Pale Ale is a classic beer style which has been brewed for centuries, first in England where the style was developed by brewers who aged their beers in wooden vats. Additional hops were added to help preserve the contents during long overseas trips to India. 

This style of brewing was adopted in the late 20th century, when craft brewers became interested in reinventing old world styles for their brews. 

India Pale Ale eventually became common, leading to the creation of many classic beers available today. 

One of those is Two Hearted IPA by Bells Brewery, found in coolers across the country. The Midwest Classic won the “The Best Beer in America'' accolades year after year and became a classic. It features a bright, lemony fragrance and the floral nose nicely complements the malty body. Rounding out every delightful sip is a smooth, crisp finish marked by the flavor of the Centennial Hop, which makes up 100% of the hop bill. 

Fittingly, this beer’s namesake is a landmark in Michigan. A series of events led to the creation of the beer and helped make Bell’s Brewing the largest beer producer in Michigan, an enviable title it held until 2018 when it was overtaken by Founders Brewing. 

A bottle share held during the second annual Great American Beer Festival was where Larry Bell met a hop grower who sold him 300 pounds from his Wisconsin farm. The Two Hearts were a metaphor expressing the combination of English Malts combined with American Hops. 

Experiments for a single hop ale begun by Rob Skalla in 1992 culminated in a recipe which was first commercially brewed as Two Hearted IPA in 1997. Rather than a new filing, The Two Hearted namesake was resurrected. The recipe was further tweaked by Director of Brewing Operations, John Mallet, who will tell you that the hopping schedule brought out the nuances of the yeast, as well as the Centennial Hop.

In 2003, Two Hearted IPA graduated from a Seasonal beer to part of the Brewery’s regular line up. From there, the beer's cult following rose to stardom as it delighted beer drinkers everywhere. 

Larry Bell decided to retire in 2021 and the brewery was sold to Lion Little World Beverages, which had welcomed New Belgium in their portfolio in 2019. Lion is the global craft arm of Little World Beverages, an Australian beverage and food subsidiary of Japanese beverage giant Kirin.

"I first incorporated the company when I was 25 in 1983," Bell, 63, told the Free Press. "I've been CEO of the company for 38 years. That's a long time. It's a great career. But there comes a time that you have to decide what you're going to do. And last year, I dealt with my old friend cancer again. I'm fine, I had successful surgery. But it does make you think about what you're going to do."

In 2022, the Two Hearted brand was expanded to include variations on the classic with a Hazy Hearted IPA, a blend of American and Australian hops including Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy, El Dorado as well as the new Strata hop.  

An IPA variety pack offering Change of Heart, an experimental IPA, as well as Big Hearted IPA, a triple IPA, gives fans of this brewery a chance to enjoy additional riffs on a classic beer that has never stopped being good.  

Clone Recipe: ABV: 6.70%, IBU: 55, SRM: 10, OG: 1.063, FG: 1.012

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/bells-two-hearted-ale-clone