Two Brothers Brewing Company - Domaine DuPage French Country Ale

Two Brothers B.C. pays keen attention to detail, from stylistic recreation of the little known Bière de Garde style (French farmhouse ale) to their label designs (notice how their brewery name is in French on the label of this beer). 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). Expect a nice woody, spruce-like character, with notes of straw, apples, peach and some musty yeast on the nose. The flavor progression is multifaceted and highly complex, beginning soft & lightly sweet with breaddy, caramel notes, broken by a bigger breaddy character that piques through with notes of dark cherries, and a bit of bourbon-esque alcohol flavor. This is all followed by a delicate spiciness, followed by a dry, grassy finish. Your palate is in for a wild ride with this one!

Two Brothers Brewing Company is a small, family owned microbrewery located just outside of Chicago, Illinois, in Warrenville. Prior to starting the brewery, founders Jim Ebel and his brother Jason 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, Colorado, and also gained some experience at Mickey Finn's in Libertyville, IL. But 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 famous brewing school known as the Seibel Institute in Chicago. Not a bad combo when setting out on a business venture like starting a brewery. In 1996 they officially opened the brewery. Their goal was to bring fresh, quality brews to the Chicagoland area. Now in their 10th year, they continue to create traditional beer styles that most companies overlook, and have committed to brewing 10 artisanal beers this year to commemorate (and still run The Brewer's Coop—these guys are busy!). If you live in IL, MA, or PA, watch your store shelves for their stellar brews. We've featured a couple this month to whet your appetite. For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (630) 393-4800 or check out their web site at www.twobrosbrew.com.