Just tried Bell's Two Hearted Ale...

And I hated it! My friend traveled all the way to Virginia to get this from NY. Maybe I am just too used to imperial styles but I didn't taste anything good about this beer. It tasted very watery and the hop taste was very week. There was hardly any nose to it either. To me it was like an IPA light. I know its rated 100 and for the most part I agree with rate beer but I just coudn't with this one. Anyone else think so?

Maybe you got a bad one? It's not nearly as hoppy or bitter as some other IPAs, but it's not watery by any means. It's very well balanced and has a really nice hop flavor and aroma. Give it another shot if you are able to get your hands on one.

it's also bottle conditioned (similar to SN ales) so maybe that batch was treated poorly by the seller... i.ei hot then cold then hot again then sold....

That said an IIPA it is not (and not meant to be) IMO it's in my top three of ipa's because I feel it's very flavorful and not over the top on bitterness.

It is one of my favorite beers, and I would not come anywhere close to describing it the way you did. You must have had a bad one.

You had a bad one or think your beer penis is huge. Sorry. Milds can be fantastic beers too. Just because it doesn't remind you of paint thinner doesn't mean it isn't a great beer.

TH is one of the best IPA's available. fact. There are bigger ones, or you may prefer others, but it is a great beer none the less.

lol @ the beer penis comment!

I love the TH, but I don't expect everyone to. It's no big deal if you didn't like it. I'm a little skeptical of idea of getting a 'bad beer', but I don't see why everyone needs to like every beer. I definitely think it's a mild IPA, but I find it delicious and that's fine by me.

The great thing about beer is there are many many different beers to choose from, even within a style and they don't all taste the same. At least you know you tried a popular beer and it just doesn't suit your tastes. No big deal.

Everybody and their mother seems to love blue cheese around me...but I hate it. Same applies here.

Cheers.

I can only think you must have gotten a bad one (or six). I can see how maybe it's not to everyone's taste, but watery? No, I've never had one that way.

Oh, you musta' had a bad one. The hop aroma is really big. As said above, it's not bitter, but big on flavor and aroma.

I am used to big IPA's and IIPA's, too, so I doubt that's it.

I have had some really bad bottles of reliable favorites before. Try some fresh stuff and don't give up!

Thanks for the replies. My buddy who isn't as much of a hop head as me liked it so maybe I do need to try it again. I think with some beers you need to try them at least 2 or 3 times to really see if you like it or not. I noticed that the clone recipe has centennial hops in it..Maybe I'm just not a fan of that? I dont know. Unfortunately my friend only gave me 1 two hearted. I think he has more so maybe I can try it again.

r2eng said:

Oh, you musta' had a bad one. The hop aroma is really big. As said above, it's not bitter, but big on flavor and aroma.

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Thats the exact opposite of what I got from it the multiple times I've tried it. There is no hop flavor or aroma in that beer. There is only bitterness, and not that much of it either. I would rank Two Hearted in the bottom quarter of the IPA's I have tried.

sause said:

Thats the exact opposite of what I got from it the multiple times I've tried it. There is no hop flavor or aroma in that beer. There is only bitterness, and not that much of it either. I would rank Two Hearted in the bottom quarter of the IPA's I have tried.

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Just what exactly does have hop flavor in your opinion sause?

To get a measure of what someone else considers "hoppy," do you like Sierra Nevada, Harpoon, Hop Stoopid?

I love Two Hearted Ale and know plenty of other people who do as well, but it doesn't make someone wrong because they don't (just sayin'). I too think you may have just had a bad one, but who knows.

cercueil, what part of Jersey are you from, the wife is from Wayne and we get up there frequently enough--I'd be happy to provide you with a second chance at what I think is a great beer.

I'd be interested to find out how old these bottles are that you guys tried.

There's a four-digit batch number on the bottle. Will you take a look at Bell's website and see how old the bottles are? (Or post the number here?)

bellsbeer.com

Hmm, TH is a regular staple for me around here. Always seems full of flavor and plenty of aroma. It might not be for everyone, but I'd have to say it's a very nice IPA IMO.

Check your batch code on their website and see how old your beer is.

...I'll bet ya it aint very fresh. Print it out the date and go yell at your supplier for selling it to you at full price.

I truly enjoyed the first few Bell's 2 hearted that I tried, in fact I enjoyed them so much that I made the clone recipe. I bought another bottle last week to compare to my brew, and it tasted TOTALLY different from the last time. Very malty, maybe biscuity(I'm no beer judge), not much hop flavor. No idea how that happened. Give it another shot(a fresh one), I think you'll enjoy it, like so many of us do. If you get a "good" one, and still don't like it, we'll leave you alone about it.

Better yet, try it on tap if you get a chance. I've never had a bad one on tap.

Rick500 said:

I'd be interested to find out how old these bottles are that you guys tried.

