Bells Best Brown Ale

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

Copper color with nice white head which left some lacing. Rich malty and toasty nose. Clean malty flavor with some bitterness to finish with. Clean finish. American in style with more hop presence. Body is middle-of-the-road but to style. Another good brew from Bells

(bottle) clear deep dark reddish amber colour; aroma of malts, yeast; light smoked plums; lightly sweet taste with a long medium bitter finish; not bad but not exceptional

Bottle, poured a light amber brown with off white small foam head. Light malts and caramel on the nose. The pallet had a malt consist with a dry caramel light roast. Can’t say this was a rich beer but rather lacked body, kind of a let down.

12 oz bottle, fresh batch. Pours a light brown, clear with an off-white head. Nose nutty and caramel malt. Flavor is caramel malt, slightly nutty, fairly dry with a touch of bitterness at the finish. Drinkable, light mouthfeel with medium carbonation. Browns aren’t my thing for the most part to start with. Well-made (nothing off) but not particularly interesting to me.

Bottled. With tons of carbonation this beer looks murky orange brown and alive. Aroma is of raisins, sweeter caramel, and very little nuttiness. Even lighter notes of an almost citrus apple thing. Flavor is sweet but moves towards a more toasted feel by ending. Although not biting it balances well. Lighter hop notes create some grassier floral tones behind the more syrupy sweeter malts. I’ll self admit I’m a sucker for brown ales but this is a damn good brew!

On tap. Pours deep red brown with a medium off-white head. Aroma is lightly malty, specifically caramel. First sip is caramel and toasted malts, and at this point I thought for a moment that I might have accidentally gotten the Amber Ale. After that, though, it’s more definitely a brown ale, with roasted malts coming on more strongly. An alright brown ale.

Pour is a ruddy brown color with a little white foam. Nose is Malt, nut, and a little hop character. The palate is well balanced with enough hops to even out the malt.

Draft at Teller’s of Hyde Park. Pours a deep, cloudy brown with a small creamy beige head. The aroma is nutty, malty, and earthy, but not particularly strong. Much better once you get drinking, though. Flavor of nuts, roasted malts, leather, and massive earthy notes: grass, wood, bark, and dirt. Medium bodied, smooth, with a gentle earthy mouthfeel. Really interesting take on a brown ale, and another great offering from Bell’s.