Two Villains makes some criminally good brews – like this one, Special Herbs, their newest hazy DIPA series
I don’t know much about Two Villains Brewing to be honest.
In fact, I really only know two things about them:
1. They currently use the space at Twelve Percent Beer Project in North Haven, Connecticut to brew all their beers but will be moving to their own space in Vernon, New Jersey shortly.
2. They make some DAMN good beers.
So when I saw their new release – Special Herbs: El Dorado – up for sale, I jumped at it. Special Herbs is their newest series, it’s a hazy Double IPA that features a rotating hop bill and, for the first iteration of Special Herbs, they used only El Dorado hops. It packs a solid 8% ABV and $7.50 for the 16-ounce can.
This New England DIPA poured a bright, but cloudy, straw color. Some orange hues highlighted the top of the glass but tapered off towards the bottom. At its highest, there was about a finger and a half of eggshell white head topping the beer. But it quickly faded away, leaving a small dusting across the top of the glass and some moderate lacing down the sides.
The aroma was hoppy and fruity with a hint of booze and grains peeking through as well. Leading the way were notes of pineapple, stone fruits, melon, and grapefruit. There was also an herbal and dank resin quality mixed in with the tropical fruits.
Each sip begins with a silly smooth and rather creamy mouthfeel. It has a very soft but heavier body that makes it a bit harder to consume quickly but, with a higher ABV, that’s probably for the best.
Hitting first are the pineapple and stone fruit – with peaches and apricots being most noticeable. It’s slightly juicy but slightly acidic on the front end. There’s also an early burst of hoppy bitterness and some of that dank resinous quality.
However, those later flavors are quickly pushed aside with a swelling of juicy fruit characteristics. Honeydew, cantaloupe, tangerine, and a lot more pineapple really spike midway through and take full control of the taste.
The pineapple begins to turn slightly more acidic towards the backend and is joined by the tiniest twinge of hoppy bitterness.
Otherwise, the beer ends very, very cleanly with just a bit of dryness and a dash of pithy citrus peel lingering on for a mere moment or two.
Despite the thicker body I mentioned earlier, it actually drinks quite easily and turned out to be rather crushable after I had a few sips. That 8% ABV was entirely hidden in the flavor but was definitely felt towards the end of the pint.
This is only my second Two Villains brew but, holy cow, I’ll be back for more. Special Herbs is a really sessionable, really delicious hazy DIPA that showcases El Dorado hops beautifully.
