Head to Head: Anderson Valley Hop Ottin IPA vs. Bells Two Hearted Ale

Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. Today we have two India Pale Ales from America. The first is from California and is the Anderson Valley Hop Ottin IPA. The second is from Michigan and is the Bells Two Hearted ale.

As usual the tasting was done blind and to style.

Appearance: Winner – Ottin

Ottin – Pours light amber with a large frothy off-white head. The head lasts for a long while and leaves good lace on the glass.

Hearted – Pours a dark gold with a small white head. The head quickly diminishes and leaves very little lace on the glass.

Aroma: Winner – Hearted

Ottin – This has a nice resinous hop smell along with some grassy notes.

Hearted – Starts with a really nice orange citrus smell. There is also a sweet grassy smell along with a nice hop character.

Taste: Winner – Hearted

Ottin – Wow, there are a lot of hops here. In fact the harsh bitterness overpowers any other flavor.

Hearted – There is as trong bitterness but in this beer it does not overpower the sweetness from the malt. This one also has a bit more carbonization.

Body/Finish: Winner – Hearted

Ottin –With all the hops it is not surprising that this has a long bitter aftertaste. It also has a bit of acidity.

Hearted – The bitterness is more subdued here but still leads to a good long dry finish that is very enjoyable.

Overall: Winner –Hearted

Well there was little doubt that these were IPA’s. The Bells had enough hop bitterness to make itself known where as the Hop Ottin simply shouts I have Hops. In fact it reminds me of another really heavily hopped IPA the Victory Hop Devil. The Devil and the Hop Ottin are all about the bitterness. The Bells on the other hand is a great representation of an India Pale Ale. It has bitterness accompanied by just enough sweetness to create a wonderful drinking beer that was great to drink on a nice hot day. The Hop Ottin on the other hand will please you if you like lots of hops and not to worried about much else. I like it but one is enough.

~ by alelagerlambic on June 24, 2008.