Bell’s Two Hearted Ale Clone Recipe
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale was one of the first US clone beers I attempted. I remember seeing the threads on Home Brew Talk about brewing this beer and there were so many pages of homebrewers saying the clone was perfect. I couldn’t get the beer in the UK of course so I had to see what all the fuss was about.
Essentially, the recipe is a single hop IPA with Centennial used throughout the boil and as a dry hop in the fermenter. It is amazing the amount of flavour you can get out of such a simple recipe. Bell’s Two Hearted has been around for a long time in craft beer standards but this recipe is still a classic.
Bell’s Two Hearted Recipe
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 L | 60 min | 49.1 IBUs | 12.4 EBC | 1.066 | 1.013 | 7.0 % |
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pale Malt (2 Row) US | 4.5 kg | 76.66 |
| Pale Malt, Maris Otter | 1.15 kg | 19.59 |
| Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L | 220 g | 3.75 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centennial | 34 g | 45 min | Boil | Pellet | 10 |
| Centennial | 20 g | 15 min | Boil | Pellet | 10 |
| Centennial | 20 g | 5 min | Boil | Pellet | 10 |
| Centennial | 25 g | 1 min | Aroma | Pellet | 10 |
| Centennial | 50 g | 5 days | Dry Hop | Pellet | 10 |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Ale (WLP001) | White Labs | 77% | 20°C - 22.78°C |
Mash
| Step | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mash In | 65.56°C | 75 min |
Download
| Download this recipe's BeerXML file |
What’s In A Name?
The name of Bell’s Two Hearted Ale comes from the Two Hearted River in Upper Michigan.
The label features a Brook Trout swimming through a river. Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Big Two-Hearted River” explores the details of a trip fishing for Trout on the river.
Although there is no relation to the name of this beer, the trout actually has two hearts, so there is hidden meaning within the Bell’s beer label here.
Malt Extract Version
To brew a malt extract version of this beer substitute the pale malt and the maris otter malt for one the following:
5.7kg (12.56lb) Pale Liquid Malt Extract
or
4.8kg (10.6lb) Pale Dry Malt Extract
Steep the crystal malt in a grain bag for 20 minutes, add a third of the malt extract at the start of the boil and the remaining 2/3rds a few minutes before the end of the boil.
Recipe Notes
- This clone recipe for Bell’s Two Hearted Ale has been sourced primarily from a thread on Home Brew Talk and a recipe posted on the Home Brew Association website.
- Bell’s have themselves suggested using the Home Brew Association recipe to clone the beer on their own website so this acts as an endorsement of that particular recipe
- Over the years the final ABV of the beer seems to have changed this is why there may be discrepancies between the recipes sourced and Bell’s own website.
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