Saw this on the shelf at the Byerly's in St. Louis Park. It was sitting by some Surly Bitter Brewer...man...must be the only store that still has Bitter Brewer on the shelves. Never had anything from these Brothers, and I was intrigued by the French Style County Ale on the label. I immediately thought of the classic Saison, and Bier de Garde styles which I love equally for their opposing characteristics. The label isn't clear as to which style this is, so I decided to give the Two Brothers a taste. I guess Saison's are typically referred to as Farmhouse Ales, and thinking back to drinking my favorite Bier de Garde, the label clearly calls it a French Country Ale.
I poured this in a nice big chalice and it was a brilliant reddish brown. I'm thinkin maybe a Bier de Garde, long boil, malty, malty backbone creating a nice darker colored beer. Take a whiff and I get a nice bready smell, with some fruit. Yep, this is gonna be a malt bomb! Took a sip and it was completely confirmed that this is a great malty beverage. Fairly thin to medium bodied mouthfeel which, I think, is typical of the style, because of the traditional mash schedule to maximize fermentability. Who knows what the Brothers are doing, I'm assuming thei mashing in the 147-150 degree range on this. The beer finish's sweet, but with a very delicate hop bitterness to keep you coming back for that next sip. Very highly carbonated which is fantastic in this style of beer! This is a perfect Autumn night cap, and a good example of a classic, under appreciated, and hard to find style of bier. Don't now if I'll be able to "garde" this one. It's pretty tasty right now.
B+
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