On a warm Summer's night in June, three of my friends and I decided to pay a visit to Saint Stephen's Green. Located at 17th and Green in Philadelphia, it's literally a stone's throw away from my new apartment. With terrific food and a vast beer selection to boot, this is the perfect place to have just around the corner.After a quick talk with the tender about the place, I gathered that the owners take great pride in their beer selection. I was told they try to rotate in new craft beers on tap from across the US as kegs are finished week to week. The couple times I've been there, they've had brews from the likes Lagunitas, Southern Tier, and Bell's to name a few. To accompany their 10 or so beers on tap, they have a list of upwards of 30 bottled craft beers to choose from. They range in company and style, making sure there's something for everyone.
On this particular night, I was in the mood for a red ale. When I saw the name "Hopped-Up Red Rye Ale", I had a winner:
Looks: As I held the beer up, a deep, dark red came through. Since the waitress poured the beer, there was very little head involved, but judging by the makeup of this brew, it would have been very slight anyway. It most likely would have formed and subsided rather quickly. Some stats: 17.0ยบ Plato / 68 IBU / 7.0% ABV.
Smell: The hops led the parade, giving me both flowery and piny aromas. With rye and malts working as the sideshow, this brew treated me to a very refreshing and exhilerating aroma.
Taste: There was a rush of hop flavor. The rye taste, as it was with the smell, compliments the hop flavors, while not being too overwhelmingly obvious (which I like). The finish is pleasantly sweet and smooth with very little bitter aftertaste, leaving me refreshed and wanting more. All in all, this was a very full flavored beer that lived up to the name.
Mouthfeel: A very low carbonated but zippy feel. It coats the mouth nicely, tingling as it moves along. Goes down smooth.
Drinkability: The Two Brothers truly impressed me, and have me looking to try more of their brews. Cane & Ebel is certainly one beer I will be coming back to, and I can only hope that the Two Brothers' other brews are on the same level. At 7%, you're fine with one, but could easily reach for another. 4.25/5
2 comments:
Nice review. Don't think I've seen this outfit stocked in the Jerz. I've got a Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye in my fridge that's taunting me to try it. Possibly similar?
-Alex
This is different than the Rod Rye. but still really good. the difference is the smoothness.
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