Hop Juice vs Hop Juice Black

Happy IPA Day everybody!  To appropriately celebrate this noble holiday you would expect me to review an IPA, right?  Well, to really do things right, I'll be reviewing two IPAs today whilst comparing and contrasting.  Making matters even better is the fact that the Hop Juice Black is a pretty exclusive bottle.  It was only available during Two Brothers Hop Juice Festival, which they held at the brewery earlier this year.  It has been a while since I've sampled these two side-by-side and I'm excited to see how they compare.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

First:  Hop Juice:

How amazing does that look?

Aroma 11/12
When first poured, citrus is easily the most dominating of the hops' aromas, but also features notes of grass, pine, and wood. After sitting for a moment the piney resin takes its rightful place at center stage, but still allowing other players to show themselves.  It's a trifecta of hoppy goodness: pine, citrus, grass.  In that order.  It all blends together superbly, and even lets a little roasted grain peek out its head.

Appearance 3/3
A glass full of copper glints and a hue of glowing dark-pumpin-orange make this beer insanely attractive.  Even the head appears to be some sort of pumpin pastel color!  The head seemed to come out of nowhere.  I was about to be disappointed with its quantity, when it rapidly appeared and rushed to the top of my tulip glass.  The head is large, fluffy, lasting, and leaves sticky lace all over my glass.  For an DIPA, this is as good as it gets.  You may quote me.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 19/20
There is so much going on here, I feel like I could write pages.  Initial flavors are sweet with citrus and raw sugar.  They are just a flash though before fading into the backbone of a strong caramel tone, deliciously roasted malt, and... surprisingly few hop flavors.  They are present (especially the pine), as is their bitter calling card, but they are definitely not a focus point.  Some hop sweetness is even shown as is pear-like or like a muted apple flavor.  The finish is (of course) a strong bitter, but it is very well balanced with the caramel, rum,  and what seems to be a near butterscotch quality.  Aftertaste is peppery bitterness.

Mouthfeel 4/5
Medium-full body with very little carbonation even halfway through the bomber bottle.  Any alcohol warmth in this 9.9% ABV brew is camouflaged extremely well by the abrasive hop characters.

Overall Impression 9/10
This bottle was purchased at the brewery in mid-June, but I fear some of the hops' aggressive nature may have quieted in that period (less than two months).  The malts were far and away the feature flavors of the beer's backbone even if the hops made their mark felt everywhere else.  Lots of good bitter to satisfy the hop heads and plenty of other things going on to keep them on their toes.  The aroma changes constantly as the beer warms!  If you buy a bottle be sure to keep checking back with it.

Total 45/50
A great way to celebrate IPA Day!  The aroma is to die for in any of its many variations, the color and head are beyond expectation, and the flavor is surprisingly sweet for a beer of this namesake.  What else can I say?    If you love hops, you'll love this beer.  Go buy it!


and now for.... HOP JUICE BLACK!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

Aroma 7/12
Much lower ranking than its brother.  It is very faint in comparison, heck, it is very faint overall.  What aroma is there is pine and charred malt.  It is a beer that has a aggressive character, yet seems to be speaking in a whisper.  I hope I did not let this sit too long and deteriorate the hop character.  The warmth becomes dramatically more noticeable as the beer warms, as does the pine/citrus blend.

Appearance 3/3
The beer is all but completely opaque as it does allow a few ruby facets to shine through its dark complexion. The head is a light khaki that, not to be outdone by his brother, also leaves tremendous lacing.  Though it is not as cloudy, Hop Juice Black's head is much more dense and wet looking.  Even in presentation, these two beers are neck and neck.  Hop Juice Black pulled the exact same "Appearing Head" trick that Hop Juice did.  It is a very neat effect.

Flavor 17/20
This is quite mellow overall and a lot more mellow than I recall from the festival.  It starts with molasses plus the darkest of caramel, and soon turns into the burnt malt from the aroma and hints of its high ABV.  The hop notes, with the exception of the pine and pepper, are extremely light, confirming my fears of letting it sit too long.  The hop notes included are pepper, pine resin, and the faintest of citrus sweetness (not sour).  The finish is bitter like coffee with lots of alcohol heat felt on the sides of the tongue as it makes its exit.  Plenty of bitter in this bad boy.  Not only do the hops do an excellent job of providing a nice, sharp bitter, but the burnt malt too adds something to the bitter profile.  The aftertaste is simply bitter.  No malt, no hop subtleties.  Just bitter, leaving the mouth salivating.

