Two Hearted Ale - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

goindownsouth

South Carolina

4.63/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This was recommended to me by the owner of Shangy's "The Beer Authority," here in the Lehigh Valley, Pa. I am truly torn between this brew, Dogfish Head 90 Minute, and Lost Coast Indica Pale Ale as my favorite IPAs I have tried thusfar. This is a great brew. It gets a "5" in appearance based in no small part on the cloudy golden-amber color. A beautiful thing. The aroma is good and hoppy with some spice, but hardly overbearing. Thsi is a fantastic beer and well worth seeking out, if you can find it.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2003 16:53:15 | More by goindownsouth

beerluvr

New Jersey

4.72/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours with a towering white head that rises almost 2 inches above the ol' Duvel tulip glass rim, that slowley settles atop cloudy orange liquid. One of the best aromas I have ever smelled in a beer is present here, a massive perfume of super fresh piney/sweet hop flowers...like putting your nose into a bag of fresh hop pellets, just wonderfully appetizing! The taste matches the nose note for note...superbly tasty hoppiness without being a tongue scorcher, flowery hops give way to fruity and malty flavors that come full circle back to the excellent hoppiness. Finishes up sublime and delicious...one of the ultimate IPA's out there!


Hats off to proc for the experience!

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2003 22:11:39 | More by beerluvr

Scooter77

Ohio

4.72/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Now that’s what I’m talking about! Pours a rich amber/orange color with a nice 1/2-inch head that almost refuses to leave. The head slowly dies down, leaving a moderate lace on the glass. Aromas are rich with hoppy goodness and sweet citrus. All I can say about the taste is, WOW! Amazing! Fantastic! The hops seem to attack the mouth like a rabid dog on a pork chop. The hops are incredibly well balanced with some mild citrus and malt undertones. This is by far the best IPA that I’ve ever had the pleasure to taste. I’d like to offer a huge thanks to fellow BA Senior (Paul), from Minnesota, for bringing me this masterpiece.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2003 05:01:18 | More by Scooter77

Stubbie1

Connecticut

4.78/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice orange/yellow. This ale is topped off with a nice thick white head. The head slowly goes to a thick lace. The lace stayed to the end of the brew.


Aroma: This is a unique aroma. I feel the description of “citrus” doesn’t do this ale justice. Spices come to mind when I breathe in this ale. Yes, maybe a hint of citrus but spice is the best way to describe the aroma. I wish I could narrow it down to be more specific. Best way to say it. “ It is simply wonderful!”


Taste: I thought it is nicely balanced. A soft malt start and the flavor of the hops at the end. I wish I could find the words to describe the hops.

A very VERY nice ale. It ranks high on my own excel beer list. No wonder it ranks so high at BA!

I’d like to thank Paul (Senior) who brought this beer from Minnesota to Williamsburg while on vacation.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2003 10:36:15 | More by Stubbie1

JohnnyDuvel

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I'm not usually as knocked out as a lot of others are by hopped up, over-the-top micros, but this is one unique, terrific beer! Kind of like a fruit smoothie or creamsicle with lots of hops thrown in. The citrus smell leaps out when you open the bottle (and I can really appreciate it. I have grapefruit, orange, mango, and lemon trees in my back yard!). The hops certainly are present, but unlike a beer like Rogue IPA, the hops don't push the flavor to the background. Pours a nice, foamy head - with good retention. Cloudy, orange hue. Both refreshing and substantial. It was great to have a highly rated micro brew that lives up to it's reputation. (thanks, Al - I'll need more!!) - (note: the above review was for the 2002 version. The 2003 version isn't quite as good IMO, not as smooth. Maybe it will improve with age, but I couldn't wait to find out!).

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2003 09:32:36 | More by JohnnyDuvel

Gusler

Arizona

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Quite the cloudy little burger this beer, the color a nice orange, the head gigantesque, spumescent, and as it dematerializes the lace magically appears as a silky sheet to occult the glass. The nose is dominated by the hop floral crispness; sweet malt underlies this olfactory delight. Start is sweet and malt laden, top is middling in feel, finish is moderately carbonated the hops puissant, aftertaste hop spicy and dry, quite long lasting, another beer meant for the “Hop Heads” amongst this most august group of beer lovers.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2003 16:29:14 | More by Gusler

brakspear

Wisconsin

3.33/5  rDev -22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

03-02-2003

This is a very nice looking American India pale ale, but the rest of the beer seems rather average, particularly when compared to some of the outstanding West Coast IPAs.

A beautiful and billlowing soft white head forms quickly and then produced perfect lacing on the glass. The body of the beer is a clear light amber with generous carbonation bubbles rising from its depths.

