2 Brothers Growler American Brown Ale

Inspired by their recent collabeeration with Feral, we were quite looking forward to this one.

And for once our confidence was not misplaced as 2 Brothers have delivered a very pleasing brown ale here with a lot of character and complexity. Looking forward to trying the rest of their range given a chance now.. could be yet another strong Victorian producer to add to the crowd.

Shame about the confusing choice of title though - whoever heard of drinking a growler from a squealer, or from a bottle for that matter?

Dark body and tan head good to look at, dead brown dry but floral nose. It's pretty expressive from early on and doesn't let up. The big biscuit and buttery malt flavours that give this one a nice sense of presence and permanence for its 4.7%. Enjoyed this beer and would drink again in a flash. 7.5

Feral & 2 Brothers Collaborator 2012

I must admit I bought this one almost entirely based on the Feral reputation but happily the gambit payed off.

It's a brown ale but not typical to the style, delivering if anything a brown version of the stalwart hop hog. This is a pretty interesting experience with its lush green herbal notes first up, then more typical caramel brown ale performance in the back half with nice nuttiness. It's in some ways a clash of styles as the grassiness doesn't really meld with that dark finish, but there's not a great deal of jarring in the experience - it's more an pleasingly docile, intellectual manticore than a misguided attempt at a frankenstein.

My feeling is if you were really after a brown ale, this might not scratch your itch. Taken on its own merits though it seems a massively drinkable beer and another interesting take on a style. 8.0