Mouthfeel 5/5
A nice, big body to support these bold flavors, even in their muted form.  The warmth adds a  prickle to the mouth that could be misconstrued as carbonation, though the carbonation is not prickly, even if it is abundant toward the end of the bomber.  A light creaminess goes hand in hand with the bold flavors to make this beer a true sipper.


Overall Impression 7/10
"Caramel, burnt coffee, and a touch of pine" sums up this beer rather nicely.  The alcohol warmth is not distracting to the flavor, but is prickly hot on the sides of the tongue during the finish.  This sampling is not as biting as I recall during the festival and I feel I may have done this beer a disservice by holding onto it and trying to hold on to it for a special occasion.


Total 39/50
This score still places it in the 'Excellent' category, but perhaps by no fault of its own.  This beer was much more aggressive the first time I tasted it from the tap at the brewery  (basically, as fresh as it gets).  In fact, on that hot, hot summer day I strongly questioned the wisdom of having several glasses of Hop Juice Black; not only for its high ABV (official numbers are hotly debated), but because of its bitter, sticky, piney, full bodied nature.




Results


                                             Hop Juice                                               Hop Juice Black
Aroma                                      11/12                                                                7/12
Appearance                               3/3                                                                  3/3
Flavor                                      18/20                                                              17/20
Mouthfeel                                 4/5                                                                  5/5
Overall Impression                  9/10                                                               7/10


Total                                      45/50                                                               39/50


Verdict
I hereby declare Hop Juice the winner by a country mile.  The less dark profile really allows the hops to strut their stuff in a variety of ways.  It also allows for a lot more nuance and complexity, especially when that complexity involves the sweetnesses that are in Hop Juice.  I love dark beers as much as the next guy, but flavor is still king.

Great look for this brew!

The best I could capture the screen printing on this bottle.

Two Brothers Hop Juice Festival

Oh man, had I been looking forward to this festival for a looong time.  A couple of times now (and more pending), my friends and I will make a "beer run."  It's usually friends from the upper half of Illinois (and one from Milwaukee) and we all meet at a brewery for a day.  We drink, talk smart, drink some more, appreciate beer, drink a little, eat, laugh a ton, buy beer we can't normally get, and then drive home.  It's a great excuse to see some long time friends that I don't usually get to see that often.  I highly recommend it.  It also works great for those with families and/or spouses because it's only a one day trip (hence a "beer run" not a "beer stay").

It had been drizzly and overcast all week, so several of us were preparing ourselves for a poncho-clad, drenched day of drinking.  Even the thought of "owning" a bad situation and making the most out of it excited us. Rain or shine we would be there and we were going to have a blast.

We arrived shortly after noon.  Parking was pretty poorly marked.  Two Brothers (old/primary) brewery is located in an industrial park, so there are plenty of adjeacent lots in which to park.  Only problem was we, nor anybody else knew we could park in those lots.  Turns out there were small signs at the entrance of nearby lots indicating we could park there, but cars parked on the shoulder had blocked those signs and lots of people ended up walking a looooong way to get to the festival.  After our own trek to the brewery, things were looking pretty good.  A bluegrass band was playing, people were drinking, the sun was shining, and we see this when we  arrive.

Oh, just a Tesla Roadster.  I'd never seen one of these before in person.  While cars and drinking are not a good combination, looking/lusting after cars and drinking is a fantastic combination and I appreciated the eye candy.  OK, one more pic for good measure.

The car was located at the tail end of a line that stretched out from the entrance gate of the festival.  Granted, the entrance gate of the festival did not have a long line.  They were checking IDs and admitting people very quickly.  Outside, the festival however is where the rare Hop Juice Black was being sold in large bottles.  Unfortunately, since one cannot bring glass into the festival there was a large line to procure the festival-exclusive brew, take it back to your car, and then finally get admitted to the festival.  For those of you paying attention, yes, that does mean another crazy long walk BACK to the car and then an additional walk to return to the festival.  Yikes.  This is the line.

