Two Hearted Ale

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

Tasted bottle from Trader Joe’s into nucleated pint glass. Poured a nice, clear deep amber color with creamy off-white head. Powerful hops aroma, some sweet, bready notes in the background. Powerful flavors as well: complex blend of malts, I can definitely taste bread, caramel, toast, hints of biscuit, maybe even flaked and roasted barley. India Pale Ale is, by definition, aggressively hopped. So is Two Hearted Ale, of course, but its rich malty-sweetness stands right up to the hops bitterness, a rare balancing feat for IPAs. Very refreshing light-medium body, rounded mouthfeel, and fruity yeast finish. Highly recommended.

UPDATED: DEC 17, 2011 Bottle, courtesy of Ryan, thanks!. A clear pale amber beer, with an average sized, frothy, mostly lasting white head. The aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain, cookie), moderately hoppy (grapefruit, flowers, apricot, hint of pine), with notes of lychee, poppies and tropical fruits. The flavor is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation, dry and very long finish, with moderate to heavy bitterness. Quite well balanced, clearly on the hoppy side, but with a clean, firm, not abrasive bitterness. Lots of fruity and flowery notes (I pick up even some poppy hints). One of the best IPAs out there. Also complex, not a feature many IPAs can claim. Consumed very fresh, with less than one month of age.

A great deep golden color, aroma bursting with floral and citrusy hops. The same floral and citrus notes dominate the flavor, with grapefruit coming to the front nicely, and just a hint of caramel malt at the end. Finishes pretty clean and bitter, pretty refreshing for a beer this hoppy. Really really nice IPA, great representation of the style; I’m glad I can get a regular supply of this stuff where I live!

The best inexpensive IPA I’ve had as of 2011. Pours an orange color with a nice off-white head. Great aroma of citrus and floral hops. Great hoppy flavor (floral and citrus) but well balanced by a malty, slightly sweet counterpart. Great finish for 7% abv, no alcohol burn and not to bitter or sweet. A great IPA, and overall beer.

One of my favorite ipa’s. tons of hop flavor without being overly bitter. a great offering from bell’s

Outstanding IPA from the good folks at Bells. Pours a nice copper color, exceptional head retention. Plenty of floral and citrus hops, good mouth feel. One of my favorite IPAs, and I even like the watercolor artwork on the label.

UPDATED: OCT 21, 2011 Poured from a draft into a pint glass at The Blue Leprechaun in Ann Arbor, Mich. Color was orange amber. Maybe an inch of head. Some lacing on the top. Good looking film on the sides that circled all the way down the glass. Smelled of citrus and floral hops. Good balance. Similar to the nose, a citrus and sweet, floral taste led the way. It wasn’t as hoppy as I thought, but did end in a lingering bitter finish. Medium body. Average carbonation. Smooth all the way through. Definitely the best of the four Bell’s I had on my trip to Ann Arbor. I’d love for it to come out west.

Bells are always great. One of my absolute favorites. Great citrus pine aroma. Drinks with a splash of fruit, then finishes dry an piquant. Light body, medium bubble, amber our. Always a great drinker.