Bells coming to NJ this summer

if they can keep their beers as fresh as they are now, they got a loyal consumer!

 

I bought 12-pk cans of both Two Hearted and Oberon and, man, were the codes hard to find on the packaging - they're "dot matrix" tiny-printed (many distorted) on an end flap and had to look at a number of Oberon's to find a readable one and finally had to pop the flap and remove a can of THA. They should borrow Sixpoint's "Freshness Window" idea for those boxes.

Mine were:

Oberon = 05-09-18 / Two Hearted = 05-29-18*
(* bottles were about a week older IIRC)

Yeah, well, that's the problem since "they" include all 3 Tiers, who are counting on consumers to buy all that initial beer in a timely manner. History of established breweries entering the state shows that hasn't often been the case and that was a pretty big assortment of beers and packages I saw in several stores.

 

Bottles I picked up yesterday were 5/22/2018

 

It’s sad but I don’t think any of the bros could ever appreciate how great a beer two hearted is. Too malty and bitter 2 capper.

 

The delicious can of Two Hearted I just poured is dated 05/30/18, it is a 16oz can and I picked up at Gary's in Hillsborough this past Thursday (06/07/18). I'll take that kind of freshness every day.

 

My first Two Hearted was an eye opener. I remember exactly when and where I was when I had it. And I was ecstatic to find it since it was not available in my area.

Between Two Hearted and Founders Double Trouble the bright IPA’s in my fridge outnumber the hazy ones right now.

 

My advice to my fellow BAs, and this does NOT apply to haze money juice bros, Is buy Two Hearted now while its super fresh(5/23/18) and remember an awesome OG IPA like this one!

Who knows if this will become a shelf turd in the near future.

I remember back in the day when my buddy would come back from PA with a case of this beer, and I would bargain with him for a 6-pack.

Fast forward to today, and I can buy it right off the dry shelf of my local liquor store! Crazy!

 

Already made this decision too, drank through half my four pack. Time to buy more and at 9$ a four pack for this great beer! I’d drink this beer two months out at least too, fresh is best but it still retains its greatness for a while which is good. I forgot how amazing this beer smells too. Great all around.

Did anyone see lager of the lakes? None of the places near my house had any that I saw.

 

Yeah, I picked up a sixpack of cans at one of the Freehold area "Max's" (Raintree on Rt. 537). It is pretty surprising the different package and brand mixes some of the retailers chose. I haven't seen any of the 16 oz. can 4 packs, or any Oarsman.

 

Shoprite Liquors in Caldwell Has Lager of the Lakes

 

That's a bummer my local store didn't order any lager I guess. I guess it might pop up at a later time or be at another local store.

 

True enough...on the other hand, there's really also not any shortage of 'not so special' or downright crappy local beer available now.

I will certainly give Bell's a try.
It certainly won't be (or can't be) as un-impressive as the dishwater which Climax and Harvest Moon are peddling.

 

Same for me. It was only earlier in the year on draft at the Houston airport.

It has been appearing in Somerset County (Petrock's and Gary's in Hillsborough). Pool Time just showed up in the area, too. Looking forward to giving that one a try.

I'm torn about the Kalamazoo Stout. The description says licorice is a key ingredient and just can't stand licorice.

 

Just ask them to order it from Hunterdon. I'm sure when they placed their initial order of the Bell's, they thought, or said, "Gee, all these different brands and packages - I don't know what's gonna sell here... " Let them know by asking for it (and commit to buy it from them rather than ask and then buy it elsewhere) and chances are they'll get it for you.

(I mean, back when most liquors stores had a very local clientele, were small and had limited space for beer, that's what you did if you wanted something that wasn't "the usual" - you'd page through NJ Price Guide, see something, and say, "Hey, Maxie, order me a case of this..."

Next visit, "Hey, Jess, I got that case of Ballantine India Pale Ale in 7 oz. bottles for ya!".)

 

I didn't find a canning date on the Two Hearted cans packaging Kinda disappointing

 

I had trouble too. I was picking up four packs and turning, turning. They’re tough to see and possibly they rub off on some. Bad printing for sure. But when I finally found a date last week it was 5/30 so that was good.

 

Tow heareted is not some “drink within 3 weeks beer”. Just saying, breweries with QA also don’t just make up shelf life dates. They blind taste, etc and give shelf life based on that. They give it six months, people may argue that’s absurd and yes fresh is best but a few month old two hearted is still great.

 

Oh, it's there...

(Bottom) Photoshop enhanced.

... so I didn't find it until I got home and used the necessary accessories:

• LED flashlight
• Pair of +350 reading glasses

- available at most any Dollar store.

 

I'm not saying that Two Hearted has to be finished within 2 weeks like a Magnify IPA.
I couldn't find a date and as a result I bought the bottles which did have a date.
Had I bought the cans without seeing the date, and then saw the cans themselves marked March, I would have been annoyed.

Thanks to @jesskidden for helping these old eyes out

 

I’m always into saving some for a whole three blind tasting vs fresh to see what happens. And yea I would’ve never found the dates on that can box either.