American IPA Bell's Two Hearted Ale Clone (close as they come)

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Umm...I have a comment on this recipe and the time it takes for this beer to "peak". I have brewed it many times and I have to say that when it's young it strikes me as quite harsh/bitter. I have been barbeque'd over this premise before. I leave it in primary for 3 weeks, that 21 days, they into secondary until signs of clearing, then cold crash for up to 5 days. If I bottle it, its another 3 weeks to carb up. It could be another 6 weeks until the hops start to mellow and meld and you get that nice symmetry between the malt and the hops. The recipe is a winner but a rush to drink surprises me that people don't pucker themselves to death whilst choking it down.
 
Umm...I have a comment on this recipe and the time it takes for this beer to "peak". I have brewed it many times and I have to say that when it's young it strikes me as quite harsh/bitter. I have been barbeque'd over this premise before. I leave it in primary for 3 weeks, that 21 days, they into secondary until signs of clearing, then cold crash for up to 5 days. If I bottle it, its another 3 weeks to carb up. It could be another 6 weeks until the hops start to mellow and meld and you get that nice symmetry between the malt and the hops. The recipe is a winner but a rush to drink surprises me that people don't pucker themselves to death whilst choking it down.

A lot of different factors can come into play determining how quick a beer can go from grain to glass but good to hear your experience.
I want to brew this for the first time soon.
My normal schedule for an IPA is 2 weeks primary and then bottle. Dry hop for the last 5 to 7 days.
So if it tastes off for the first month or so after bottling I know it has the potential to improve. :bott:
 
IMG_1773.jpg


Thought I’d share a pic of my recent batch. Fermented with last year Bells Oberon harvested yeast and also wanted to use up a bit of Amarillo I had left over and added 3/4 oz to the 1 min and dry hop additions. Turned out nice! This is 9 days in the keg!
 
Brewed this on the weekend just gone. Local shop had no CaraMalt so had to substitute for CaraHell which I've not used before, its 10L in colour compared to the 20L of CaraMalt, Not sure if it was the best substitute?
Hopefully it will still be as good as the o.p. recipe.
Used Notty yeast, man its a vigorous ferment.
 
I just racked this into a secondary and decided to dry hop with an extra ounce of Citra that I had left over. It think it'll work out.
 
Brewed saturday following grain bill of OP but hops from Zymurgy. Adjusted dry hop up to 5 oz due to local 5.9 alpha centennials. Split the addition then into two: 2 oz during ferment and 3 oz 5-7 days before bottling. Just dropped the first addition. Interested to taste a brew without 15 min, 5 min or flameout additions.
 
Force carb'd this one last night and had to go for a taste first thing this morning (it's not alcoholism, it's devotion to a craft). This is instantly one of my favourites. Thanks for the recipe.
 
Yes, you should have given it more time.... you kinda proved it for yourself.....it's "yeasty" because you didn't give it time to condition, for the yeast to clean up and then flocculate out.

The "ipas should always be drunk fresh" thing is one of those chestnuts that noobs and others repeat without thinking too deeply about, and oversimplify, without applying any modicum of common sense to. And keep perpetuating over and over and over.

It simply means that ipas aren't meant to be cellarred, that they don't age well...that they lose "punch" over time.

WHAT IT DOESN'T MEAN IS; "drink a beer while it's still green and unconditioned." If you want a great tasting beer you STILL want to let the beer finish fermenting and give it time for the yeast to clean up after itself and condition, like any other well made beer.

I still after over a decade figure out how come this is so hard for folks to grasp....I think it just feeds into the natural impatience of brewers, especially noobs. We want instant gratification, and anything that seems to rationalize our impatience we jump on....and then wonder why our beer sucks.... human nature.

But good beers have a natural conditioning cycle, regardless of what it is...and an ipa is STILL a relatively highish grav beer- it's the same grainbill of other beers- still made of grain, water, yeast and hops- no different than any other beer, so they still need the same amount of conditioning as any beers we make, wouldn't you think? You still want a good beer, don't you?

The only difference is that hops fade with time, and ipas are hop driven, it's not a big deal in porters, stouts, etc...because they're more malt forward. But we want out ipas to be hoppy.

SO if you simply dry hop the final week the conditioning phase you won't lose that hop aroma, and taste, especially if you do a lot....but you'll still have a tasty, well conditioned base beer underneath....one that's not green or "yeasty."

