Two Bros. Heavy Handed IPA 2007

For anyone who likes or wants to try this year's release of Two Brother's Brewing's Heavy Handed IPA, there is a bit of a twist this year.

For those who aren't familiar, they use fresh 'wet' hops in this beer. It is one of my favorite yearly IPAs. This year, the lot #'s correspond to the type of hop that particular beer was 'wet hopped' with. It is as follows:

Lot # 2517: Willamette:
Lot # 2617 Cluster

Pretty cool, huh?

Gotta ask, what's "wet" hopping?

I look forward to it every year. I picked up a six-pack of the Cluster lot last weekend. I haven't run into the Willamette yet. Maybe I'll stop on my way home tonight and see if anyone has it.

A really nicely balanced IPA.


Did you see that they're putting Cane & Ebel out in 12 oz six packs in a few months? Awesome.

Iordz said:

Gotta ask, what's "wet" hopping?

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Using fresh-of-the-vine hops. Most hops used in beer are dried first these aren't.

jvh261 said:

... Did you see that they're putting Cane & Ebel out in 12 oz six packs in a few months? Awesome.

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Yeah, I did! I love that stuff. They use Thai palm sugar in it. I just used some in a winter lager I did Labor Day weekend that is still conditioning.

Beerrific said:

Using fresh-of-the-vine hops. Most hops used in beer are dried first these aren't.

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Yep. Usually done in the last 15 or less mins. of the boil as aroma hops. In the same beer I mentioned brewing above on Labor Day, my fiancee and I added four ounces of Cascade hops we'd plucked from my plants while the wort was boiling. We added black peppercorns and coriander, too.

We were going for a real radical lager!

I wish I could get some of that beer out here. I guess I am going to have to grow my own hops...

So how does wet hopping affect flavor?

Not much. It's mostly done for aroma.

They have a few more lots out now:

Lot 2547 - Willamette
Lot 2617 - Cluster
Lot 2687 -Centennial
Lot 2847 - Baby Cascade

I'm planning on stopping in for a few pints at Map Room tomorrow night:

Two Brothers Heavy-Handed IPA Tasting and Party
Wednesday, October 3
7-9 pm

Make sure and join us at Map Room on the 4th to celebrate the seasonal release of Two Brothers Heavy-Handed India Pale Ale (6.2%), brewed to celebrate the harvesting of the hops every year. Within hours of the harvest, the brewers add freshly-picked "wet hops" to this IPA. And since the hops have not been dried before use, they add a wonderful character found in no other beer. Fresh hops definitely taste better!

Drop by during the evening for special promotions, including a free Heavy-Handed glass with your beer purchase.

Map Room was great last night. We had a couple of 20 oz. Heavy Handed IPAs hand pumped from a cask. $5 each and you got to keep the nice Heavy Handed glass.

Also, Cane & Ebel is the beer of the month at Map Room this month. $3.50 a pint on tap. I'll definitely be heading back over there before month's end.

Last night I picked up my first sixer of HHIPA. It was good, but lacking the nose-smack hop aroma I was expecting. I got Lot# 2547 which was wet hopped with Willamette. I want to try Lot#2687 which is wet hopped with Centennial!

Yeah, I haven't found the Centennial lot yet. Thats the one I really want to try. I don't know which wet hop lot I was drinking last night and I couldn't tell. I don't think it was Centennial though.

I'm going to hit Sam's in Chicago tomorrow night on the way home and see what they have.

AAh frick, I totally would have gone last night had I known. (I work in Lincoln Park)

I'm out in wheaton, and I get almost all my supplies from their HBS; The Brewer's Coop.

Crazytwoknobs said:

AAh frick, I totally would have gone last night had I known. (I work in Lincoln Park)

I'm out in wheaton, and I get almost all my supplies from their HBS; The Brewer's Coop.

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yeah, me too and I haven't even seen them selling the HHIPA by the six pack either.

Haven't tried their HHIPA but I have tried their Domaine DuPage and Pale Ale and wasn't impressed in the least.

Although, they have excellent prices on their bulk grain ... very impressed by that.

srm775 said:

yeah, me too and I haven't even seen them selling the HHIPA by the six pack either. ....

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Sam's on Butterfield off I-355 is where I got my sixers. Try Benny's on Ogden in Naperville.

BTW, I'll be at the O'fest in Naperville tomorrow ~4pm. Look for the guy in the blue Shiner Beer tee shirt!

I wasn't aware of the lot differences when I picked up a sixer of this Friday. I had one lastnight and found it to be a fantastic brew. Nice aroma and hope character throughout balanced with a nice full body that finished clean.

This brewery is fast becoming my new favorite. I'm obsessed with Cane and Ebel and want to find the other lots of the IPA's and do some type of vertical tasting. That would be a good time.

Jekster said:

I wasn't aware of the lot differences when I picked up a sixer of this Friday. I had one lastnight and found it to be a fantastic brew. Nice aroma and hope character throughout balanced with a nice full body that finished clean.

This brewery is fast becoming my new favorite. I'm obsessed with Cane and Ebel and want to find the other lots of the IPA's and do some type of vertical tasting. That would be a good time.

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I had a taste of the baby cascades one the other day ... it wasn't bad. I'm beginning to really dislike cascades, but that one didn't have the grapefuity taste that normally comes with cascades.

Still no luck finding the Centennial here. I picked up a six pack of the Willamette today. I'll enjoy a few of those tonight.

Rhoobarb said:

Not much. It's mostly done for aroma.

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Except a LOT of what we perceive as flavor actually comes from aroma. That is why when a person is totally congested with a cold, he pretty much only tastes sweet, sour, salty and bitter. That is because without aroma, we lose almost all the nuances of flavor.

Anyone spotted the Centennial lot out there? I was thinking of stopping over to Binny's in Schaumburg on my lunch hour today.

kenb said:

Except a LOT of what we perceive as flavor actually comes from aroma. ...

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Oh, agreed! But technically speaking, dry-hopping won't add flavor. Some folks, many times noobies, think that adding dry hops will save a bitterless tasting beer and add bitterness. It doesn't.

jvh261 said:

Anyone spotted the Centennial lot out there? I was thinking of stopping over to Binny's in Schaumburg on my lunch hour today.

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Haven't been to the booze store in awhile, so I don't know if the Centennial lots of HHIPA are in stores yet. Let us know what you find! I'd meet you up there today, since I work just down the street, but I have to go to the bank at lunch today.

No luck. They only had Cascade and Cluster lots.

I picked up a 6 of SN Celebration Ale and a bomber of Rogue Hazelut Brown. I didn't feel like spending a bunch of cash and I've got plenty of stuff to sample at home right now.

Rogue bombers, most styles, are on sale for $4.99 each up there right now though:
Shakespeare Stout
Dead Guy
Half-a-Weizen
Brown
Mocha
Amber

maybe a few more, i can't remember.