The order/checkout counter for the many different Two Brothers beers was in front of the window.  Please note the blacktop we are standing on and the shadows we are casting.  Yes, the sun was in full effect and we were cooking out on the blacktop.  I would wait.  I had no idea how many bottles of Hop Juice Black they were going to be selling, but I knew that I wanted several.  Besides, they guys in front of us were cool, so we chatted and made smart talk until we all finally got our chance to buy.  There were jokes made that one buyer had originally only planned to buy 6, but to make all the time in line worth while (and the resultant thirst) "now I'm up to a 12 pack."  On a side note, after dropping off the beer at our car, one of the guys that was in front of us was driving by en route to pick up all his buddies' beer so they wouldn't have to walk them back.  He was kind enough to offer us a ride back to the festival.  This is just another example of why I love craft beer drinkers: great sense of community.

Our make-shift chauffeurs and some pretty cool guys.

After being chauffeured back to the front gates we quickly got our wrist bands and entered.

Thankfully, we were able to purchase food/drink tickets when we purchased the Hop Juice Black, so we didn't have to wait in that line.  However, there were still lines to be found.

This is the line for food.  Not too shabby.

These were the lines for beer and the first sight when entering the festival.  Yikes.

When we arrived, there was a gentleman (I use the term loosely) storming out of the festival raving about the lines. "Lines to get in.  Lines to get beer.  Lines to get tickets.  This is bullshit!"  We mocked him in line wondering if he expected to be the only person here.  However, as the day progressed we began to see his point from a calmer point of view.  Lines were everywhere.  Long lines.  Lines long enough that after you ordered a beer, you had to immediately get back in line so that by the time you finished your beer, you could have another.  Who wants to be beerless in line?  Also, I am currently only referring to the lines for the Two Brothers brand beer.  The line for the "guest taps" tent was even longer!  

More lines.

Perhaps the lines would not have seemed so bad were it not for the heat.  It was a gorgeous day to be in many places: the beach, the park, baseball game... blacktop parking lot is not on that list.  It was cooking outside.  We were pouring sweat and couldn't down the beer fast enough.  We were glad to have such amazing weather, but now were hoping for just a little more of that rain we heard about.  The heat and blacktop combination is what would eventually force us to leave the festival.  A little grass in the area would have went a looong way.

The blurgrass bands did their best to take our minds off of the heat.
I love that their stage is partially constructed with kegs.

There were some things that Two Bros. did really well.  

1.  Ample port-a-potties.  I never had to wait in line.

2.  Adequate space.  Not a lot of bumping into people, except when trying to go through a line that would be blocking your path.

3.  Cold beer.  Despite the beer in outdoor tents on a super sunny day, I always got a cold beer.  It might not have stayed that way for long, but they can hardly be blamed for that.

4.  Tasty beer and great guest taps.

5.  Bands that weren't offensively loud.  It was nice to hear music, but also hear the person next to me.  I cannot emphasize this enough.

We enjoyed the festival, but there were definitely some things that Two Brothers could do to improve it.

1.  Mark your parking better.  One long walk is bad.  Two more to take purchased beer in glass bottles back to your car and return is exasperating.  The fourth to leave is expected.  Help us shorten those walks and to utilize the lots you probably asked your neighboring businesses if you could use.  Bigger or better-placed signs would be a big help.  Especially on such a hot day when any additional walking sucks.

2. More tents.  Yes, this would cut down on lines.  However, it would also leave less room within the confines of your parking lot.  I understand that conundrum, hence my next suggestion...

3. Move the festival.   Moving the festival might cost more money, but at $6 for a half solo cup full of Hop Juice or Hop Juice Black (or full cups of year-round brews), money may not be your biggest concern.  Moving the festival to say, a local outdoor venue, would give you the following:

- Grass on which to sit.

- Trees to provide shade

- More room for tents

- More tents = shorter lines = less waiting

- Less waiting for beer also = more people with access to purchase point = more purchases = more money

People "picnicking" on blacktop.  Notice the line?

4. Stages of VIP tickets?

VIP tickets were only $65 (nice) and got you access to...

* Guaranteed entry to the festival even if the general admission is at capacity;
* Exclusive Access to the Two Brothers Tap House and Patio;
* Exclusive Access to the VIP Bar;
* Exclusive Access to the indoor Two Brothers Tap House Bathrooms;
* A seat to rest your hop lovin' feet;
* 5 complimentary beers (21 or older with state-issued ID);
* Unlimited free non-alcoholic drinks;
* Brat-and-finger-food buffet all day long and
* A special dinner buffet from 6-8pm

That's a damn good deal!  However, several of my comrades expressed a wish for a $20-$30 pseudo-VIP ticket that maybe just included ice water, air conditioning, a seat in said air conditioning, and maybe something else to be determined.  Not a necessity for a good festival, but Two Brothers could make more money and customers get something they want.  Win-win, right?  Yeah, I know that there are indoor space constraints on this one, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice to see in some shape or form (doesn't have to be in their super-nice bar area, maybe?).

