Bell's Two Hearted - recent quality issues?

I believe the most recent batch I had was the 5/20 batch...which just last week was perfectly good.

Though slightly related....I just saw a stack of about 8 cases of the Two Hearted cans at St.Ch. binny's that was bottled dated April.... yikes!

 

Been pretty consistent for me. Two Hearted is my absolute favorite and I usually rotate between 4/6 packs every weekend depending on the weekend activities.

Haven't had any issues but that's just me. Perhaps others are experiencing what you are.


Edit: PS....The 4 pack cans have been an absolute summer game changer so far...tubbing/canoeing has been taken to a whole new level.

 

Is April really that old, or are you joking?

 

Well let's be honest, there aren't people lining up for 3 month old IPAs. I personally would pass on that every time. I try not to buy Two Hearted (and pretty much all IPAs for that matter) unless it is < 1 month old. If the beer is properly stored, I have no problem drinking 3-6 month old IPA (I did not say buy it), but a lot of stores aren't storing the stuff under the correct conditions. The only time I drink old IPA is when it is stored in my fridge and I forget about it. Fresh is best every time with IPAs.

Going back to the thread... I have a feeling your palate could use some time off? I remember having those feelings with IPAs, and usually it was because I had a fatigued palate. If you're really that unsure, try an Oberon and Two Hearted side by side... chances are you'll come to your senses. I'd say it's a very rare occurrence that Two Hearted makes it out with quality issues.

 

I have never had a Two Hearted that had "zero hop flavor" and I have had a lot of Two Hearted. I really have a hard time understanding what you may be tasting based on this limited information.

If you ever have a concern over the quality of a Bell's beer, contact Bell's. They have one of the better QC departments in the game. If there is an issue they will certainly be able to identify it for you.

For what it's worth, I have not noticed anything off with any recent batches.

 

I bought some 4/25/14 the cans I have are just as good as always, now the coffee that just burned the shit out of my mouth is another story.

 

I agree that draft>can>bottle, but I've never experienced this.

 

If its over a week old, the hops totally disappear...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

 

3 month old beer is undrinkable...Bells forgot how to brew a beer its been making in mass quantities for 25+ years...Seems pretty BA to me.

 

People aren't lining up for 3 month old IPA's?

So if Pseudo Sue, Zombie Dust (I know, it's a Pale Ale), Stache Bender, and Heady Topper were all at a store and 3 months old, folks would look at them and go- "meh, I WOULD buy it, but it's 3 months old."

I'm not trying to be a d-bag, here- I guess I just don't understand your reasoning. In my humble opinion, 3 months old is still fresh as heck. If a beer is of quality and brewed/packaged correctly, it would take 4-6 months for any seriously noticeable change to occur- and that's on the WARM shelf. Just my humble opinion....as well as our QC scientists'.

Perhaps, though, I'm just not that hip to the scene (which very well may be, anyway).

 

I will say I'm not a fan of two hearted cans. It seems a tad lighter then I remember, but it could be my palate changing too

 

I'm not one to bag on a two week old IPA, but I would leave any 3 month old IPA at the store. Not that it would necessarily be bad, but with the prices these days and the shelf full of great stuff, there is no need.

 

I think zombie dust sucks after 3 weeks old....seriously.....


I agree with Bonis.... I'd personally pass on 3 month old IPAs as well. A 3 month old hoppy pale ale is not fresh IMHO....Just because the brewer says the beers are perfectly fine doesn't mean I want to waste my cash on an IPA that just taste "OK" to me..... For a lot of hoppy beers it's like night and day between a week old bottle VS a few months old.

 

Hey, I hear you. To each their own.

 

I swear, im willing to bet that if people drank a "3 month" old IPA and they did not know it, they would not say a darn thing....

 

I guess it all just depends on whether your palette has been developed by drinking beer or by reading message boards.

I'm not saying there would be no difference between a 3 month old IPA and 3 day old, but the differences have no doubt been highly exaggerated. Especially if you are talking about a beer that has been kept cold the whole time. Its pretty cheap experiment to do with Two Hearted.

 

I agree. Some of us are just bigger beer snobs then others. Those are the people I don't want to associate with. The last thing I want to do while I'm drinking is hear some know it all nobody, that trades beer who thinks he knows everything.

 

It all depends on the beer. It is my opinion (see that, OPINION) that most IPAs need to be consumed extremely fresh for the best flavor experience. This does not mean they will be bad after 3+ months, just not quite as good as they were 1-2 weeks after bottling. There are certain IPAs that hold up well from my experience (any Sierra Nevada IPA I've had) and others that are crap after 2 months (Sucks, GoTO IPA). Hell, the brewer of Heady Topper says his beer will stay good for up to a year in the can. One other thing to note, all of Stone's IPAs have a best by date of 90 days after bottling if that tells you anything (to me, they are the king of IPA).

And as far as understanding my reasoning. Here. I live in Columbus, Ohio. I can go to any beer store in the area and find a good quality IPA that has been bottled within the month. Why would I grab an IPA that is 3 months old when I can get something fresher? Again, just my personal preference to quaff on some super fresh IPA. Two weeks old is fresh as heck, one month old is fresh, 3 months really is not. Glad someone is buying it.