Appreciating a Taste of the Expertly-Hopped Beers of Two Roads Brewing

Woof, this one's been a long time coming. But with all of the holiday sales and madness going on around here at Mr. Beer, it took me time to settle in and collect all of our thoughts on Two Roads Brewing. Our Sales Managers and VP of Marketing were in Connecticut on business last month, and they brought a whole mess of tasty Two Roads brews back for the office. So many, in fact, that we had to split them into two different tastings! No problem for everyone here, we were excited to have a fridge full of things to try out. You'll notice Mr. Beer brews in here too, and that is because every time we do a tasting, we bring one of our own brews in to the tasting room. How else can we test whether homemade is just as good as the craft brewery rockstars we find in each state? Cheers. We hope these beers inspire you - in homebrewing or simply for tasting!  

Austin Pils – Mr. Beer

Appearance Pale, gold, and hazy with a lasting head. Aroma Smells like sweet, biscuit malts and floral, citrus, earthy hops. Flavor We tasted a crisp balance of sweet, biscuit malts and floral, herbal hops. Mouthfeel This Pils has a light body, moderate carbonation, and a crisp/dry finish. Overall Tasting Notes "Good for a Pils;" "crisp and mild, Hallertau adds different spice;" "crisp and dry with nice herbal notes from the German Hallertau hops"; "crisp, green, wheaty with a bit of haziness;" and "crisp and dry."

Ol'factory Pils – Two Roads

Appearance Pours pale and clear with a diminishing head. Aroma Leafy, grassy, earthy hops are balanced by sweet, biscuit malts. Flavor Tastes like leafy, herbal hops and sweet, grainy malt. Mouthfeel The Two Roads Pils also boasts light body and a crisp/dry finish. Overall Tasting Notes"Very pale and light - well balanced;" "nice and hoppy, but easy drinking - great Pils;" and "crisp but with a dry finish, unique off aroma, tasty."

No Limits Hefeweizen – Two Roads

Appearance Rich, hazy, and gold with a diminishing head. Aroma Smells of esters; sweet, biscuit malts; and leafy, grassy, herbal, earthy hops. Flavor Tastes just as luscious and banana-ey (from the esters) as it smells. Mouthfeel This Hefe has a light-medium body and moderate carbonation. Overall Tasting Notes "Tastes like a hefe, this beer is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s;" "banana bomb;" "very light Hefe, very seasonable;" and "banana beer – smooth moderate taste."

Two Evil Geyser Gose – Two Roads

Appearance Clear, pale, and gold with a diminishing head. Aroma Sweet, biscuit malts; floral, herbal, citrus hops; and finally sour yeast. Flavor Big, tart lime taste; then sweet, grainy malts; citrus hops; and sour yeast. Mouthfeel Goes down with a light-medium body; moderate carbonation; and a crisp, dry finish. Overall Tasting Notes "Awesome beer;" "lingering tartness;" "no words - such a great Gose;" and "pear lemon tartness - dry finish."

Two Evil Pachamama Porter – Two Roads

Appearance Hazy and root beer-brown with a diminishing head. Aroma First roasty, nutty, chocolate, toasty malts hit the nose, then earthy hops. Flavor The malts taste just as luscious as they smell – toasty, roasty, nutty, smoky, biscuit, chocolate. Mouthfeel Pachamama has a medium-full body, and creamy texture. Overall Tasting Notes "Slightly smoky, great porter;" "nutty;" and "the best!"


Part II

Lil Heaven Session IPA – Two Roads

Appearance Pale, gold color; soft haze; and a diminishing head. Aroma Citrus, herbal hops, and a bit of sweet, biscuit malts. Flavor Same strong, citrusy, floral hops, and sweet, grainy, toasty malts come across in the flavor. Mouthfeel Light-medium body and moderate carbonation. Overall Tasting Notes"Very citrusy aromas, mild piney-ness;" "grapefruit hop smell, bitter taste upfront with rind-ey citrus background;" "very light;" "light, mild hoppiness;" and "very citrusy with a subtle toasted malt backbone – a very good session IPA."

Honeyspot Road White IPA – Two Roads

Appearance Pale and hazy with a lasting head. Aroma The hops here smell grassy and floral while the malts smell sweet and biscuit-like. Flavor Hops taste both citrusy and grassy, while malt tastes more of grain and biscuit. Mouthfeel Light-medium body and moderate carbonation. Overall Tasting Notes"Looks like a blonde, tasted like an IPA – grassy, dewy notes;" "my favorite;" "good hop-forward taste with clinging bite on the back;" "light, easy drinking;" and "nice cracker-like flavors from the wheat complement the floral American hops, not too bitter, but with a lingering dryness, reminds me of NE style IPA."

Road 2 Ruin Double IPA – Two Roads

Appearance Hazy goldish, copper color with a lasting head. Aroma Herbal, piney, citrus, floral hop smell dominates, followed by a light biscuit malt scent. Flavor Hops taste citrusy, herbal, and resinous, though the malts and their biscuit taste are also present. Mouthfeel This IPA has a medium body, moderate carbonation, and a sort of sticky/cloying finish. Overall Tasting Notes "Cloying bitter hops, mild aroma, lasting finish;" "usually not into the high alcohol taste, but the hop jumps in just in time;" "light on aromatics;" "much more character in this one with a malt-forward character;" "very earthy and herbal hops with a sweet, malty finish – reminds me more of an English style IPA, not bad for the style."

Bergamonster Ale – Two Roads

Appearance Pale and hazy with a diminishing head. Aroma Spicy hops and sweet, biscuit, caramel malts with a slight estery character. Flavor The yeast here tastes almost barnyard-ish, while the hops are spicy and lightly citrusy. The malt tastes sweet and grainy. Mouthfeel Light-medium body, moderate carbonation, and a long finish. Overall Tasting Notes "Saison-esque, mild dry finish;" "cider taste, it avoids being too sweet, again the hop saves me from cider misery;" "tastes more like cider than beer;" and "spicy with a subtle citrus flavor."

Gila Monster Black IPA – Mr. Beer

Appearance Clear, root beer color with a diminishing head. Aroma Earthy, herbal, grassy, piney, spicy hops and sweet, nutty, roasted biscuit malts with a slightly alcoholic aroma. Flavor Herbal, spicy, resinous hops and sweet, biscuit, nutty, roasted malts plus warmth from that higher ABV. Mouthfeel Full body, moderate carbonation, and a long finish. Overall Tasting Notes "Dark malts overtake the hops;" "strong, good balance from a high alcohol beer with a smooth aftertaste."