Chicagoist's Beer of the Week: Two Brothers Sidekick Extra Pale Ale

By Jason Baldacci in Food on Apr 19, 2013 8:40PM

We usually talk about drinking seasonally when we write about Beer of the Week here at Chicagoist, but that's been a little difficult to do lately since the season can't seem to make up its mind. Since we can't rely on the weather, we'll simply have to find something else to rely on instead. Something like a great beer from a solid brewery, perhaps?

Sidekick is a new beer from Two Brothers that they're describing as an Extra Pale Ale. Don't let the word "extra" scare you, though, as this beer only rings in at 5.1 percent alcohol content. It's relatively light-bodied, crisp, and all about the hop profile. It's earthy on the nose, with a touch of citrus and passion fruit, all of which burst to life on the palate. With the first sip, that earthiness is steady throughout, while the fruit is very present up front and there's a lingering, herbal tone on the finish. We do detect a hint of slightly toasted malt to give it some backbone and balance, but this beer is all about being a nice, hopped up pale ale that is incredibly flavorful while remaining easy to drink.

Sidekick is the second year-round beer released in cans from Two Brothers, which introduced their new canning line last year with Outlaw IPA. They've also announced that they're going to can their Dog Days Dortmunder-style lager for the first time this year, which has been a long running summer seasonal for the brewery, and will now be much easier to take to the beach. Of course, beach season will actually have to show up for us to be able to take any beer to the beach, but here's to hoping. As long as there's beer to drink, we won't complain too much.

Keep your eyes peeled for Sidekick in 12-ounce cans and on draft in your favorite bars and retail shops. To track some down, check on beermenus.com.