There's a four-digit batch number on the bottle. Will you take a look at Bell's website and see how old the bottles are? (Or post the number here?)

bellsbeer.com

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So I got the batch number from my friend and it turns out that it was packaged on May 11th, 2009. I also read Zymurgy last night and out of about 20,000 votes in America I think it was voted something like 3rd or 4th. Not sure when I will be able to get this one again but I will try it and post the results.

Wow, I've never really thought of TH as being a mild IPA! Always decent hop bitterness with tons of flavor and aroma! Then again, I'm only 1.5 hours from the brewery, so maybe I get fresher bottles... At the moment it's my favorite IPA.

But of course it's NOT a IIPA! They got HOPSLAM! for that, which is very awesum IMHO.

TH is like a fresh hit of hops flavor in liquid form. Hopslam! is like a mouthful of fresh hops!

cercueil said:

So I got the batch number from my friend and it turns out that it was packaged on May 11th, 2009. I also read Zymurgy last night and out of about 20,000 votes in America I think it was voted something like 3rd or 4th. Not sure when I will be able to get this one again but I will try it and post the results.

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Interesting...Perhaps you got a bad batch. I have it fairly frequently and unless they are old, they've always been mighty tasty. It's not the hoppiest beer on the block but very satisfying.

I went on vacation to PA this past weekend and grabbed a case of 2 hearted and a case of Kalamazoo. I am a big fan of Kalamazoo and Expedition and wanted to give 2 hearted another chance. I tried it again and to be honest it really isn't good. It tasted ok but for some reason it tasted like it had too much caramel flavor in it (caramel malt I guess??). I think that overshadows the bitterness and flavor.

looks like this thread is long gone-but I tried it in the mid-summer of 2011 along with other styles and types...at that time i didnt even know the difference between styles of beer but I loved it so much that i saved the bottle so I would know what it is-i should prolly have more than one beer if i want to claim it as my fav_o well-lol-currently on a Ranger kick _8.95 for a sixer _cha-ching!

I love it! I have the clone in my secondary right now! I only made it because it has remained in my mind for years since I tried it. It was a bad one.

My old roommate from back East sadly informed me (we can't get Bells in Colorado) that someone mixed up kegs and tapped the Hopslam keg as Two Hearted Ale.

I've been crying ever since.

Found this on tap while in Arlington, VA last weekend.

Lots of hype, but it did not disappoint!

So, now I'm looking for bulk Centennial with no luck.

Just bought 2 crowns of Centennial Hops. Can anyone guess why?

Planted my hops last night. Popped open a bottle of 2H and poured it into a glass with 2 capfuls of bourbon. Man was that good! Probably could have went with a single capful, but it was still an amazing flavor combination!

So now its almost 3 years after my original post. I've had tons of IPA's since then. 2 hearted doesn't even crack the top ten. These are in no particular order but are definitely better than 2 hearted any day.

AleSmith
Ballast Point Sculpin
Russian River Blind Pig
Cigar City Humidor Series Jai Alai Cedar Aged India Pale Ale
Tröegs Nugget Nectar Ale
Green Flash West Coast
Ithaca Flower Power
Port Brewing Wipeout
Port Brewing Mongo
Firestone Walker Union Jack

cercueil said:

Just tried Bell's Two Hearted Ale... And I hated it!

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Good! More for me.


WoooHoooo!
Two pounds of Centennial on their way.

AnOldUR said:

Two pounds of Centennial on their way.

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Any thoughts on how Denny's 50 would work for B2H?

soot said:

My old roommate from back East sadly informed me (we can't get Bells in Colorado) that someone mixed up kegs and tapped the Hopslam keg as Two Hearted Ale.

I've been crying ever since.

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HopSlam is the shinnizle. It is weird aroud here, I can find more taverns that have it on Tap, than I can find Liquor Store that carry it bottled.

cercueil said:

So now its almost 3 years after my original post. I've had tons of IPA's since then. 2 hearted doesn't even crack the top ten. These are in no particular order but are definitely better than 2 hearted any day.

AleSmith
Ballast Point Sculpin
Russian River Blind Pig
Cigar City Humidor Series Jai Alai Cedar Aged India Pale Ale
Tröegs Nugget Nectar Ale
Green Flash West Coast
Ithaca Flower Power
Port Brewing Wipeout
Port Brewing Mongo
Firestone Walker Union Jack

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Strange I like all of those beers you listed very much. TH remains one of my all time favorite beers though. I will say I have had 2 bad six packs in my day. Both of them were no hop aroma/flavor and all bitter. I attributed that to poor handling and took them back for refunds both times.

cercueil said:

And I hated it! My friend traveled all the way to Virginia to get this from NY. Maybe I am just too used to imperial styles but I didn't taste anything good about this beer. It tasted very watery and the hop taste was very week. There was hardly any nose to it either. To me it was like an IPA light. I know its rated 100 and for the most part I agree with rate beer but I just coudn't with this one. Anyone else think so?

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Wow after reading posts I apparently need to try another sixer myself. Was not impressed with my first try either....