Bells Two Hearted Ale

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

Light gold pour with a slight haze. Huge head full of large bubbles that are popping away quickly. Not a lot of lacing however. Very nice floral hop aroma, slightly citrusy. I do have to say it has a musty pine quality to it as stated before. Nicely balanced flavors of malt and hops. Lemons are showing through a lot leaving a nice tart finish. Very crisp palate. A wonderful IPA. Thanks to EddieG for this one!

Bottle. Poured cloudy amber with a fluffy white head that lingered well. Aroma is dominated by floral and citrus hops with a touch of sweetness and hint of clover. Flavor hit me with bitterness right off the bat, big grapefruit hoppiness with touches of sweetness and a little pepper. Lingering pucker for the finish. Medium body and creamy carbonation. Nice ale over all, but I would have liked a bit more boldness in the malts to balance the assertive hops.

Decent white head that reduces to a thin foam and a fine dense sheet of lacing. Low carbonation. Nice dense head reforms upon swirling. Great aroma. Citrus, pine, floral hops a-plenty. Once you sift your way through the hops you can detect a nice bready malt aroma. Color is a a hazy golden amber. Fizzy in the mouth with a nice hops presence. Extremely well balanced. Good bitterness. Slight warming from the alcohol. Very easy drinking. Finish is bitter, slightly dry and clean. Little lingering hops bitterness. A top notch IPA. Thanks to goldtwins for this gem.

Pours gold into a shaker. Pine and citrus aromas. Clean, crisp and hoppy. Lasting hop finish.

Rerate: OK, now I get it. This is loaded with some other kinds of hops than those in West Coast IPAs, and also far more malty than most of those I’ve tried. It’s a big big beer, gentlemen. Still, lingering, there is a soft sweetness, not just citrus, but more flowery. And the trademark (IMO) biscuit, baked quality of the malts is truly evident. A great one. Rerate was 3.3 on 4/22/02: A year of lots of drinking and 6 months on ratebeer have finally matured my IPA sensibilities, and I can see this brew as the monster that is is. Pound all in: big hops, huge malt, thick and big. I see that now. Original: 12/01/01: My friends love this beer. It comes so highly recommended around here. I just don’t enjoy it.

Bottle. Pours and orangey red, with a quarter inch white head. Nice hoppy and citrusy aroma. Intense hop flavor nicely balanced by the malts. Some spiciness. Hops stay on the palate. A very crisp and refreshing IPA. It’s at its best fresh. Always check the Batch number before you buy. 1 year old bottles are not as good, and there can be old ones sitting on the shelves.

Bottle. Nose is a very piney hop. Hazy gold body with a one finger foamy head. You can smell the hops from a meter away. Sweeter than most IPA’s. The hops are so well rounded words escape me. Perfectly hopped. Not too powerful, not too light. Under the hops is a citrusy sweetness that puts this beer over the top. This is one of the best IPA’s I have ever had the pleasure of tasting.

Hazy amber with a frothy white head. Aroma is hops/grapefruit and inviting. Medium to full bodied with good carbonation and a biting feel in the mouth. Flavor was citric and sweet and very refreshing. Excellent.