Overall, we had some great beer and some great talk, but eventually we left to find some shade, A/C, and beers that weren't $6 for a Solo cup (or as mentioned earlier $6 for half a Solo cup for the higher ABV brews).  I know festivals are generally more expensive as are most things in the way of entertainment (amusement parks, fairs, concerts, etc), but does this compare to festivals in your area?  Please comment.  I'd love to know.

The day ended with bags games, cooking out, drinking more good beer.  What more could you ask for?  Thanks to Two Brothers for throwing a tasty festival and for giving us boys a good excuse to get together and drink some brews.  Cheers!

Two worst bag players, ever.

Leaving Chicago.

Two Brothers Brewing Co. - Ebel's Weiss Beer

A very good friend of mine happens to live in Warrenville, IL.  He also happens to live but 5 minutes from the Two Brothers Brewing Co, and his recommendation should come as no surprise.  There are several reasons that I am very happy to review this beer.

1.  It was recommended by a friend.
2.  It comes from an area not known for its craft/microbrews.
3.  I have not heard of this brewery before.

This is not coming from Portland, OR or some funny town in Wisconsin; this is coming from the Chicago suburbs.  Perfect!  The more unusual and unexpected the better.  Surprise me!  Give me an experience!  Again, big thanks to Luke for the recommendation.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

Aroma 11/12
From a 3oz sample the first scent is unmistakably vanilla.  Underneath it is a  rich, bready malt which is perfect for the style.  The bits of clove also make themselves known.  No fruitiness to speak of and that is nice.  I could see how one could confuse the vanilla and clove combination for the traditional "banana" smell, but this beer manages to avoid it well.  Perhaps, it is the scent of a more authentic vanilla and not one based in high fructose corn syrup?  This aroma is perfectly done to style, but a bit darker and I like the subtle change.

Appearance 3/3
As seen in the picture above, this beer poured with a very generous , cream-colored head.  If you have read any of the recent reviews, you know I have been struggling to find beers that not only pour a larger head, but also retain it.  This beer did both and it made me smile.  Finally!  The pour was a dark, cloudy yellow with lots of visible sediment and yeasty treats.  The cloudy is to style, the abundance of yeast is not always present.  I hope it does not effect the flavor negatively.  On appearance alone, this beer again nails the style and adds something extra. EBC is an almost exact 20.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 17/20
This is a superbly balanced beer.  It does not attack you with sweetness or fall back upon it to cover up any potential lackings.  The initial dark sweetness leads almost immediately with the bready malt we found in the aroma.  Just when you start to recognize the malt, in comes the hop to balance out everything perfectly.  These flavors do not bum-rush you, but rather lead almost seamlessly one to another, each complimenting the last.  It is quite a departure from beers that smack you with, "this is the malt, this is hops, this is the finish, now wait for the after.  Got it?  Good."  These all flow together and do so in harmony.

Mouthfeel 5/5
Again, almost perfect to style.  Some might see it as a bit light-bodied, but I found it to increase its drinkability without sacrificing accuracy.  I would still call it a medium-bodied beer with low-medium carbonation and bits of warmth and creaminess.

Overall Impression 9/10
Its stylistic accuracy is spot on, yet it still manages to add something new in several areas.  It looks, tastes, smells, and feels exactly the way a weiss beer should, but manages to separate itself from the herd.  This beer also manages to avoid the common pitfalls of being too sweet, too fruity, or too dependent on the ever-present orange slice (bah!).

Total 45/50
Beer in the suburbs lives!  I could not get over the complimentary nature of this beer's flavors nor its adherence to style.  I am also still very pleasantly surprised that this beer came out of the Chicago suburbs, an area now widely known for its breweries.  This beer's balance, dark flavor tones, and avoidance of fake/synthetic tasting flavors are its true calling cards.  Big kudos to Two Brothers Brewing Co!  I know that I will be making the several hour trip to visit your facilities in the not-too-distant future.  If this is any indication of the quality of beers they make there in Warrenville, then this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.