The aroma presents as a rather tame but citrusy hop nose, nothing outstanding, but a crisp and bracing hop snap.

The taste is very subdued. I was expecting more given other reviewers impressions of this beer. But what I tasted was a nicely balanced pale ale, with an almost chalky malt taste followed by a slight hop bitterness, citrusy but mellow. The body also seems a bit watery for an IPA.

This is a decent and average India pale ale that I would buy again, but I do not understand the accolades this beer has received. Perhaps compared to other IPAs brewed in the Middle West it stands out?

4-29-2003

Sampled again to see if I judged too harshly the first time. Nope, the taste has a weird yeast or off character I do not find pleasant at all. If this is the distinctive Kalamazoo yeast flavor, I must just not like what it does to the beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2003 21:03:18 | More by brakspear

BeerBuilder

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hazy, orangish-copper color with a thick, chunky, off-white head. Leaves an excellent amount of lacing. The aroma is all citric, flowery hops. The flavor again is citrus hops, leaving the malt pretty much covered up. From beginning to end this one is all hops. It has a long dry, bitter finish. Overall this one is a good beer, I really like the aroma. I would drink this one again.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2003 09:16:57 | More by BeerBuilder

Mitchster

Michigan

4.78/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

OG=1.058, 6.0% ABV. Hopped exculsively with Centennial, or so I hear.

Ah, what better beer to celebrate my 100th review with than Bell's Two-Hearted Ale, an amazing IPA and truly a wondrous beer. This brew is absolutely gorgeous...brilliantly clear if decanted carefully, a perfect shade of light-amber to golden with orange accents, forming a thick, billowy, peaking, yellowish-white head atop medium sized bubbles, leaving gobs of head (I hesitate to call it lace) that stay until the end of the beer. The carbonation is medium-strong with lots of pretty streamers spiraling towards the obstinate head. Aroma is hops, hops and more hops (more-so than Celebration or any other exemplary IPA), as if sticking your head into a bag of fresh leafy cones, full of citrusy grapefruit, subtle pineapple, vanilla sugar cookies, and perhaps a little pink-bubblegum. The harsh, piney, resinous hops that you might expect from Westcoast offerings are absent...this aroma is full, but smooth. It reminds me of the time I was at Bell's and walked into the hops cooler...yum! Despite the carbonation and bright hops, the mouthfeel is extremely soft with a medium-light body, lighter than one would expect based upon aroma. Taste starts out with a ton of flavor hops followed by a creamy-smooth pale malt body, some notable alcohol punch, and ending in a pleasantly mild and extraordinarily well-balanced bitterness complementing the lingering bready malts. This is a beer perfectly served by a pink-bubblegum character...as it warms, it adds to the enjoyability. This beer is not bitter despite it's high hopping. Having had this on tap, I would add .5 points for taste, making it a perfect 5.0. The bottled version tends to have a more noticeable alcohol presence which knocks it down ever so slightly. One of my top 5 beers of all time. Fellow BA's take heed and rush to find this at any expense!

A world-class brew and simply the best IPA I've ever had. To read about this brew does it no justice. Go drink it.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2003 10:06:11 | More by Mitchster

francisweizen

Australia

4.53/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Awesome! This beer reminded me of Rogues 12PA and that is a good thing, as I love that particular beer from Rogue. This beer poured a very clear dark golden colour with a nice foamy head to it. This smelled of Grapefruit, Metal and Various Hops with some Tiny Malts in the background as well. This tasted very hoppy and rustic. The aftertaste was quite metallic as well as very fruity and grapefruit like. This beer had a very crisp, classic mouthfeel and a great drinkability as well.
My first beer from Bells and I am very impressed.
Many thanks to Sakaroo for the fresh sample!
Cheers!,
F.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2003 20:52:12 | More by francisweizen

purplehops

Maine

4.1/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Two Hearted poured a cloudy amber/orange with yeast particles (would be clear if decanted) and a very frothy white head that leaves pleanty of lacing. The aroma is HOPS. Floral hops, citrus hops, and a good dose of earthy hops. The taste starts with an attempt by the malt to come to the fore front but is instantly beaten down by the hop bitterness. This bitterness progresses into citrus flavors and a hint of a malt come back. The finish finds the malt taking advantage of a hop lull and bringing worth some flavors of caramel and pale malts. The aftertaste is a steady battle for about fifteen seconds before the malt surrenders to the almighty dry hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is very creamy with just a hint of carbonation tickle on the front of the tongue.
Overall a very nice IPA that I wouldn't have expected from a Mid-West brewer (bold and bitter I don't associate with the mid-continent). I do so enjoy being surprised and proved wrong when it comes to beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2003 07:46:39 | More by purplehops

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This ale poured a nice golden amber with creamy white foam that left good lace. The ale was slightly hazy with lively carbonation. The smell was rich, floral hops, with some malt flavors coming through. The taste was full: malty and biscuity. The malt gave way to hops (bitter and then floral). There was a bit of dryness to the finish. The malt almost balanced the huge hop character. The mouthfeel was smooth and crisp with a slight chalkiness to the finish. This was a very enjoyable IPA with a long lasting hop flavor. A huge IPA.

