Battle Of The Hops

Submitted By beal187
Words: 1065
Pages: 5

Battle Of The Hops Trolls and Uppers can both agree that their mitten shaped state produces some pretty amazing and unique products. The Mustang, Better Made potato chips, Vernors & Faygo pop, Koegle and Kowalski sausages, Hudsonville Ice Cream, faux pas gangster rap and a plethora of craft beer. Craft breweries have proven to be one of the states fastest and most successful genre of export. According the the Michigan Brewers Guild the state ranks number five in the nation for number of craft breweries, micro pups and home brewers. The states brewing guild has also stated that "Michigan's thriving brewing industry contributes over $24 million in wages with a total economic contribution of more than $133 million." This accounts for roughly six percent of beer sales in the country. The brewery leading the way in my opinion for Michigan is Bell's, located in Kalamazoo. My favorite beer of theirs, and from the state is the Two Hearted Ale. The closest comparison to this from an out of state brewery is Samuel Adams, Latitude 40 IPA (India Pale Ale). To best compare these two ales I will using the BJCP Style Guidelines, 14B. American IPA. While being on the dry side, The Beer Judge Certification Program is the fairest way to judge different beers of the same style. The main points of interest are aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel, over all impression, comments, history and ingredients. May the best ale survive. Bell’s, Two Hearted Ale: The 12 ounce bottle shows a painting of a Michigan Trout, in earth tone colors and a orange boarder. Standing at 7% alcohol by volume. Named after the river in northern Michigan. Also named after Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Big Two-Hearted River.” The aroma is non-grassy, full bodied citrus smell, similar to grapefruit zest. The ale’s aroma has as a slight sweet undertone with slight ester or fruitiness with a finish of resinous pine. Little to no alcohol nose bite. Not over powering and enjoyable. The color is a light burnt orange to medium copper. The head was not excessive and off white. It looks a lot like orange Cool Aid, with too much water added to it. The flavor certainly reflect that of the American hops used. American hops tend to be citrusy and floral. The Two Hearted Ale seems to have the perfect balance of citrus and pine hop flavors. Has a sweet flavor, ending with a slight bitterness from the hops. Has hint of toasted malts and caramel. Slight pear and candied fruit sweetness.The alcohol content helps dry out any lingering sweetness. Making this an extremely well balanced India Pale Ale. The mouthfeel is smooth with a slight pullback from the hops bitterness. Has a slight alcohol warming followed with a stickiness from the malts carmel flavors. Overall a medium-light mouthfeel for the style.
I absolutely love this beer. It is a spitting image of what an American IPA should be. It’s a strong beer, standing at 7% alcohol by volume but is bodied light enough to tip back more then a few with out feeling like a beached whale. I have dubbed Bell’s Two Hearted Ale my official deer camp brew. The first time I had this beer was during a five day deer hunt in the swamps of Argyle, Michigan, during mid november. It is a memory I will forever associate with the trout labeled bottle. I cant say which complimented one more than the other, the hour old buck heart sizzling in my cast iron frying pan or the snow flake freckled bottle of Two Hearted. Samuel Adams, Latitude 48 IPA: Named after the array of hops that grow at the 48th parallel. Also known as the “hop belt” of the northern hemisphere. The bottle has the traditional Sam Adams label only in blue and green with “Latitude 48 IPA” bannered under the main label. All in all it seems pretty generic. The initial aroma of this beer is sweet malty with a strong grassy hop note. Little to no citrusy smell. Almost smells like a young un-matured American baley wine. Floral notes with slight pine. Slight