Two Hearted Ale shows up on more “best IPA in America” lists than almost anything else, and it’s stayed there for over two decades without chasing the hazy IPA trend at all. I picked up a six-pack expecting a solid but familiar IPA. What I got was one of the more genuinely well-balanced IPAs I’ve had in a while, which explains a lot about why it hasn’t gone anywhere.
At a Glance
| Style | ABV | Hops | Brewery | Where It’s From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American IPA | 7.0% | 100% Centennial | Bell’s Brewery | Comstock, Michigan |
The Story Behind the Name
Two Hearted is named after the Two Hearted River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a real trout-fishing river that also gives the beer its outdoorsy branding. It’s brewed and dry-hopped with 100% Centennial hops, a single-hop approach that’s unusual for a beer this widely distributed, most breweries blend two or three varieties to hit a specific flavor target. Bell’s just leans hard into what Centennial does on its own.
What It Actually Tastes Like
It pours clear amber-gold with a persistent white head, no haze at all, which already sets it apart from most of the IPA shelf right now. The nose is a genuine range from Centennial, pine resin up front, grapefruit and floral notes underneath. On the palate there’s a real malt backbone holding it together, not a hop bomb with nothing supporting it, and Bell’s house yeast strain adds a subtle fruitiness that rounds the whole thing out.
At 7% ABV it’s on the stronger end of standard IPA territory, but the alcohol is well hidden behind the malt and hop balance, it doesn’t drink hot or boozy the way some IPAs in this range can.
Why It Keeps Winning
BeerAdvocate ranks it in the top tier of American IPAs with a score in the mid-90s and tens of thousands of ratings, which is a genuinely hard thing to sustain for a beer that’s been on shelves for over 20 years without a major recipe overhaul. Part of it is timing, it predates the hazy IPA wave and never chased it, staying exactly the beer it was built to be while trends moved around it. That consistency is rare enough on its own to earn the loyalty it has.
Bell’s Brewery itself has an interesting history worth knowing if you’re drinking Two Hearted for the first time. It started as a homebrew supply shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1983 before founder Larry Bell began brewing commercially, eventually growing into one of the largest independent craft breweries in the country. Two Hearted became the flagship almost by accident, it wasn’t originally positioned as the brewery’s signature beer, but consistent quality and word of mouth turned it into exactly that over time. The brewery is still independent and Michigan-based decades later, which matters more in this category than it sounds, plenty of once-independent craft breweries this size have since been bought out by larger beverage conglomerates and quietly changed their recipes.
Two Hearted also pairs better with food than most IPAs its strength, the malt backbone stands up to grilled or smoked meat without the bitterness clashing the way a hazier, juicier IPA sometimes does. It’s one of the few IPAs I’d actually recommend alongside a meal rather than on its own.
Where to Actually Find One
Bell’s distributes widely across most of the US, and Two Hearted is usually the easiest of their lineup to find since it’s the flagship. If it’s out of stock locally, look for other single-hop or Centennial-forward IPAs as a stand-in, the character won’t be identical but it’s the closest comparison point. Within Bell’s own lineup, Oberon, the brewery’s summer wheat ale, leans lighter and fruitier, so Two Hearted is genuinely the outlier worth seeking out specifically if malt-balanced bitterness is what you’re after.
More IPA Reviews
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- What Counts as Good American Beer?
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FAQs
What hops are in Bell’s Two Hearted Ale?
100% Centennial hops, used in both the kettle and as dry hop additions, a single-hop approach that’s unusual for a beer this widely distributed.
What’s the ABV of Two Hearted Ale?
7.0% ABV, on the stronger end of standard American IPA strength.
Is Two Hearted Ale a hazy IPA?
No. It pours clear amber-gold and is brewed in the older, filtered West Coast IPA tradition, not the hazy or juicy style.