Thanks to feloniousmonk for this bottle.

Last sample 4-28-06 Still a damn good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2003 22:18:21 | More by UncleJimbo

bditty187

Nebraska

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy honey-orange hue, a skinny finger of white head, bubbly, soapy retention, fair about of lace. Lovely soft pineapple initiates the nose, mellow, light citrus… warm and welcoming. Pineapple and light grapefruit construct the palate, not overly bitter, mild pine with a hint of honey and a kiss of malt adds tremendous subtle complexity to this brew. Pleasing mouthfeel, soft, ideal, hearty without overpowering. Slightly dry finish, hoppy-pineapple aftertaste. Wonderfully drinkable, not as hoppy as I would have thought (not a negative), a very pleasant quaff… this is a ‘must try’ and I highly recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2003 13:12:20 | More by bditty187

kunzbrew

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This brew pours a hazy straw color with a huge fluffy white head, that leaves a sexy lace behind. The pineapple smell fills the nose, this is not what I expected. The smell is very wonderful. The first brings more pineapple to the palate along with a strong hop flavor. The beer finishes nice with clean crisp hop and yeast. Thanks again to my friends from the midwest.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2003 19:12:14 | More by kunzbrew

Sudmissle

Michigan

4.95/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours with a milky white creamy head. Initial flavor has powerful hops that remains on palate and does not fade away as with most other IPA beers. Has strong citrus flavor and is incredibly smooth in spite of its rather high alcohol content. The bite of the hops is very potent and even after making great efforts to sample other IPAs, this one stands alone and the novelty of the wonderful blend of powerful citrus taste and hops has not worn off after over a year of sampling other hops-laden brews. By a wide margin, my favorite IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2003 18:03:32 | More by Sudmissle

BitteBier

Indiana

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A gorgeous pour--hazy apricot color that lightens to a lemonade hue at the edges. Large frothy head that reduces to a cream-colored cake with decent lacing as well. Crisp, hoppy aroma complemented nicely by grapefruit/pineapple notes. Grapefruit is even more noticeable in the taste, which has a malty foundation that could be stronger to balance the hoppy, citrus flavors. This balance actually seems to improve as the beer warms. Bitter IPA finish is actually a bit sour; this is truly an IPA with a twist. Excellent mouthfeel in this nicely drinkable beer. A unique take on the American-style IPA, but a good one even in a toe-to-toe.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2003 18:25:35 | More by BitteBier

Sidabeef7

Ohio

4.85/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is the first beer I have ever had from Kalamazoo Brewing Company and needless to say, I was very impressed. It pours with a nice, lasting, white head and a cloudy golden hue. The lace is amazing and makes this beer almost as good to watch as to taste (well, not quite but you get the idea). Citrus dominates the aroma and it has a crisp taste of huge hops. I could hardly tell that this is 7.0% abv by the taste. It is difficult to have only one glass of this great tasting brew. Thanks goes out to Ashley's in Ann Arbor, MI for introducing me to this fantastic brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2003 13:14:37 | More by Sidabeef7

aaronh

Pennsylvania

4.95/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours with a voluminous cream colored head atop a hazy orange beer with amber highlights. The head slowly recedes while it leaves a thick, sticky lace on the glass. The aroma is very sweet bubble gum with a strong lemon-pine hop presence. The sweetness is evident on the pour, and as you carry the glass to your seat. I wanted to take a drink immediately! Who needs notes anyway, right? The first drink is truly heavenly, with a great malt sweetness sparked by a terrific hop bite. What a dichotomy of tastes that somehow blend together perfectly! Very strong citrus notes are prevalent in subsequent quaffs, but the malt is never forgotten. The finish is exceptionally smooth and clean for such a flavorful beer. All that is left is a hint of fruitiness and a hint of bitterness. The mouthfeel is very rich and supple, while not becoming too heavy as the beer is finished. Drinakbility is terrific, but I only had one! So I made it last as long as possible. I'm not sure if the "two hearted" refers to the strong prescence of both the malt and the hops. All I know is that the name had no meaning to me until know. My heart was swept away by this beer. By both the malt and the hops. Thank you, oh thank you cretemixer for this absolutely fantastic beer. My advice to all BA's: Sacrifice anything necessary to obtain this beer. But be prepared to lose your heart: she'll take it and run with it, twice!

