Bells Rye Stout

TAP: very dark brown pour, tan-offwhite head. Grain on the nose, big rye bread on taste, plus some creaminess. Excellent!

12 oz. bottle. Spices (especially pepper) and chocolate in the aroma. Also mocha and a bit of candy. Milky, creamy smell. The aroma is nothing special. Pours a dark brown with a deep amber hue. Many slow-rising, small bubbles. Small amount of beige head. Limited lacing. Sweet, soft, creamy chocolate flavor with a nice roasted dry finish. Quite pleasant at first, though never mind-blowing. It becomes increasingly boring on multiple sips. The sweetness eventually becomes somewhat cloying. There’s not much in the way of rye spiciness, which is disappointing. Instead, Bell’s Rye Stout tastes like a fairly typical stout, albeit one on the milky side of the style. Medium body. Soft and smooth on the palate. I’d appreciate more liveliness. Drinkable but nothing special and becomes a chore to drink after promising initial sips.

Long waited for them to make another batch! Bottle, batch 9370. Typical Bell’s stoutiness in the nose but this has much more pronounced coffee roast, light grain. Deep dark pour with a creamy, rocky light brown head. Creamy smooth feel (5/5 all the way), very luscious, taste is a sort of rounder Kalamazoo with a little more heft and a deeper malt complexity - lightly spicy rye, but very restrained, definitely more of an accent than the full monty. Light prunes, nuts, blackberries, and a slight herbal quality, in the vein of Jägermeister. Roast is backed way off from what was expected by the nose. Dry and tweaked lightly off of center, almost of lemon zest, with firm but low-level bitterness and a dash of coffee creamer. Beauty in subtlety.

12oz bottle from Orland Park Binny’s single rack. Pours dark brown with small tan head. Aroma is roasted malt, coffee, and some rye. Flavor is bitter coffee and rye with some roasted malt. Mouthfeel is a little thin. Finishes bitter with coffee and rye aftertaste. Average stout.

12 ounce bottle from Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville, VA. Pours a dark brown color with a thin head. Fair head retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel, roast and nutty-ish rye notes. Taste is roasted malts, bitter rye notes, caramel, coffee, hops and faint fruity notes. Medium bodied. Smooth. Good stout,

12oz bottle. Pours dark brown in color with thin white head. Aroma roasted malt and coffee. Taste roasted coffee, chocolate and caramel with bitter finish.

On tap at the Bavarian Lodge, Lisle, IL. and served to a Bell’s shaker. The color was a murky, dark brown with a diminishing, light tan, tiny bubbled, foam head and some curtains and spots of lacing. The aroma was roasty, coffee, and subtle hints of smoke and char. The flavor added to the aroma notes a touch of molasses and caramelly sweetness, low hop bitterness, and a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. A very presentable stout.

12oz bottle. Pours a fairly dark color with a tan head that is short but one that stays around for a while. The initial flavor certainly has the coffee and raisin like flavors we come to expect from a stout. However, what stands out is the mouth-feel. It is very creamy and smooth on the palate, leaving behind a very pleasant impression. Carbonation is also incredibly soft, making this a simple but enjoyable and memorable beer. Aftertaste has a bit of butter, almost like an esb. Quite interesting.