Light Hearted Ale Lo-Cal IPA

Review Date 2/29/2020 By John Staradumsky

Bell’s Light Hearted Ale! I’m having one on tap at Taco Mac, won’t you join me? This is a variation on Bell’s classic Two Hearted Ale, and really, you can go two ways from that one. Bell’s also makes Double Two-Hearted, a beer I’ve yet to find, but vow to one day. If you mix a bottle of Double Two Hearted with a can of Light Hearted, would you get back to Two Hearted Ale? One can only wonder.

Anyway, Bell’s Light Hearted is a light beer for the discerning beer drinker, for those times when you want flavor without a lot of alcohol. Here’s a clue: hops don’t add calories. If memory serves, one of the first beers to prove this point was Samuel Adams Boston Lightship way back in the late 80s, or perhaps early 90s.

Anyway, Bell’s says:

Enjoy all the benefits of a light beer, with the flavor and quality you would expect from Bell’s. Light Hearted™ is aromatic, balanced, and incredibly easy-drinking.

Only 110 calories, yet all the Heart.

Bell’s Light Hearted Ale has an alcohol content of 3.7% by volume. An ABV that low is rare even among light beers in these United States. It’s welcome and refreshing to see a beer so light, flavorful and refreshing. I paid $6.48 for a 23-ounce mug at Taco mac, and the beer sells for $10.44 a six-pack at Target. A 23-ounce mug of a 3.7% beer has about the same as a 12-ounce serving of a 7.4% beer. Isn’t that nice?

My mug of Bells Light Hearted arrived an attractive orange amber color with  very pleasant hop aromas in the nose in a slightly earthy, resiny way, light caramel malt as I sip, then soft citrus and pine tar resin, and a long dry bitter finish.

How to peg it by style? Session IPA seems appropriate (Bell's calls it Lo-Cal IPA), or a pale ale might do as well. I’ll call it session IPA, but you can style it as you like. As such, it’s the best example of the session IPA I’ve ever come across.

Quite tasty indeed, Bell’s Light Hearted Ale delivers lots of flavor with less alcohol and calories (110 in a 12-ounce serving). What’s better than that? Larry Bell dropping by to chat over a few might be nice. Maybe he would even pick up the check!

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

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