Two Brothers Brewing Company - Domaine DuPage

Two Brothers’ longtime flagship beer is a stylistic recreation of the often overlooked bière de garde style (a French farmhouse ale style) and the name pays tribute to the Illinois county that the brewery calls home (named after the river of the same name, DuPage, after the French trader who settled there in the 18th century). This classic has won a slew of awards including Gold at the GABF in 2016 and at the World Beer Cup in 2014. Domaine DuPage presents an attractive medium amber hue with a cap of beige foam. As a bière de garde, it’s a good deal darker than most saisons – the similar Belgian farmhouse style more commonly encountered. On the nose, look for underlying notes of caramel and lightly toasted bread, along with some mild hints of tree fruits. On the palate: this is just such a well-balanced and satisfying brew. The body is smooth and rather full, and those malty aroma notes are realized in full effect in the flavor, which is deceptively complex. We get a great depth to the caramel and toast character, reminding us at times of some of the rich decoction mashed lagers of Germany. The malts offer light sweetness, but it’s never over the top, as it’s countered nicely by a touch of herbal hop bitterness and a dash of peppery yeast – all while some fruity flashes poke through too. For pairing options, the brewery recommends chicken, seafood, burgers, spicy cuisine, and poached pears with dulce de leche. Cheers!

Two Brothers Brewing Company is a family-owned brewery located in Warrenville, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Prior to starting the brewery, founders Jim and Jason Ebel opened up The Brewer’s Coop, a homebrewing and home winemaking shop. Between the two of them, they were seasoned homebrewers and for years they talked about starting a brewery. Jason moved out west to hone his brewing skills at the Tabernash Brewery in Denver, CO, and also gained some experience at Mickey Finn’s in Libertyville, IL. During this time, the two still talked about starting their own brewery. Eventually, they drove their families just a little bit nuts with all the talk and finally decided to go for it and start a brewpub; but, with no real financing and no experience in restaurant management, they decided a brewery would be a better bet. While planning and working the shop, Jim earned his law degree and Jason earned his brewing degree at the famed Siebel Institute in Chicago. In 1996 they officially opened the brewery. Their goal was to bring fresh, high-quality brews to the Chicagoland area.

Over the past three decades, Two Brothers has grown in leaps and bounds, now inhabiting a 40,000 sq. ft. brewing facility with a 50-barrel system and 3,000 barrels of fermenter space. Should you be visiting the Chicago area, you can check out the Two Brothers wares in greater detail at Two Brothers Tap House in Warrenville or the Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora—all within 25 minutes of one another. For their latest info, visit their website at twobrothersbrewing.com.