Glad I saw this. I have some washed 1272 that I was thinking of dumping out. I have one jar on 5th generation and one in 6th generation and that last few beers I have been have been yeasty tasting. I just figured it was getting to the point that I've reused it too much. But, seeing this I can say that every one of those beers I tried to turn around in 3-4 weeks grain to glass, and they were a DIPA, and 6% hibiscus pale ale, and a porter. All had the same yeasty taste to them. My latest beer with the washed yeast is a brown with one ounce of dry hopped coffee beans, just to give it a slight coffee background. That stayed in the fermenter for 5 weeks and the yeast flavor isn't present. I guess in the is day of hearing all the NEIPAs being turned around in 2-3 weeks some of us try applying the same tactic to other styles and it doesn't work.

As to this recipe, has anybody tried following it but using a different hop, maybe El Dorado, citra, Mandarina?
 
Partial Something
Batch size: 5 gallons

2 lb 2-Row (Briess Organic)
2 lb Vienna (5.4 oz Briess Goldpils, 26.6 oz Weyermann)
8 oz Carapils (Briess)
8 oz C-20 (Briess Organic)
45 minute steep 155F

60 minute boil
1 oz Centennial (60 min)
6 lb Light LME (Briess Organic)
1 oz Centennial (15 min)
1 oz Centennial (5 min)
1 oz Centennial (1 min)

0.5 oz Centennial (dry hop)

Danstar Nottingham

4 weeks primary

3 weeks bottle conditioned

First taste: 11 August 2018

LME adaptation for my setup. This was my first purchase from Wine Workshop & Brew Center (Weyermann, Carapils, Centennial), rest Northern Brewer and leftovers. Extra primary time due to when I can bottle.
Drom John Bells Two Hearted Ale.png
 
I've done a clone as well. Not saying it will be any better or worse than OP but I think it was fantastic. Very similar to 2 Hearted but I preferred the freshness of the HB!

I did a 10gal batch

GRAIN
20lb 2 row
5.75lb Maris Otter
1lb crystal 40

Conduct water chemistry to your specific water but I would reccomend adding at least a little gypsum to most water.

Mash at 150 for 45 min then bring up to 170 for 15 min

HOPS
2.4oz Centennial at 45 min
2.4oz Centennial at 30 min
7oz Centennial dry hop for 7 days

YEAST
1 package WLP001 2.75 L starter with 9.3oz DME

OG 1.066 FG 1.010

Enjoy!
 
Just bought a pound of centennial hops specifically to make this recipe. It's been 2 years since I last made it and I am jonesing to have it again!

I am hoping to get it brewed before August, when it will be the best enjoyed fresh.
 
I have used different hops with this recipe and used bittering/whirlpool hops. I did a 10 gallon batches and dry hopped two 5 gallons differently. One I dry hopped with 1oz centennial, 2oz Idaho 7. Next one with 1oz centennial, 2 oz Simcoe. Both produced very good beer.
 
Kegging up my batch tonight from the Brite tank after a 48hr carb session. Was brewed 06/24 with 2.5oz dry hop and this time I used 1 package of WLP1272 and one of WYEAST #1056.

I think I prefer it with just the WLP1272, the last batch before I made a nice starter but this time I didnt have the time to, so it came down to some experiment time! Excited to see what everyone thinks of it tonight at my friends birthday party.

This beer is slowly becoming a staple in the household. But with the time it takes to be ready to drink, I think I will need another fermenter to accommodate having it always on tap.
 
I had a 16 oz. can of Two Hearted today; I'd forgotten how much I like it. (I'm generally not that fond of IPAs) I should this a try -- actually, something close because I don't have Centennial hops, but I do have Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, Dr. Rudi, and a few others. Think I might use Dr Rudi in the kettle and dry-hop with a generous dose of Cascade... I've used Dr Rudi early in the boil and Cascade late, and it's a good combination.

I've never done dry hops before. You tie them in a hop sock or something? (I'll be using hop pellets) Otherwise they will waste a lot of beer.
 
I had a 16 oz. can of Two Hearted today; I'd forgotten how much I like it. (I'm generally not that fond of IPAs) I should this a try -- actually, something close because I don't have Centennial hops, but I do have Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, Dr. Rudi, and a few others. Think I might use Dr Rudi in the kettle and dry-hop with a generous dose of Cascade... I've used Dr Rudi early in the boil and Cascade late, and it's a good combination.

I've never done dry hops before. You tie them in a hop sock or something? (I'll be using hop pellets) Otherwise they will waste a lot of beer.

You can use a hop sock but it's not required. I have had success with the sock but also have just added the pellets straight from the package (loose). With the sock method you should give it a good soak in starsan before adding the pellets.
 
I bought a 12-pack of Bell's Oberon tonight. It was a lot cheaper than the 2H, but it's not as good. It pours nice and clear (with a few chunks), but there's a lot of yeast at the bottom of the can if I swirl it. That's the same yeast as 2H, right?
 
