Bells Christmas Ale

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

Date: February 15, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Trade
Appearance: opaque burnt orange, fine beige head, sudsy lace
Aroma: sweet caramel aroma, touch of fruity caramel candy character is held back by an earthyness, light spicyness
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, lots of earthyness with a spice edge keeps it dry, light bitterness, hint of spicyness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

12oz bottle. Medium beige head atop clear amber body. Aroma is medium sweet, maple, some brown sugar, caramel, earthy, light metallic. Taste is moderately sweet, caramel, brown sugar, some metallic. Effervescent light-medium body, light acidity.

(12oz. bottle) Pours a clear amber body with a small off-white head. Aroma of pine, toasted grain, and hay. Flavor of roasted malt, hops (pine, earthy), and caramel.

Pours a transparent copper amber with a thin, wispy-lacing light tan head. Aroma of sweet toasty caramel and some mild piny hops. Body starts with decent fullness and some earthy caramel sweetness with some drier hoppy notes before a bland finish. Doesn’t have of the smoky peaty notes I like in Scotch ales and seems more like an amber ale. Still, not that bad and pretty drinkable.

Bottle from Liquor Stop in Highland, Indiana. This pours a slightly hazed light brown body with an ample eggshell head that laces profusely. It’s got a rich malty aroma with a touch of dark berries and a bit of butterscotch. Very smooth drinking, the flavor being pretty much what one would expect from the flavor. A light citric bitterness comes in at the finish, out of place for style, but not a bad thing. A bit thin, but not bad.

Orange copper color with a smaller light tan head. Sweet caramel and pine and light citric hops aromas. Dryer caramel flavors mix with some sweet pine in the middle. Flavors are not coming together for me. Some earthy hops and malt in the finish. A bit acidic and thin in feel at times. Not enough malt depth for me. A better than average amber.

Poured dark hazy brown color with an average frothy white head that was lasting and produced good lacing. Good moderate chocolate, spice and malt aroma. Medium body with a smooth sticky texture and soft texture. Moderate bittersweet flavor with with a moderate bittersweet finish of average duration.

Bottle from Capone’s. Pours turbid coppery orange with 2-finger, uniform well-retained off-white head and some noted floaties. Nose is caramel malt, bitter hops, earthy and slightly spicy notes. Tastes hoppy, caramel malty, slightly spicy, peppery, and spicy, yet I noted no X-mas spice, rather the spice emanated from the yeast. Not super complex from these guys, and more hopped than may scotch ales.