By all measurable standards, Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale is one of America’s best beers. It’s been awarded the number one ranking in the Homebrewer’s Association Zymurgy magazine list of Best Beers in America three years running and won every medal that matters. Starting early next year, you’ll be able to drink even more of it — sort of.
After rumors began swirling when Beer Street Journal reported Bell’s lower calorie, lower ABV Light Hearted Ale could be announced soon for national distribution, the brewery confirmed it in an Instagram post late Thursday.
“As we all raise pints, bottles and cans of Two Hearted in celebration today, we have an announcement to share. Light Hearted, a lo-cal IPA with many of the characteristics of its namesake, but without all the calories, will debut in early 2020, All malt, balanced, flavorful, hoppy and only 3.7% ABV. More to come,” Bell’s wrote in the caption.
Previously, Light Hearted Ale has been a Bell’s General Store Exclusive, a brewery taproom and bottle shop that stocks some of the brewery’s more experimental product. On its website, Bell’s says it’s a lot like Two Hearted — 100% Centennial hops, malty with plenty of complexity — but trimmed down to a sessionable 4.5 percent ABV.
The soon-to-be nationally-distributed version pushes the ABV down to 3.7 percent and, given the “Lo-Cal IPA” mocked-up on the label, we can assume a significant drop in calories as well — a growing trend in craft beer right now (the success of Dogfish Head’s low-cal release earlier this year may have played factor Bell’s decision, too).
Exact release details around Light Hearted have yet to be announced, but for lovers of Two Hearted Ale (ourselves included), 2020 can’t come soon enough.
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