Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale

One of my first beer-related revelations about the Midwest was Bell’s, formerly Kalamazoo Brewing, named for the owner/brewer Larry Bell and of course the town of Kalamazoo, Michigan, where the brewery was located, and where the cafe and store now serve up lots of beer to the public. While I figured the German influence in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan would mean lots of good wheat beers, Vienna lagers and Oktoberfests, little was I prepared for a predominantly ale-brewing force on my first real visit to the area.

About eight years ago I flew to Chicago for, yes, a beer festival, but also to meet up with a group of friends and have many adventures. I’d heard of Kalamazoo, which does not, and if Larry has his way will never, ship beer to New York City (he doesn’t like us for occasionally, and illegally, bringing in kegs and not giving them back, among other reasons), and this really bitter, tasty IPA they made called Two-Hearted Ale. So my first night out, at Clark Street Ale House — highly recommended if you’re in the area, by the way — I found the beer on cask, drank one, and decided yup, think I’ll be drinking this all night! It’s just that good.

Fast-forward to now, and between trips to North Carolina — Bell’s recent addition to its distribution — and family member trips to Ohio, I pretty much have supply chains set up so I don’t have to be out of Two-Hearted for long. Yes, these are the things I make time for when I or my family travels by car.

Clearly I wouldn’t be writing all about this beer if I didn’t think it was worth talking about, worth making sure your next trip to a place with Bell’s beer ought to include the purchase of Two-Hearted. Along with Ithaca Flower Power and Great Lakes’ Commodore Perry, it’s one of the best IPAs, to my mind, east of the Rocky Mountains.

So I pour a bottle of the clear, amber-colored Two-Hearted into a big Imperial (20-ounce) pint glass, the better to catch the enormous white head it throws when poured, well, like I did. The head sticks around a very long time, the better to catch and hold onto the hop aromas generated by very generous additions of Centennial hops late in the brewing process and later, in the fermenting tank. Centennials are one of the classic “citrus” hops of the Pacific Northwest, and Two-Hearted makes exclusive use of them, giving the beer an unmistakeable grapefruit aroma, coupled with a bit of tangerine and the slightest fruit juice-sweet notes.

Two-Hearted follows up that brilliant aroma with a “classic” IPA flavor. It’s a big citrusy blast like the aroma foretold, with a bracing bitterness in every sip that really dries out the palate. It’s quite rough and, when fresh, enamel-strippingly hoppy, like any excellent IPA should be, and the malt is but a bit player on the taste front, content to sit back and let the hops do their thing. The finish is predictably drying as well, and before I know it my glass is empty, save a few rings of foam stuck to the sides of the glass. Deeply satisfying.

Alas, scarcity means rarely drinking it more than once in a drinking “session”. At 7% alcohol by volume, it’s not like it can’t be enjoyed in quantity, but it might catch up with you quickly if you aren’t paying attention.

After spending much of its life as a fall and winter seasonal, it’s available year-round in other states, including Pennsylvania. It’s rather common on tap in Phiadelphia, actually. Since it isn’t here, I’d suggest the aforementioned Flower Power as a substitute, or perhaps one of the West Coast IPAs like Green Flash’s West Coast IPA. In the winter, if you can handle a little more sweetness, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale is a close approximation, as well. My six-packs cost about $10 where they’re purchased, but then that’s not New York pricing.

It’s probably clear from the preceding that I strongly recommend the consumption of Two-Hearted whenever possible in your beer-seeking adventures. I appreciate any brewery that can make the basic styles so tasty, and that describes Bell very well. The brewery deserves your love. Drink and enjoy!