One of the gifts I received this year was a trip to Two Brothers Brewery in Warrenville, Illinois, home of some absolutely excellent beers. My brothers and I made the drive out in a quasi-blizzard, pulling up to the Two Brothers Tap House for lunch. The brewery and tap house are nestled just off of Butterfield Rd. in Warrenville.

This was my first time visiting a local brewery, and I was absolutely impressed. We sat down at a table in the spacious restaurant, ordered up some food (I had the pulled pork sandwich, which was very good … could have used a little more sauce, but other than that … ). Of course, we also ordered some brews: I had a glass of The Bitter End Pale Ale, an APA that was very very tasty. My brothers got chicken tacos and fish & chips, as well as the Northwind Imperial Stout, and the wonderful Red Eye Coffee Porter (see our A+ review) … all of which was served in a timely manner and tasted great.

The highlight of the afternoon was of course the tour of the brewery, which was conducted by the restaurant GM, Gabe, a man of intensity and humor. Currently the brewery sits in a converted gymnastics center, which is a bonafide warehouse in essence. The restaurant and homebrewing supply store are attached, and they’re also located next door to one of their foremost distributors – a nice little setup for a through-and-through “garden operation,” as Gabe put it. And I definitely agree … Two Brothers is as fine an example of the American Dream as any.

Without writing a super long post and getting into every single detail (you can, and should, visit Two Brothers yourself if you’re ever in Chicago), I thought I’d comment on some things that stood out to me about my experience there. The first is cultural. This brewery started small, on the dreams of two brothers, and has grown from the ground up since it started in 1996. Every employee had a smile on their face, and you could tell that they were proud to be a part of what was going on there. The authentic, radically un-corporate, grassroots feel of the America Craft Brewery stood out clearly: Two Brothers pays close attention to running an operation that is energy efficient and environmentally sensitive. They honor other Chicagoland craft breweries like Metropolitan and Goose Island, and are also viciously committed to the highest possible sterilization and cleanliness standards in their facilities and with their equipment and machinery. Everyone pitches in, works hard, and takes pains to make sure that their ales are the finest possible.

Listening to Gabe talk about the history of the operation, the intriguing process that Two Brothers goes through to take an idea from concept to completion, and the unique challenges and joys that face Two Brothers on a day to day basis, I felt both proud and comforted. Comforted that in times of economic downturn and political ridiculousness, a thoroughly home grown American operation is still able to thrive.

The tour was of course educational for me as well, as I still am a novice when it comes to the process and science behind beer. I learned about all the different containers and casks and tanks that are used in brewing. I learned a little more about how hops add to beer, giving an ale different characteristics based on when they are introduced.

At the end, we all got three samples of anything on draft. I grabbed the Heavy Handed IPA, one of their staples, which smelled super fruity and was extremely flavorful. I also sampled two of their craft sodas, the Cinnamon Root Beer and also the Almond Cream Soda. Each tasted great, the cinnamon was definitely a new taste, and the cream soda was a little too subtle for me as I like mine rich and vanilla-y (Goose Island Vanilla Cream Soda is out of this world).

I’d like to thank the crew over at Two Brothers, and especially Gabe, for an extremely tasty and enjoyable afternoon. I will drink more Two Brothers now that I have a deeper understanding and appreciation for all that they do and how committed they are to making great beer. Don’t hesitate to chime in if you agree…

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