Tmoney99 (4656), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Mar 28, 2006 Bottle. Poured black color with a moderate brown head that diminished slowly with small lacing. Solid roasted malt and alcohol aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture. Good roasted sweet malt flavor with a small spicy bitter finish. Good rye change of pace stout. tjthresh (1746), Greenfield, Indiana, USA Mar 28, 2006 Poured and inky black with some reddish-brown on the edges when held to light. Very fizzy light brown head. Very thin looking. Robust and grainy aroma. No hops. Chocolate with some spice from the rye. The rye character is evident in the flavor. Blended with bitter chocolate and coffee. Thin and fizzy on the palate. Watered down. Not very impressive. My least favorite of the Bell’s stouts. 5000 (2409), Hardened Liver, Washington, USA Mar 27, 2006 Bottle: Black coffee in color, brownish edges, small beige spritzy head, dies quickly, sparce lacing. Heavily roasted malts on the nose, slight campfire, but also a bit of pasture. Balance of milk sugar sweetness, subtle hop bite, softly roasted malts, and grains on the tongue. Moderate body, mouthfeel is rather thin tho. Seems more of a sweet Porter or Dark Ale than a Stout. Somewhat dry/chalky finish. Fairly average, cross between weak Milk Stout and a Rye Ale. Thanks goes out to Styles for the bottles!
PhysZac (69), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA Mar 26, 2006 Tap at MacNiven’s. As stouts go, this one is good. Opaque black body and nice brown head. Smells like, well, rye. Some toasted notes along with brown sugar. Tastes like, well rye. Again good toasted quality malts shine throuh and linger in the relatively short aftertaste. Rye is present, but doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the beer. A bit watery, but this is something I usually find in stouts. Zeswaft (1000), Seattle, Washington, USA Mar 25, 2006 I always jump at the chance to try a new Bells, especially a stout. Had this on tap at the Map Room. Pretty full of chocolate flavor, more than I was expecting. Medium bodied. On the palate this is a pretty solid tasting stout, though probably the least good of all Bell’s stouts. The rye definitely kicks in on the finish and I don’t really dig it. Definitely worth checking out, though. HopsOrDie (687), New Lenox, Illinois, USA Mar 23, 2006 Pours black with a little off white head. The aroma doesn’t say "I am a stout", but more of a spicy Belgian smell. The flavor has what I initially would characterize as an ash tray taste, but as I drink more of the beer, the taste has a dry smoke flavor with some hidden dark malts. Nice thick mouthfeel. Not too sure why the high ratings, but I have a sixer of this, so if my opinions change I’ll change the rating. noelcb (271), Toledo, Ohio, USA Mar 22, 2006 Pours absolutely opaque black. Brownish tan foamy head, little lace. Aromas of coffee, toasty malt, chocolate, smoke, alcohol, and chocolate. Flavor was predominantly smoky malt, with coffee, earth, peat, alcohol, and just a hint of rye. Well-tempered hop bitterness. Nice thick, chewy mouth. Brigadier (1220), Chagrin Falls, Ohio, USA Mar 21, 2006 12 oz bottle
Poured ver dark with a thin tan head, Scents of rye, grain, oak and smoke wafted from the glass. On my first sip, the grains were obvious - rye and what with a slight smoky flavor not unlike cured ham. A creamy coffee taste soon followed and then it faded away leaving almost no taste behind. Towards the end of the glass I began to detect the taste of club soda. Overall, a fairly nice stout from Bells but I doubt this is one to actively seek out again.
|