Bells Rye Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

From bottle, batch # Aroma: spicy, coffee, bread Appearance: black, inch tall head dissipates quickly, no lacing, no hop aroma Flavor: started it cold, has roasted malt/coffee with little rye at all. As it warms, starts to get a porterish sour maltiness that makes you pucker(pleasant). Further along, some vinegar (unpleasant) Palate: medium body, dry finish, fizzy carbonation that dies down quickly Overall: very good, although not really sure what its niche would be. in a lot of ways, it tastes like a session beer, but a little high abv and the sourness nudge it away from that category. not full bodied or flavorful enough for a big, special occasion beer.

Bottle. Aroma of coffee and cocoa with a odd twinge to it. Pour was a dark brown with very little head. Flavor was roasted malts,light coffee and a taste of rye. Palate was oily and a tad souring. Overall good a different experience.

An interesting experience, pours a dark brown color with a thin tan head. Not a lot of lacing. Aroma was really hard to pick up, some chocolate and coffee with almost a bubblegum type scent. The rye came out in the flavor: tart and off with some sour/bitter dynamics. Slightly dry and medium mouthfeel (particularly for a stout).

Bottle, from trade with someone. Damn me for not remembering. Ok nose, roasty. Coffee, caramel, little composty, egg, yeast. Brownish black color, small to no head. Bitter flavor, like aroma but rye shows itself here. Bites you. Thick body, creamy oily, bitter dry finish. Not bad, though I was crazy about the ryew stout mix.

(Bottle) Pours a dark brown body with a small beige head. Aroma of coffee, roasted malt, nuts, rye, and orange peel. Flavor of roasted malt, chocolate, and a hint of citrus.

My 2nd consecutive rye rating, following the New Glarus Unplugged Smoked Rye Bock. Hadn’t seen or heard of this Bells brew before; I see it’s been around for about 4 1/2 years. Where was I? Bottle. I’m not digging the aroma. Has a rauchbier thing going on. Opaque body with a light tan head that is very large and mostly lasts. Excellent lace. Thin and weak. This brew was available in the singles section at Steve’s Wine in Madison. I’m guessing it was in that section because it is old and needed to be moved. This brew just doesn’t have much character. For a beer with 6.7% ABV, I would have expected a stronger alcohol profile and certainly more flavor. This tastes more like a German Dunkel, and not a good one. Very disappointing.

Cute Jewish woman adorns the bottle that screams New York and rye bread. Opaque liquid topped by fluffy tan head. Thin lacing that’s almost nonexistent. Rich chocolate smell with roasted ground coffee aroma floating around in the glass. As the brew warms up, a slight alcohol smell comes through. Delicious rich stout taste. Lots of roasted flavor and malty sweetness but it seems the cute old Jewish lady has let me down. Where’s the rye taste that the name and label bring me to expect? This is a great beer with good carbonation and an enjoyable feel. Please come south, Bell’s. We need you down here.

Pours dark brown, almost black. The head is dark brown and leaves very quickly. Aroma has roasted malt and cereal. The body is much lighter than expected for a stout. Light carbonation. The taste has some coffee and light chocolate notes. The dryness from the rye comes out on the finish. I wanted to like this one, but it just came off as too watery for a stout for my tastes.