Bells Christmas Ale

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

Bottle at Capital Ale House - Downtown on 11/24/2008. Hazy caramel amber body wtih a small creamy off-white head. Sweet caramel and spice aroma. Sweet spice flavor with a caramel background. Medium full body with moderate carbonation.

Hazy, tiny particulate suspended, reddish plum body with big tan head. Sweet malty aroma. Malty and toasty, biscuit, peat, flavors. Medium creamy body with moderate carbonation and a semi-bitter malty finish.

12 oz. bottle. Pours an off white head with an amber honey colored body. There are particulates in the beer. Smells roasted, hopped, and metallic. Tastes roasted and bitter with a medium finish.

Pours a hazy golden color. Particles in body. Aroma or malt, spice and some citrus. Flavor - Good blend of sweet malt/spice and has a moderate bitter finish that lingers a bit

On draught at Birreria Paradiso. Hazy orange. Aroma of connamon, taste of malt, yeast, allspice and cinnamon. Dryish slightly bitter finish.

Pours a warm pinkish orange with a slight haze and a healthy enough creamy white head. The nose is sweet and toasty. Big caramel malt and that fruity scotch ale maltiness. Round but light. Slightly creamy. Light but creamy mouthfeel, without a ton of heft. Strong toasty astringency and nuttiness over the sweet malt, which doesn’t seem as rich as I would have guessed. Not as sweet either. A bit fruity. Clearly a scotch ale in terms of the fruitiness, but not a ton of malt like I anticipated, and mostly fruity and toasty astringency.

Deep rich amber coloured body with a strong ruby highlight and a perfectly sized dense tan head. Aroma of fresh hops, caramel malt, a bit of light spices and some light fruity sweetness. Medium-bodied; Strong hops up front with a potent nuttiness following behind, all followed off by a period of prolonged malt bitterness. Aftertaste shows a lot of malt, some hop bitterness (pine & flowers) and a light nuttiness. Overall, a good beer, I felt this was more of an English Pale ale rather than a Scotch - but I’ve been wrong before. Regardless, it’s a good beer, but not great. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Norm’s in Vienna, Virginia on 25-November-2008, sampled on 09-January-2009 from home in Washington.

Picked up a 6 since it was $8. Red in color with a good amount of head. Interesting smell, though somewhat muted. First taste is a wide array of spices and malt, which clear up with continued drinks. Small hops and go well with the different spices used. I think it started off as a scotch, but doesn’t really hit that style to well, which Bells seems to do more and more, and i like it. Not offensive in any means and very drinkable, but in the same breath you know your drinking a micro beer. Above average because of the turn it took with the style.