Bells Best Brown Ale

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Brown Ale
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Pours a deep amber color with a tan head from the tap at the Hop Leaf. Smooth, mild nuttiness and cream. Average flavor for a brown, but with superior balance and drinkability. Leaves lacing almost like a pint of Guiness.

12 oz bottle. Pours a nice brown color with moderate beige head that has ok retention and nice lacing. Aroma is nutty with sweet malt. It is very subtle and kind of hard to find. Flavor is very nice. It has a bit of maple, chocolate, nuttiness to it. Very smooth and easy to drink. I would argue this is the "Best" brown but it has a start.

Pours a dark, transparent brown. Slight but lasting foamy white head. Small nose of coco and malt. Malty, chocolate, otherwise simple flavor. A good brown ale, but not a great one. Mouth feel is too carbonated, and kills any complexity that this might have. I could drink several of these, but I thought this would be better.

Beutiful maple syrup poor. Not much head to speak of. Nice nutty roasted flavor I really like this style especially for a late nivember football session.

(10.24.08) 12 oz. bottle: Ruby color with an off-white head. Aroma of sweet fruit with crystal malt light alcohol. Medium-thin body with sweet malt, nuts, and overripe fruit flavors. Dry, bitter finish.

On tap at the flying saucer in KC. Pours a deep, dark, brown with a red highlight or two. Smaller, creamy, light tan head that sticks around for awhile and remains pretty lacy. Aroma is rich toffee and caramel malts with a lot of burnt, special dark malts too. Very roasty and nutty. Flavor is packed with roasted grains and a nice balance between the malts and lingering hoppiness. Lots of toffee and lightly burnt caramel. Sweet and smooth. Finishes slightly dry and lingers. Medium to full mouthfeel. Overall, this is comparable to Dogfish Head’s Indian Brown. I think this may be a little sweeter and a tad less bitter. Still, a great example of what a nice brown ale should taste like.

Had high expectations for this one. Didn’t disappoint. Very roasty but sweet at the same time. A superior brown ale.

On tap at the Grumpy Bulldog, Naperville, Il. and later at Lunar Brewing Co., also on tap. A deep brown hue with amber tones showing through, an off white, foamy head and ribbony lacing. Toasted malt, toffee, brown sugar and caramel aroma which also explains the flavor. Medium + body with a lingering, back of the throat bitterness. Nice, drinkable, drier example of the style.