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Drink of the Week: Bell’s Brewery beers
Where: Bourbon, Rustico, The Big Hunt

Illinois is a funny place. That their weirdly coiffed (former) governor was impeached this week is only the beginning of the story. They also have some rather complicated alcohol distribution laws that give distributors a ton of power. How does that relate to us? Bell’s Brewery founder Larry Bell decided to get out of the Illinois distribution game. As a result, he started sending his beers down to us, and apparently we like them enough that even after he decided to distribute in Illinois again, the beers still kept coming. And that just so happens to be a very, very good thing.

The beers from Bell’s are incredibly consistent. They run the gamut of styles and seasons: summery Oberon Ale, Winter White, Expedition Stout, a solid Porter, and the sure-to-age-well Third Coast Old Ale. Even their strongly hopped beers are beautifully balanced, and not overwhelming. The Two-Hearted Ale pours a pale gold, usually well-carbonated with a pale creamy-white head. The nose is all hops: oranges, earth, grass, a little pine. The flavor balances the same hoppy flavors (more citrus here) against a hint of caramel. The finish, unlike many IPAs, is not very bitter, just a nice dry herbal taper.

But the hoppy beer to keep an eye out for is Hopslam. It has a very short distribution period that runs from mid-January to mid-February. Similar to the Two-Hearted, it is more bitter, with even more hop aroma, and brewed with honey. It’ll also booze you up a little faster, with an ABV of 10 percent compared to Two-Hearted’s 7 percent. For some more notes about Hopslam and places to pick up six-packs, you can check out DC Foodies. For those of you who are looking for it on tap, you can catch it at Bourbon, Rustico, and The Big Hunt.