Two Hound Red Brewing, or as We Like to Call it, Our First Real Lesson in Craft Beer

I remember the first time I ever tried riding a bike. It was a kid’s red Huffy, and my dad insisted I start out on grass at Homer T. Cook Park in Wauconda, Illinois. Grass may seem like an odd choice, but I had been on training wheels for far too long for fear of crashing and skinning my knee, so it was the best way for me to transition to big kid life. I struggled for what seemed like hours because that’s what we do when we start something new. Eventually though, motivated by my father’s frustrations and the prize of Super Mario Brother’s 3 for the NES being dangled at the end of the allocated distance dad had marked off and deemed bike riding success, I “learned” to ride a bike. Well, more like took the first few steps in being able to successfully ride a bike.   

When I look at Romeo & Brewliet, I measure our successes in the same way my father measured the evolution of me learning to ride a bike. When Brewliet and I first began our beer chugging, state hopping journey, we were admittedly green. Heck, we are still very green but every day we spend on our baby, the more knowledgeable we become. When it comes to chopping it up about beer, the beer community and everything else that rides shotgun with this industry we love, the pros we’ve visited with have played a huge role in our development. A few months back we visited with one of them, Two Hound Red Brewing Co.’s head brewer Steve Woertendyke, and both of us can honestly say Steve has completely turned our beer world on its head. This article is a bit of a departure from what we’ve done in the past, but it’s for the better. Our goal has always been to tell the story of beer and rather than sit back and tell you this beer is better than that beer, we believe it’s more pertinent for our readers to get to know the peeps that steep. We will of course, throw out a few of the concoctions we loved but without further ado, here’s a bit about Steve and Two Hound Red.

Steve started brewing on the sly while in the military in his barracks around the age of 19 and admittedly had some mishaps, including adding too many fermentable sugars once or twice, which lead to a few close calls. Beers blowing up in his bunks? Yes, it might have happened a time or two early on but after continuously hacking away it and swapping beers with his older brother, he eventually conquered his early brewing pitfalls and took over the family mantle as best brewer in the house. After brewing with friends on and off for several years, he decided to pull what we’ll call the original Romeo & Brewliet and started looking for work in different kitchens and breweries to get close to the industry. Eventually he found his way to Siebel where he enrolled in master brewing courses and found his footing working for Limestone, Two Brothers and Werk Force Brewing early in his career. He most recently spent six years honing his craft at Werk Force and still maintains strong relationships with his fellow brewers there and at all the previous stops. After initially attempting to wait out the pandemic woes, Two Hound Red came calling and Steve landed the role of head brewer where he’s been for close to three years now. This is where Brewliet and I enter the picture.

We met Steve on off hours after several correspondences and he arranged for us to taste a bunch of beers and walk us through the facility. After bonding quickly (Steve and I over metal) (Steve and Brewliet because she’s Brewliet; what’s not to like?), Steve talked shop with us at a level we had not previously experienced. Steve is a brewing purist and he’s the best kind. He wants people to appreciate beer the way he appreciates it but doesn’t hit you over the head with it. I think he says it best when he says, “I’m a fan of fermentation”. He’s quick, not only to drop unexpected bits of beer wisdom, but also adept at finding the positive in any type or flavor of beer. It seems like a no brainer now, but we also really took to heart Steve’s suggestion for keeping it in the family. “You have to be careful and not skip around from flavor to flavor.” In Brewliet’s words, you usually only hear that on Game of Thrones”, but in this case, she fully backs his claim. “If you are trying more than 4-5 beers total, you can begin to experience palate fatigue” was another snippet of knowledge he mentioned when Brewliet and I could not taste several of the flavors that comprised an IPA we were tasting. Six beers in, we both could only scratch together the words “hoppy” and “yep that’s an IPA”. Steve pointed out that there was so much more going on in the beer, but you can’t appreciate the flavors anymore. This might seem obvious now, but for both of us, minds were blown.

Probably his most sensible and vital piece of knowledge that has changed the way we look at beer was the mention that foundation is the key. Have you ever had coffee that you needed to add a ton of sugar or creamer to hide the base flavor? Have you had food that you needed to cover with ketchup, salt, or condiment in order to make it bearable to eat? The foundation, the base flavor of that coffee or food was not perfect, so it needed to be disguised. Steve’s take on beer is that his brews base flavor should be delicious and perfect on its own. Notes and subtle flavors will enhance his beer, but still give you that great beer taste, whether the base is a Stout, IPA, or Lager. It was not until we were given this food comparison that Brewliet and I began to wonder whether we liked the disguise or the actual beer. Lucky for us, Steve let us try a few of his beers and put our taste buds to the test. We both have to say, after trying his subtle notes, we’ve both had our eyes opened.  

