Bells Rye Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Dark, almost black pour with a small tan head. Nice roasted malt aroma with hints of rye, coffee and chocolate. Taste is an interesting roasted grain mixture, dominated by the rye - but a bit less than I expected. I just tried Bear Republic’s Hop Rod Rye DIPA and am partial to other rye DIPAs and Strong Ales so its hard to get into "lesser rye tastes". That said, I’m a big fan of everything Bells. Other tastes include a bit of coffee - almost chicory-like. The body is a bit on the thin side, which is surprising. I like this beer, but I think it would have been better to just brew some Kalamazoo Stout with a bit of rye.

Dark brown, tan head fades quickly. Tons of roast up front in aroma, smoke, and only hints of rye. Flavor has a bit more of the spicy rye character, but roast and smoke still dominate. Mouthfeel palate are a tad thin at times. This one just doesn’t do it for me.

(Bottle) Pours dark, dark brown. Dark sour bread and coffee beans in aroma with some cocoa. Roasted with rye-ish tones. Sour, dark rye bread in flavour with some coffee. Pretty round and a bit buttery mouthfeel. Rather thin body.

bottle. Pours a respectable black hue with traces of red and a khaki head. The aroma is strong of rye and coffee, but also a semi-vegetal note that I noticed in their porter as well. The flavor is certainly cleaner with rich chocolate becoming known alongside some firm coffee flavors. The rye definitely makes things a little interesting by adding a slightly bitter side to the mix. Nice beer, but Bells makes a few stouts superior to this one.

Bottle batch #7235. Poured a black body with thin head. Aroma was of chocolate, malt, toffee, caramel. Flavor was slightly sweet and dry. The above mentioned aromas comming thru in the taste with a little spice in it. Creamy mouthfeel. Good stout.

Bottle from sliffy. Thanks Dan! Pours a reddish brown with a small tan head that fades fast. Like others mention, the aroma is apparent upon popping the cap. Smells of hops, some rye, roasted malts, a bit of lactic acid.. Flavor is surprisingly slightly sour, and would probably prove undrinkable for some hardcore stouties, but this sour head takes it in stride...well at first. As it warms, a few more notable stout-like characteristics pop up, but mostly the sour/lactic acid/rye combo takes hold and does not let go. Pretty damn thin mouthfeel for a stout and it definitely detracts from my enjoyment. No batch # on this guy, I wonder how old it is? Would like to try this again fresh and re-rate.

From a 12 oz. bottle with a batch number, 7235, and a short blurb on the back label, packaged on 02.09.06. Poured a stout looking coffee black with a small foamy tan head, minimal amount of sticking. Aromas of salt and minerals, lightly roasted coffee, a sweet fruity and a trace of smoke. Moderate carbonation and a malty crisp, a watery slick, smooth medium-full bodied mouthfeel. Tastes of coffee and grains, a touch of rye, a very subtle smokiness, a watery fruitiness, not much of an alcohol presence, and some sweet caramel with coffee in the finish with a lingering sweet, but watery fruitiness. To my taste, far from the best of the usually quality Bell’s stouts, drinkable, but I only wanted one of these.

Pours near black with red hues and a thin tan head. Notes of rye, spice, toffee, and coffee. Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.