalent) are in the middle of the scale; smack between the citrus and piney tastes. Definite tastes of beets. The blood oranges aren't very noticeable to my palet right now. The taste has a slight bitterness to it. It is very crisp and refreshing. The 5.9% abv is about right. Another nice offering from Two Brothers.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 00:31:26 | More by rmcnealy

antoines15

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%

04-19-2012 00:50:10 | More by antoines15