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I bought a 12-pack of Bell's Oberon tonight. It was a lot cheaper than the 2H, but it's not as good. It pours nice and clear (with a few chunks), but there's a lot of yeast at the bottom of the can if I swirl it. That's the same yeast as 2H, right?
Same stuff.
 
I bought a 12-pack of Bell's Oberon tonight. It was a lot cheaper than the 2H, but it's not as good. It pours nice and clear (with a few chunks), but there's a lot of yeast at the bottom of the can if I swirl it. That's the same yeast as 2H, right?

Yes, same yeast and lower ABV. Oberon is where most prefer to get Bells yeast from.
 
Brewed 5.5 gal today. Turned out I had all the grains except for C20 (used Caravienna instead). Sure doesn't taste bitter after boiling/into fermenter. Hope it's a bit more hoppy after the dry hop. I intend to use both Cascade and Centennial and only dry-hop for 7 days.
 
I’ve brewed this recipe several times. Maybe the wort doesn’t taste hoppy because it’s sweet, but if your centennial was around 10AA and you used it per the recipe you should have around 63 IBU. I do use more dry hops than the original, def not just a half oz. An oz is good, 2 is better. Love 2HA, need to brew again...
 
I just noticed After my post that this thread went from '09- to '18? !

Got something close using extract in primary now:

Golden Light DME-7.2 lbs
Cara-pils .5 lbs
C-20 .5 lbs
Centennial .5oz 60 mins
Centennial .5oz 45 mins
Centennial .5oz 30 mins
Centennial .5oz 15 mins
Centennial .5oz flameout
Centennial 1 oz DH
Wyeast 1272 American Ale II

OG-1.073
FG-1.018
7.2% ABV
52 IBU's


Wow, nearly 10 years later, I just brewed this recipe!!
For 20 years, I"ve been doing Grain/Extract, I thjink it's called partial mash? Anyways, I've done recipes of this before too. But I have always used liquid extracts, not DME, until today!

Actually, I have my own clone of Toppling Goliaths Lightspeed (Millenium Falcon) and in the bottle now. I drank two tonight brewing this version from 10 years ago! Blast from the past!!
This recipe/brew is to Die For!! It comes out AWESOME!
But I had to change it up some, and brew a different version of @ hearted!

Anyways, my only alteration really was starting out also with a 1/2 oz of Simcoe hops (I had left over in the refrigerator.)

It was a trip using that much DME, but it worked, and has been in my fermenter about 45min now.

Thanks to shertz- 10 years ago for getting me to try your recipe!
 
Umm...I have a comment on this recipe and the time it takes for this beer to "peak". I have brewed it many times and I have to say that when it's young it strikes me as quite harsh/bitter. I have been barbeque'd over this premise before. I leave it in primary for 3 weeks, that 21 days, they into secondary until signs of clearing, then cold crash for up to 5 days. If I bottle it, its another 3 weeks to carb up. It could be another 6 weeks until the hops start to mellow and meld and you get that nice symmetry between the malt and the hops. The recipe is a winner but a rush to drink surprises me that people don't pucker themselves to death whilst choking it down.
Perception of bitterness varies a lot from person to person. Like a lot.
 
Umm...I have a comment on this recipe and the time it takes for this beer to "peak". I have brewed it many times and I have to say that when it's young it strikes me as quite harsh/bitter. I have been barbeque'd over this premise before. I leave it in primary for 3 weeks, that 21 days, they into secondary until signs of clearing, then cold crash for up to 5 days. If I bottle it, its another 3 weeks to carb up. It could be another 6 weeks until the hops start to mellow and meld and you get that nice symmetry between the malt and the hops. The recipe is a winner but a rush to drink surprises me that people don't pucker themselves to death whilst choking it down.

Another possibility is that your system and chill method are resulting in higher IBUs with the same recipe. For example, if you use a plate or counterflow chiller and the majority of the wort is sitting at near boiling temp with all those late hop additions while it’s waiting to get it’s turn through the chiller, you probably end up with a lot higher IBU than someone with a good immersion chiller that gets all the wort under 170F within a couple minutes of ending the boil.

For me, the recipe came out tasting a bit less bitter than the real thing. I’ll just make a small tweak to the bittering hops next time I brew it.
 
I'm brewing this tonight (2nd time in a row) and my LHBS is clean out of Centennial. Would anyone have suggestions on hop substitutions and maybe a different schedule? I have some:
* Amarillo
* Simcoe
* Chinook
* Cascade
* Sorachi Ace (only 1oz)
* Denali

Any suggestions? Thanks!
 
