I've actually enjoyed this beer twice, once to go with my dinner, another time with a group of my friends at a wing restaurant as we argued about fantasy football. For either occasion, Bell's Two Hearted Ale would be considered a winner and I'll explain that through my review. For the purposes of this review, I'm going with the beer I had with dinner.
The beer poured a dark golden-amber color into a pilsner glass. With my typical vigorous pour, I was able to get about two fingers of bone white head, very soapy looking. Low retention with rings of lacing on the sides of the glass. Aromas of caramel, toffee, and other malt forward flavors blend with different citrus fruits (grapefruit, lemon, orange, pineapple) and some apricot. Not heavy on the pine flavor, which is a definite plus for me as I favor citrus over pine.
Of course, the taste provides more of a pine bite at first taste, but then the sweetness of the malts come through and the finish and aftertaste has more of a citrus-like feel to it. The finish is dry and definitely bitter, as expected from an American IPA. Medium bodied, with light to medium carbonation. I know a lot of folks see this as the quintessential IPA, a great go-to when there's nothing else around, and I tend to agree. There's probably other IPAs that I favor more, but you honestly can't go wrong with this one (provided you like the style). Agree or disagree? Just let me know.
Grade: B+
Price Paid: $1.89 (12 oz bottle)
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