First Bell's beer

gah those are way too old, you had already driven that far, why not try a different store? I get mad when I find an IPA thats 4 month old, haven't ran into any that old in a LONG time. Also, if they have two batches dated 2 months a part and both are over 4 months old there is no way they are moving any quantity of it very quickly.

 

I am not a big fan of Two Hearted. I see all the love on this site for it, but I just dont get it. Outside of Hopslam (last years was better) and Expedition Stout, I havent found anything else that wows me. A lot of their stuff is solid and they make a good variety, but not too many of them are wow quality. The Best Brown is pretty good as well. Oberon is another of theirs that gets a lot of hype, but to me is just ok. It is good on a hot day, but IMO nothing spectacular

 

Fresh two hearted is staggeringly good. Find some fresh if you can.

 

Two hearted was my first bells and I still love it, and still buy it regularly. Definitely try and get fresher ones next time you can, having 4 month old ones doesn't do this beer justice. If you liked it at 4 months you'll love it at two or younger.

 

You should try it fresh! Since you're in San Diego (?) I'm sure there's *something* you can find to trade with some nice people in Kalamazoo!

 

Two Hearted isn't my favorite from the bottle but had one on cask earlier today and must say it was truly exceptional. This beer really does benefit greatly from cask conditioning. I would still try and find a fresher batch to get a better vibe though or get it on tap from a fresh keg if I were you.

 

Being from San Diego, I'm used to the same west coast IPA's. I was very excited to have Two Hearted for the first time on tap in Chicago. It was excellent! Hoppy, citrusy, delicious! I would love to be able to have this bear on a regular basis.

 

I hope you grabbed some Expedition Stout! I've only had that and Midwestern Pale as far as Bells is concerned. The Midwestern is forgettable. Expedition on the other hand is nice and I think with some age would just be outstanding.

 

Two Hearted from a fresh keg is a work of art. The folks on the site that don't care for it are either getting old bottles or can't find beauty in the balance of this beer. Clean, slightly sweet malt to back up the juicy fruit citrus hops! I'm pretty sure that if they shipped casks to England, it would medal at the GBBF.

 

I have constant access to 2 Hearted that is under a month old. Centennial is a world class hop for being around as long as it has been. Founders Centennial is a fresh beer you need to try as it has a slightly different malt bill, but still has all of the great Centennial hop complexity; and I am hard pressed to decide between the two. I buy the Founders more often though honestly.

 

I live in Minnesota and bells two hearted is available fresh all the time. Is it best when fresh? Yeah it is. Who's to say when a beer is past its prime... the guy thats drinking it! I have had two hearted ale thats a month old up to almost a year old. It didnt have the hop profile like when it was first brewed but it was still great and still drinkable; even after being in the bottle for almost a year! My point is your not missing out on something significant.

 

I can only drink 2 Hearted on tap.

 

I am willing to bet I drink more Two Hearted than anyone on this site and I avoid buying bottles with that kind of age on it. I still like the beer but it does not give me the warm fuzzy feeling a fresh example will. Try it fresh and your experience will be different.

There is some solid information floating around which suggests Founders Centennial is not a single hop beer. While it may be Centennial heavy, it benefits from some Cascade as well.

He is missing out on something significant, fresh beer. Regardless if the beer is still good or enjoyable, the hop profile is significantly different from zero to ninety days.

 

I feel like Two Hearted is solid for something I can always find in NC but with Bell's it's more about their seasonals for sure.... The Consecrator is solid, Hopslam is obviously amazing (thought this year's batch was just fine), Black Note Stout... I like the Kalamazoo and Expedition, Expedition Stout was prob the beer of there I tried in Ohio about 10 years ago actually... Im a big fan of the Double Cream but I like sweet stouts... I am always game to trade some beer too!

 

I echo this sentiment, so fucking hard.

OP—you imply that you're used to super-fresh, close-to-source (D)IPAs and immersed in a hop-forward beer culture, but then wonder why an IPA that's six months old doesn't wow you? I'm sorry, I'm not trying to sound like a dick (and realize I'm failing at that), but I'm not sure what you were expecting from old IPA.

 

Bells is a solid brewery. If you can get some Two Hearted fresh, give it another shot. They just released Oberon too and for me, this is a wonderful Summer beer. Since you live in San Diego and have freakingly perfect weather all year round, you'd probably enjoy it too.