Well it won’t be a 2 hearted because you really need centennial for that, but you can make a very tasty IPA with simcoe and Amarillo. .5 simcoe at 60, 1 Amarillo at 15, whirlpool 1.5 simcoe and 2 Amarillo for 20 min. I’d dry hop with an oz of each.
 
I'm brewing this tonight (2nd time in a row) and my LHBS is clean out of Centennial. Would anyone have suggestions on hop substitutions and maybe a different schedule? I have some:
* Amarillo
* Simcoe
* Chinook
* Cascade
* Sorachi Ace (only 1oz)
* Denali

Any suggestions? Thanks!

I would probably follow this recipe https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2239/2667/files/Two_Hearted_Instructions_-_All_Grain.pdf but substitute Chinook for the boiling hops and Cascade for the dry hops. (I'm not familiar with Amarillo, Simcoe, or Denali. You don't have enough Sorachi Ace for this; use it to make something nice that doesn't need a lot)
 
Thanks guys! I started before your responses, but I ended up with 1oz Chinook at 60, doing 0.5oz each of Amarillo/Cascade at 15, 5, and 0 - and then at 170º I did a stand w/ Simcoe. I plan to dry hop with 1oz of each of Amarillo, Cascade, and Simcoe (I'm sure I could get some Centennial by then, but I kinda like the idea of keeping it out to compare with my last all-Centennial batch). I'm really curious how this turns out - my last brew based on this thread was insanely good, and I want to find out if Centennial is, in fact, a magic hop.
 
I brewed this beer about 1.5 months ago and it tasted like an OK beer. I threw 1oz Centennial in the keg 2 weeks ago and sampled it again just today, it tastes amazing. Time and aging makes a very big difference. I will definetly brew this again!
 

Here is one more data point. I brewed this in November and am finishing the last as I write. For a 3 gallon batch:

5.5 lb 2 row pale
20 oz Vienna
4 oz CaraPils
6 oz Crystal 15
7.375 lb

14g Northern Brewer 8.3% FWH 60 min boil

7g Centennial 9.6% 15 min

5g Vic Secret 21 %
4g Amarillo 8.6%
5g Citra 14.3%
7g Centennial 5 min

4g Amarillo 8.6%
5g Citra 14.3%
10g Centennial 1 min

16g Centennial 7 days dry hop
16g Centennial 5 days dry hop

US-05 yeast in the upper 60's and finishing at 71F

Hops are what were in the freezer and the Centennial I bought.

Taste tested by me, my daughter and her husband. We had a hard time telling the difference based on taste. There was an ever so slight different taste but non of us could really describe it. Maybe its the yeast but is is so slight it is insignificant. Someone with a very sensitive pallet might describe it but they would be splitting hairs. The real Two Hearted Ale is my daughters favorite beer but she says this is just as good.

Two Hearted is not distributed where I live and the kids brought me some from Texas to compare. I have brewed variations based on this thread in the past due to the overwhelming positive reviews. This is my third effort at a variation of the original recipe based on available hops and all were outstanding. The grain bill has remained true.

This version was ever so slightly darker and had better head retention. I'll do this again over and over. Thanks to everyone that has contributed to this thread.
 
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Hi all!

Has anyone of you tried the original recipe from eschatz but changed the hop amounts as the recipe from Bell's?

If so, is there any difference in taste?

Best regards,
Tommy
 
Lots of people have done that. Different hops have different flavors. Using different hops will result in a different flavored beer. This grain bill is a great one for experimenting with. It is an old thread but there is some discussion about that here: Bells Two Hearted IPA Recipe
 
I would give it a try. The Bell's version uses less kettle hops and more dry hops. I like eschatz version(but I usually go with 2 oz of Centennial in the dry hop), but I find it is fairly bitter for about 2 months, then it seems to turn into a nice well rounded IPA. I think the Bell's version would be more enjoyable earlier. I will probably try the bells hop schedule next time. I have a friend doing the Bell's kit soon. If he shares any, I'll give my feedback.
 
I haven't read all 34 pages, so maybe this has been mentioned already. Bell's sells a Two Hearted clone kit on their website, and they list the ingredients. For 5 gallons:
10 pounds American 2-row
3 pounds American pale ale
8 ounces American crystal 40L
6 ounces of Centennial hops

https://store.bellsbeer.com/collect...wo-hearted-ale-clone-all-grain-ingredient-kit
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2...ructions_-_All_Grain.pdf?17529720828637141219

I've been thinking of doing a 2H clone and was researching recipes. I saw this kit as well. Just wanted to point out that the hops they include with the kit are from the hops they buy for brewing, so higher quality than most.

Also, you can buy Bell's house yeast on their website if you don't want to do a starter. (But, then you miss drinking the beer to get to the dregs.:() It's Imperial Yeast A62.
 
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