Old 1713 - Two Brothers Brewing Company

beagle75

Iowa

3.23/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bomber into a tulip glass.

A: Clear, dark amber color with a loose peripheral ring of off-white bubbles. Scant lacing remains on the glass.

S: Very fruity, like cooked apples, with definite caramel character as well.

T: Begins off-dry, with early esters that match the fruit of the smell followed too soon by particularly spicy acidity. A drying trend begins early in the middle causing the early malt qualities to become diminished. The finish is too clean and bitter, a little herbaceous.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, balanced if a little syrupy and acidic, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: This mid-strength scotch ale begins alright but loses its best qualities too soon. Bitterness reaches uncharacteristic levels as malt is pre-empted.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 22:52:02 | More by beagle75

WKole81

Illinois

3/5  rDev -16%

05-25-2013 04:47:35 | More by WKole81

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +5%

05-01-2013 05:48:05 | More by spycow

coffygrinder

Illinois

4/5  rDev +12%

04-23-2013 11:14:27 | More by coffygrinder

superspak

Michigan

3.8/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in July 2012. Pours slightly cloudy reddish orange color with a 1-2 finger dense off cream colored head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of caramel, raisin, pear, toast, brown sugar, biscuit, nuttiness, light chocolate, floral, herbal, light pepper, and toasted earthiness. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of malt with fruity/hop notes; doesn’t smell overly sweet. Taste of caramel, golden raisin, pear, brown sugar, toffee, biscuit, nuttiness, toasted grain, light chocolate, floral, pepper, and toasted earthiness. Light amount of pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, light fruits, brown sugar, toffee, biscuit, nuttiness, light chocolate, toasted grain, pepper, floral, and earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of malt/fruity flavors; with moderate floral/spicy hop balance and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly creamy and fairly slick mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very good scotch ale. Good balance and complexity of malt/fruity flavors; and very smooth to sip on. A nicely enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 05:28:50 | More by superspak

vande

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +5%

03-31-2013 01:02:59 | More by vande

pathman

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +5%

02-15-2013 00:25:56 | More by pathman

thebouch01

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -16%

02-10-2013 04:50:52 | More by thebouch01

dtx00

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -16%

02-09-2013 01:04:58 | More by dtx00

TheSSG

Illinois

3/5  rDev -16%

01-20-2013 18:41:28 | More by TheSSG

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The Old 1713 is a retro release for the two brothers. The beer poured a rich clear amber with thin slightly off-white head that is lacing nicely. The smell was mostly non-existent...some slight caramel malt. The taste starts very malty with hints of caramel....then the hops and alcohol turn the beer slightly bitter which helps to clear the pallet nicely. The mouthfeel was nice....a fuller body with smooth carbonation. Overall it is a nice Scotch Ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 03:30:02 | More by WoodBrew

stortore

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +5%

12-24-2012 03:24:14 | More by stortore

akttr

Michigan

3/5  rDev -16%

12-22-2012 04:35:08 | More by akttr

dmartin118

3/5  rDev -16%

11-24-2012 21:55:27 | More by dmartin118

JuniperJesus

Illinois

4/5  rDev +12%

11-15-2012 04:00:40 | More by JuniperJesus

Bung

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz. Pretty clear dark red pour. Layer of white. Laces the glass just a bit.

Aroma, toasted malt, toffee and some herbal hop notes.

Taste, a little herbal and pine up front. Not overbearing really though. A nice toffee, leather, toasted malt the rest of the way. As it warms some pumpernickel and light cocoa comes out.

About mid bodied. Coats enough. Easy to drink with the more balanced than usual nature. Abv is well hidden.

A more balanced rather than malt bomb. I prefer the malt bomb, but this really wasn't bad.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 03:30:13 | More by Bung

JohnnyHopps

Indiana

2.95/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I consider myself a fan of this style of beer. However, I have never had a Scottish IPA, which is what this one seems like. The hops kill everything I like about a Scottish Ale in this one.

