![]() There are two laws in fish biology. Your waders will leak, and there will be beer in the cooler. These rules are common knowledge among anglers and biologists, but also brewers who have enticed many weary fish enthusiast with beers donning a fish-centric name. Some of these beers require no stretch of the imagination- Sculpin IPA (Ballast Point), Striped Bass Pale Ale (Devil’s Backbone), and Wall IPA (Northwoods)- which are all well-known fish species. But some brewers go a step further, intentionally or not, and are able to sell a little fish ecology on every bottle. While my field work continues to crawl along, I felt inspired by the summer heat to introduce a mini-series that goes behind the names of a few beers that may be sitting in your cooler. Up first is Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. This is a certain eye-catcher for any trout enthusiast as the label features an elegant brook trout surfacing through a stream. But, what does a brook trout have to do with two hearts? Bell’s likely named the beer after the Ernest Hemingway short story ‘Big Two-Hearted River’ which makes mention of trout fishing on the river in Michigan. But, I like to think the title has another meaning, one Bell’s likely never saw coming. That is, trout actually have two hearts. The first functions as the normal blood-pumping machine and, in most fish, sits right behind the throat. This four-chambered heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the gills where it fills small capillaries. In the capillaries, carbon dioxide is dumped out of the blood and oxygen is absorbed from the water through a processed called diffusion (which basically just means oxygen molecules move from high concentrations in water to low concentrations in blood). From there, blood circulates up towards the top of the fish, and then heads through the body and towards the tail. Once in the tail, blood is largely deoxygenated and sitting in many small capillaries where the pressure isn’t high enough to efficiently pump it back to the heart. So, evolution fixed that problem and gave many fish a second heart, the caudal heart. The caudal heart is located near the last few vertebrae in the fish’s backbone, in a region called the caudal peduncle. The caudal heart collects blood from all the small capillaries in the tail and forces it into the higher-pressure caudal vein where it can more efficiently flow back to the heart.
The caudal heart is small (about ½ an inch in trout), two chambers, and is powered by a combination of skeletal muscles and movement of the tail during swimming. Muscle contractions force blood from one chamber of the caudal heart into the other. This second chamber then empties blood into the caudal vein where travels back to the heart. With the first chamber now empty, there is room for many capillaries to each deliver a small amount of blood to the caudal heart and the process starts over again. Interesting, the caudal heart is believed to only be active when fish are swimming, suggesting it is reserved for times when fish are active and in need of more oxygen. So, the caudal heart is kind of like an oxygen mask dropping down when I crank the treadmill up a little higher. Also, not all fish have caudal hearts, and some fish (like eels and hagfish, which both have snake-like bodies) have somewhat different anatomical structures in their caudal hearts. But, the purpose and function of the caudal heart remains the same. So, next time you’re at a bar order a Two Hearted Ale and think about the caudal heart. Or, maybe go trout fishing and think about the ale. Whichever your fancy.
20 Comments
Great story I will personally share with my friends as well as all that will listen. I recommended this fine ale to a young lady friend of my wife's this very evening before reading this particular tale. She was impressed upon the first sip as was I upon the last ( as always ). Thank you for creating a unique experience not for everyone, but for the bold willing to pave a new trail and tradition. We all plan to meet at Lyndale Pub House in Minneapolis uptown district again next friday and enjoy the greatness of Two Hearted Ale again!!
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Nate Cook
10/21/2019 02:34:54 am
Hey Nste, yo! I'm a Nate or Nathan also. I personally ask the customers whom purchase such "Bell's" ales "do trout have 2 hearts or anything else from the trout family" and I proceed to tell them of salmon and arctic char of familialness or whatnot as salmon and arctic char are of the same genus and/or species as trout. Now that I have read this post I can now with great conviction let then know what it is that I know about such things. I just wanted to let you know and maybe whateves about whateves or whatnot because we share a mere Name.
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Joseph Vouglas
2/26/2023 05:05:09 pm
Given that the beer is of exceptional quality the name is lost on most who would not know anything close to its meaning with the possible exception of one who has done battle with a fish of this determination at the end of a fly line.
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Aaron
6/16/2017 06:44:17 am
earnest Hemingway actually wrote about the Two Hearted River to keep people away from his favorite trout stream . The Two Hearted River was not as good as a fishery as (secret) river .. I fished (secret) river and its most beautiful scenery around and trout fishing is top notch
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Bob
12/11/2017 03:09:05 pm
Thanks - liked the story and explanation! I think, though, give Bell's a little credit - I'll bet they recognized not just the river, but the fish's two hearts, when they decided to name the beer
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Timothy Goeppinger
3/6/2018 03:37:43 pm
I agree, Bell's knew what they were doing when they named two hearted ale. It is fabulous beer. And I gave it to a friend in a wedding toast for him and his bride. It was excellent. Two Hearts Beating as One. That's high energy demand. Love the beer, love the brewery. Thank you for the insight and background.
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Jeff Arnold
3/7/2018 02:25:25 pm
"So, evolution fixed that problem and gave many fish a second heart." How kind of a benevolent and loving theoretical concept to do so. Gosh, I'm glad SOMETHING's in charge of this crazy world!
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Mike
11/16/2018 11:21:19 am
Love the story, very interesting, but come on guys.... EVOLUTION? LMFAO.
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Jeremy Hickman
12/1/2018 11:53:06 pm
Its beer. Why do we need to turn it into an evolution/creator thing? It's great beer! I don't really care if Jesus gave em the recipe or the monkeys worked it out. Lighten up
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Tom
9/13/2021 02:27:31 pm
Could not agree more. Nice piece on fun trivia should not be turned into a philosophical debate.
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1/6/2020 01:22:38 am
The incorrect catfishing gear will put the fish at an advantage and will not withstand the abuse of catching catfish, particularly if you’re fishing for monster prize class cats
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Joe Link
7/7/2020 04:24:43 pm
I lived in Northwestern Michigan from age 13 to 22. When I came of age my friends and I drank Stroh’s, Bud or whatever was available. Fast forward to my introduction to IPA’s. In a relatively short period Sculpin and Two-Hearted became my favs. Ironically, I don’t eat fish due to allergies, but I sure love their namesake IPA’s! Thanks for the info on Two-Hearted. It’s a great factoid.
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Stuart Henry
1/16/2021 06:00:05 pm
So what's the story behind Bell's relatively recent Light Hearted IPA Session Ale (3.7% alcohol, 36 IBUs), and why didn't they call it one hearted or single hearted?
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Tavia Parker
4/8/2021 04:35:05 pm
I was curious about the story behind Bell's Two Hearted and found that the image is a brook Trout. Then I found your post. When I looked up Brook Trout the source I found said that Brook Trout are actually char. My question now is...do Char have 2 hearts like Trouts? Thank you!
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Steven Layman
4/8/2021 04:44:10 pm
I do not know the answer to the question but I like everything about the beer. I like trout off the grill. I enjoy movies about trout fishing. I appreciate the info on the trout innards. Sad that I do not have time to go trout fishing.
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AuthorShannon White Archives
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