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2003 16:53:57 | More by aaronh

AudioGilz

Pennsylvania

4.93/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Citrusy, orangey, hoppy, GREAT! a large, frothy, wonderful off-white head greats you. The smell is amazingly fruity and hoppy. This is a superbly balanced IPA. I've had some IPA's where I just can't stand the very high bitterness level. But it's very enjoyable here and not overpowering by any means. The higher ABV is not noticeable at all. This is one of the most drinkable beers I have ever had. I wish I could buy this often, but at $9.25 for a six pack (spoiled rich neighborhood), it's a wonderful occasional treat. This is my favorite IPA and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to crossover into this style.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2003 13:33:17 | More by AudioGilz

Sixpack595

Michigan

4.58/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This a good IPA. Huge hops with enough malt to back it up. A bit citrucy in flavor and aroma.Thick creamy head leaves nice lacing and lasts. Amber color slightly cloudy due to bottle conditioning. I thought the aroma was a bit foul...fresh apples when I opened it went down to what seemed like an old sock full of older hops(OK, it wasn't that bad). I had an urge for hops and decided to try this stuff. Mission Accomplished.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2003 00:24:07 | More by Sixpack595

jeffboo

Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beer pours cloudy and golden (unfiltered), with creamy, dense white head. Aroma is very herbal,maybe even lemony (dry hopped) more english than the pacific northwest variety. The beer is medium bodied
with hops in front and long in the finish, very creamy and great mellow hop bitterness. The malt is solid but balanced (not sweet). Yum, this won a head to head blind tasting vs Hopdevil and Stone Ipa over the holidays with my hophead inlaws.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2003 15:07:31 | More by jeffboo

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A bottle that's allowed to sit for some time and then carefully poured delivers just a slightly hazy (almost clear) peachy-gold body that's topped by a frothy white head which holds fairly well. It eventually drops but keeps a really nice creamy collar, and a simple swirl of the glass brings it right back up! Additionally, it leaves some nice lace - although it's fleeting. The aroma, however, is even more astonishing than the appearance with a bright, bold combination of soft ripe fruit, tangy grapefruit and resiny pine. Intense! But it goes even one step further as the flavor is even bolder than the aroma with a searing bitterness right-up front, and from start to finish! If it weren't for the rich (almost sugary) and fruity (apricot, tangerine, mild pineapple) malt underneath this beer would be way too much! Surprisingly, and thankfully, the hop flavors are limited to the fruity side of things and the interplay between the crushing bitterness and the sweet malt is really interesting. It's kind of like a "tug of war" in the mouth. The firm maltiness is enlivened by a very fine and gently effervescent carbonation that helps this to happen. It's surprisingly smooth and creamy. This is one hell of a "take no prisoners" IPA that should clearly be sought out and destroyed - one bottle at a time! Most highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2003 20:27:59 | More by NeroFiddled

Brent

Kentucky

4.65/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Quite a surprising beer - mega-hoppy aroma of grapefruit rind makes you brace both feet for the hops onslaught. Hops are there, big and bold, no question, but - in something of a contradition in terms - quite mellow. Usually this much grapefruity hops stomps on your tongue with hobnail boots, but this beer manages to finesse the hops and go heavier on flavor than bitterness. A great beer - ranks in my top five of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2003 19:03:38 | More by Brent

inebrius

Michigan

4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thap...thap, thap. The sound of whole hop laden vines descending on your buds in a blitzkrieg of bitterness. If not for a decent dose of malt your mouth might be puckered into 2004. Bouquet of hard lemon candy and catnip. A hop assault on the senses. Aggressively carbonated and wild. Is there some airborne yeast in Kalamazoo Larry Bell has decided to culture?

This will be my last review until I can get some taste buds surgically implanted on my tongue. Yikes!

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2002 23:30:35 | More by inebrius

WilliamPhilaPa

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a nice light copper-amberish color with orange highlights. The head is a off-white color, and leaves good lace. On the nose the aroma is of pine, grapefruit, hoppy and fruity. On the palate more pine, grapefruit flavor, citrus, hints of orange peels, delicate malt backbone bringing in some balance, and a little spiciness. The mouthfeel is pretty smooth and the finish is some-what dry.
Overall a great american styled IPA...

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2002 09:55:10 | More by WilliamPhilaPa