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, the beer was a murky brown color with little head or carbonation. The aroma was mildly malty, not really an attention getter. I was rather shocked on the initial taste. Expecting the smooth toasted malts, I instead received a jolt of hops like pale ale. By far, this was more hoppy than malty. There is some potential here. Upon their revelation, the dark toasted malts are quite tasty with hints of toffee and biscuit. Unfortunately, the malts are masked. The malts are more apparent in the aftertaste, but this is not what I was expecting.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 00:26:20 | More by JohnnyHopps

benfairbank

4.25/5  rDev +19%

11-01-2012 22:06:17 | More by benfairbank

Oboogie

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -9%

10-27-2012 13:40:24 | More by Oboogie

mjryan

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I've never been to Scotland. I really haven't had that many Scotish brewed strong ales. The ones I have had were okay, but I suspect time was not on their side. I have however had a good handful of North American brewed versions of strong Scottish ale, and I wonder if this beer misses the mark a bit or if other N. American. versions miss the mark. See, this beer actually has some hops. I'm not talking IPA level hops here, but it certainly has more of them than I've come expect from the style. Generally, I don't like strong Scottish ales. They seem sweet, overly malty and frankly, unpalatable. Seriously, are true Scottish ales essentially low hopped malt bombs? Anyway, this one brings the balance back towards the middle of the balance spectrum. Doggy biscuit, honey and caramel dominate the nose. It's nice and what I expected. Starts sweet, with caramel and light milk chocolate flavours. But wait, there are some hops there. Woody, garden herb and earth (like dirt, but in a forest after an Autumn rain way). Subtle mind you, but that's what I'm getting. Bitterness as well. It's almost drying, but caramel sweetness stills finishes the sip with a touch of chalky bakers chocolate. It's really nice actually. While this beer brings the balance a bit better than most of the others I've had that fall into this style, it's still something of a desert beer. Yeah, try it. It's well made and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 01:51:49 | More by mjryan

BuckeyeSlim

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle poured into a NB snifter.

A - Pours a light copper color with full carbonation that produces a two-finger head of rich, ecru foam that slowly collapses, leaving full rings of lace on the side and pillows on the surface. The beer is a rosewood and low sunset color, and clear.

S - Well-toasted caramel malts and brown sugar jump into the nose. Hints of white pepper and cinnamon spice along with dusky floral hops follow and demand notice.

T - Dark, dry floral, almost resin hops define the taste, with the toasted, slightly burnt caramel and butterscotch malts supporting them in the background. This is a NW US version of the style - hop-forward and favoring bitter. Slightly boozy on the finish, but the alcohol - almost 8% - is well-hidden.

M - Fizzy, almost foamy fills the mouth. Full carbonation, just as the pour suggested. Lighter body than expected. Hops really clean off the palette for the finish, and it's their bitterness that lingers on the tongue with just a touch of dark caramel. Well-blended, solid structure.

O - The quality of the components is readily apparent. It's definitely an American take rather than a traditional one on the style, with the hops taking the lead and the malts in the supporting role. I want to like this beer more than I do because it's very well-made, but I much prefer my Scotch ales being malt-forward. Still, definitely worth tasting, and would make an excellent gift for someone who likes his hops.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 02:00:25 | More by BuckeyeSlim

Rayek

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -2%

10-09-2012 20:58:33 | More by Rayek

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From: Piccadilly in Champaign, IL
Date: None on bottle, in stores in August
Glass: Standard US pint glass

Two Brothers produces a hop-forward Scottish ale. A bit strange in theory, but generally successful in execution, this is a nicely caramel-malt-sweet ale with aggressive hop bitterness, but not much in the way of citrus flavors. Would have again if seen.

Pours a Head retention is at or a little below average, but the receding foam does leave behind significant rings of lacing along the sides of the glass, and the sheeting action after each sip is very pleasant to behold. The body is a transparent brown-orange color, light bringing out lighter shades of burnt orange and even a bit of goldenrod. Carbonation is visible and substantial, rising steadily from the bottom of the glass.

Aroma is substantially caramel-like, with a hint of toasted nuts. No ethanol is really present, and the bittering hops that lie in wait are not particularly noticeable here. The scent profile is a little on the weak side once the head fades, a bit disappointing.

Two Brothers has interestingly decided not to focus solely on the malt in this, more than balancing it with substantial bittering hops. Front of palate picks up some caramel malt sweetness with a bit of mineral character and some light, bitter hoppiness. Mid-palate finds an interesting mix of caramel malt and substantial, bitter hoppiness, with the caramel malt just winning out. Back of palate picks up substantial hop bitterness, less noticeable malt sweetness and caramel flavor, and a brief bit of ethanol. Lingering hop bitterness in the aftertaste, actually slightly overpowering the caramel-like residual maltiness.

Beer is medium bodied and quite full, with carbonation being at medium to medium-low levels. The result is a generally smooth mouthfeel, with a bit of fizzy carbonation to make things interesting initially. Finish is dry and a bit sticky, as expected.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 05:34:12 | More by falloutsnow

TastyIsBeer

Illinois

3/5  rDev -16%

09-28-2012 23:29:11 | More by TastyIsBeer

harrylee773

Illinois

4/5  rDev +12%

09-28-2012 02:01:30 | More by harrylee773