The Beer

We tried somewhere between 13-15 so we thought it best to limit this for obvious reasons. There were so many fantastic options that we sort of echo Steve’s thoughts when we asked which was his favorite. In his words, they’re like his children and how do you pick your favorite child. We could not agree more and honestly the best way to understand this is to do the obvious- go visit. That said, here’s a few to keep on your radar when visiting:

Open the Gates to… – Helles Lager (5% ABV)

Admittedly lagers were not a huge part of our beer drinking repertoire, prior to visiting Two Hound Red. Luckily for us, Steve is a good arm twister when he’s passing out beer. Open the Gates to… was sort of like a reintroduction for us to lager’s and a much appreciated one at that. It’s a reoccurring theme in Two Hound’s beers – this baby is clean and has subtleties of bread crust or biscuit. If you’re not a huge lager fan, let this one open your gates like it did ours. 

Brimstone – Smoked Beer (6.5% ABV)

Over the past 6 months, we’ve had so many beers…and of all the beers we’ve had, I can honestly say, I have not longed for a beer so many months later like I have this one. This beer has so many good things going for it. It conjures up taste notes of mezcal tequila and the savory flavors are layered in such an impeccable manner that if you haven’t ordered a burger or some type of red meat with it, you will mid glass. Without hesitation, this is one of the more unique beers we’ve tasted and a must when you visit.  

Dia De Los Muertos Mexican – Style Dark Lager (5.6% ABV)

This was Two Hound Red’s newest beer and was unreleased, so we got a sneak preview of this one. It’s a well-crafted amber lager and the strings of caramel and bread are the highlights that run the show here. It’s a tad sweet but not too overpowering. As we mentioned above, Two Hound’s beers are built on a solid foundation and this beer is no exception. One of Romeo’s favorites.   

Violet’s Sour Delight – Fruited Sour Ale (5% ABV)

We know, we know, we always like berry flavored beer… but this one’s different. It’s not an overpowering sour and that’s a good thing. It’s tart but it’s tart like blueberries should be and the flecks of vanilla again are perfectly balanced. Beers shouldn’t taste exactly like fruit to the point they are imitating. Think of it this way, Greta Van Fleet is a good band but they’re almost an exact carbon copy of Led Zeppelin; to the point where it feels kind of strange. Beer should function like good music or a great band; it shouldn’t mimic a flavor; it should be inspired by it. This beer hits all the notes it should and still tastes like a great beer. You can’t go wrong with this one.  

Never is the Sun – Imperial Stout (9.3% ABV)

This is what Romeo is talkin’ about! The initial hit is bittersweet chocolate but there’s all kinds of figs and dark fruit twisted up in this sneaky behemoth. You’ll taste all the subtleties, and you might make some up in your head as you go (Brewliet). Super smooth and super drinkable. Don’t be afraid to ride the lightning.  

Charlie’s Pineapple Upside Down Wit – Fruited Sour Ale (4.9% ABV)

This beer is tapped out due to season but when it comes back (and it will), it’s a go to for Brew. I don’t think either of us knew how much we liked pineapple upside down cake until we started drinking out of a can, but this beer is a worthy entry into the genre. A seasonal taste but it’s a solid sour beer which again alludes to the flavor but doesn’t get hijacked by it. A must grab when it’s on the menu for both of us.

To put a bow on our visit, this was a genuine educational experience. We walk away from Two Hound Red not only more intelligent when it comes to drinking beer but also with a few genuine friendships. We also had a chance to visit for one of Two Hound Red’s beer pairing dinners and highly recommend them if you are local. There were multiple repeat customers at the dinner and it’s easy to understand why. If you are in the area, we’d encourage you to pop in (especially during the summer) as the Brew pub sits just off the Illinois prairie path and the building is an enjoyable hang out whether you’re inside or out.

Cheers,

Romeo & Brewliet 

If you’re still craving more beer content, check out or video for Hubbard’s Cave > another local favorite