Bells Rye Stout

Thanks Phil (Philip)! This beer has a hearty roasted grain aroma that could be compared to darkened toast or burnt popcorn. It is black with an off-white head. The roasted grain taste is nicely developed. The finish of this beer is slightly disappointing as it fades softly not leaving much of an aftertaste.

Medium viscosity, opaque and inky brownish-black in color with a dusty tan concentration and related wrung for the head. Aroma is non-committal: ashes, and burnt and dry chocolate bricks. Rye is aromatically prominent, and charred to a point of singed brazil nuts. Other contributors include unsalted pumpernickel and unsweetened chocolate. Arid and lighter fairing flavor farce with a chocolate rye prominence promoted in a waxy way of the word. Semi-sweet morsels err on the side of hardly sweet at all. On the cusp are chocolate shavings meandering with rye dinner rolls. Some delicatessen chocolate squares, initially intended to chase the coffee at a Parisian cafe, take on a new locale of their own, upstarting in Kalamazoo. Waxy-laden layer cakes across the palate, most especially coating the tongue and churning from there. Careful, cautious extension towards the balance quotient, with bitterness akin to sugarless mochas moving us right into the finish, along with a taste of baker’s chocolate when a Hershey’s square was expected. Rye is only recognizable as a mild spice note at the end. Not a disappointment, just a different direction than I thought it would take.

Bottle. Pours black with a small off white-tan head. This head soon fades to a very thin covering leaving substantial lacing. Aroma is strong of rye malts, with coffee, toffee, and dark chocolates. Flavor is nice and smooth of rye, coffee, and is somewhat grainy with a light souring bite to it. Mouthfeel is light and drinkable. Nice.

Bottle: Black pour with a decent tan head. The aroma was a lot of rye with some underlying spicyness to it. Flavor was similar. Medium bodied stout.

No head, dark brown...definetly rye and grains in the aroma - very full of minerals, dry. The finish is highly smoked, but with a bitter, metallic and unpleasant finish.

Thanks to Pailhead for this one - kind of like a mildly spicy version of the kalamazoo stout - a little thinner - some tartness and background rye, grain, nutmeg - interesting, but one of the weaker-flavored stouts they make.

Courtesy of Ohiodad and Goldtwins who both sent me bottles the same day. <P> Aroma is a little spicy with chocolate and dark karo syrup notes. Deep black with a quickly fading tan head. For is spicy and tobacco tinged with the flavor what I imagine hot water that had had rye seeds steeped in it would taste of. Spicy pepper notes tickle the tonsils as I swallow. A smooth choclate malt flavor runs through all ranges. The finish kind of reminds me of a very toned down version of the Stone 03 03 03 and its lingering spiciness. Interesting, but it gets thin and the lack of any real head hurts the visual appeal.

Dark brown pour with a thin bubbly head that quickly dissapates. Aroma is grainy with chocolate and coffee detectable, maybe some vinuios fruit there as well. More watery than I would have expected. Flavor is plesant with a good ammount of chocolate and coffee. They rye is easily found with plenty of grainy spiciness through the middle and a short tartness on the finish. Overall it is a plesant brew but nothing especially exciting.