First Bell's beer

I loved Dreadnaught and Arctic Panzer Wolf and Alpha King, but I love 2 Hearted as well.

Guess I just like good beer inside or outside the box, "normal" or not.

 

Nah, not really, I mean you did nail it, balanced, when I drink ipas I expect hops, hop forward, hop finish, hop hop hop. I'm good on the malt.

 

Was in AZ last week and was about to buy a 6er but was dated mid January. So I just grabbed two singles (total wine) and a 6er of Odell's instead.

 

I'm still waiting to be WOW'd by anything from Bell's. Average and mediocre is where they seem to dwell IMHO.

 

Two hearted is a great beer the fresher the better

 

I don't think he was referring to me, as I wasn't bashing Bells in the slightest and have a deep and abiding respect for Larry Bell (the man, the myth, the LEGEND). I was lucky enough to have Black Note twice this year and BBB9000 a handful of times as well. Tons of their rarer stuff made it here for AZ beer week and NONE of it was lost on me. Being that DIPA isn't a style I go bonkers for, I'll definitely have to try Oracle sometime but I'm not going out of my way for it.

 

I figured they got it right, I was just having some fun with hopfenunmaltz. FWIW I think Two Hearted is awesome fresh. It's obvious they weren't going for a west coast hop assault and I'm just fine with that.

 

I don't think it's unreasonable to try an older bottle of IPA you've been wanting to try for years just to get a feel for whats going on. Many inferences can be reasonably drawn from the experience, and if the beer truly sucks you aren't out more than $1.67.

 

Why does AZ get Bells and Texas doesn't? We are closer.

 

Yeah, I guess I just disagree on that. You're right that you're not out a lot of money (unless you're buying a big bottle of Sculpin or something, in which case you're only out $10, but still), and definitely some (D)IPAs retain a lot more character over time than others, but in my opinion not all of the best ones but a fair number of them won't have the shine that makes them unique or makes them just that much better than the rest of the lot with some age on them. Two Hearted and Jai Alai, for example, are two that really are just that much better when they're fresh; aged, they don't stand out so much. But fresh, you really understand what the big deal is.

But y'know, that's just like, my opinion, man.

 

Bell's is a top 3 brewery for me. Hopslam is amazing, as is Black Note. But Two Hearted is something I appreciate being to able to drink ALL the time -- it's lovely fresh, but also stays very drinkable a bit longer than typical IPAs/APAs. For me, it is an exceptional beer. In terms of other Bell's beers, I recently tried Smitten and was entirely impressed. I'd actually consider picking up a case. I tend not to like Expedition as much as others, even though I think it's its a great beer, too. If anyone has the chance, you must visit Eccentric Cafe, where Bell's has one-offs and other beers not available anywhere other than the cafe.

 

One of the BA's described fresh Two Hearted as a grapefruit glazed doughnut. I'd have to say he/she was spot on (when its fresh). Not fresh, it's solid, but fresh - Man... I don't think anything could be better than a grapefruit glazed doughnut.

 

I was also underwhelmed by Two Hearted, had it in bottles and on tap , neither time it "wowed" me. It was decent and drinkable, but didn't have the hop profile I was hoping for, I took it as possibly a good beer for someone crossing over into the world of IPAs.

 

Larry Bell likes us better . Actually he likes the Cubs spring training. Thank God for the Cubs.

 

Two Hearted, and it has become one of my go to beers. It's not going to blow anyone away, but it's just a really solid, drinkable beer.

Oh, and I just picked up some Oberon... Saving that for tomorrow. It's always a treat.

 

I'm in the same boat. I'll be the first person to tell u that I love malty IPA's, but Not really diggin two hearted.

 

I always get it when it's on tap around me and I can't remember the last time I had it in a bottle, but it is delicious and I would suggest you are missing a lot if there is no aroma, which makes sense at 4 mo.

 

On this, we'll have to disagree. To me, Two Hearted is incredibly solid, but more to the point it's just so well-rounded, it's not even funny. It's like the quintessential American IPA, and executed to a 4.5/5 in every respect. Incredibly well done.

This, we can agree on :-)

 

If Two Hearted doesn't smell like a floral shop, from a foot away, the moment you pop the cap - then you, my friend, have an outdated beer