Bells Rye Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Bottle and rerate (batch 9370). Similar to the previous rating with these changes: aromas lack a "sourness." Instead, they are earthy and nutty with detectable rye. Flavor seems to be sweeter... no longer a bitterness. This sweetness seems to bury a little bit of the rye presence, though. All I can think this time is that I would LOVE to try a barrel aged version of this... (I made no changes to the numbers.) Looks just like a good stout, dark, tan head, etc. Smells a little off... sour, earthy aromas of peat and minimal chocolate undertones. Rye is present in flavor, and then gives way to burn malt and bitter chocolate. Finally ends up with a cream flavor that dissipates quickly. Could finish a little stronger, aftertaste is pretty brief. Different.

Cloudy dark brown with a large tan quickly dissolving crown. Aroma of roasted malt, coffee, rye and a touch of peat. Taste of rye, chocolate and roasted sweet malt. Smooth with low bitterness. Sweetens up a bit as it warms. The rye is a nice addition, I like this one.

Pours black with ruby edges and a quickly fading light brown head. Mocha, smoke along with a sour/ashy character in the nose. Tasty - sweet caramel, roasted malt, chocolate, mocha, light smoke and a pleasant slight touch of sourness. Medium bodied with a smooth texture and moderate carbonation. Pretty good stuff.

Pour is appropriately black. Very little head, but still attractive. The aroma is slightly roasty with a good amount of smooth chocolate. The flavor has just a touch of spiciness that I thought wasn’t normal for a stout. However the rye is masked and I doubt I would have noticed if I didn’t know what I was looking for. still a very good stout.

Very dark brown blackish color with an immensely thick and crispy cocoa brown head that grew to about a finger high only to subside fairly quick to a thin ring, leaves a good amount of spotty lace all over the glass as it goes. Smell has a big time sweet roastyness, tangy dark cherryness with sweet chocolate, vanilla, and cookie dough notes, but mostly a very heavy roasted black malt heft on top with some coffee beans and a juicy tart-like sweetness. Taste is more of the same, light roastyness starts it out but is headed off quickly by a major tangy sweetness of dark cherry and maybe some dark orange that coats the palate and mouth with a chewy tanged sweetness which resides some as it fades out bringing in some light sweet chocolate and notches of coffee. Trails of the tangyness lead into the finish which dries out slowly bringing in a touch of bitterness of hops and coffee. Feel is a solid medium body, pretty smooth and creamy with a moderate sweet/tarting bite and a lightly dry finish showing through late. Its a fine stout with a sweet/tart effect thats OK, maybe if that tang were held off by just a bit it would be better. Seems to closely resemble the Cherry Stout, with a bit bit more roastyness in the nose. Possibly the same ingredients as the Cherry with a slight twist in the recipe?

12oz bottle batch #9370. Pours dark duller brown, looks like cola, cola head, gray/tan fizzy bubbles. Aroma is meaty, a bit of smoke, spicy pungent rye, hard roast, coffee, light acidity. Taste is rye bread and chocolate syrup, dark chocolate, hint of fruit, oatmeal, slight twang, long oily slight soy sauce aftertaste and some lingering smoke. Medium/full body, smooth, creamy and oily with some fizzy fuller carbonation. I suppose some are saying this has age potential, and I can kind of see that... This is getting much much better as it warms up... will update rating...

Dark roast and rye aroma, like a glass of pumpernickel. Tastes like a glass full of pumpernickel too, just a tiny hint of acidity and plenty of prickly rye spiciness. Very tasty.

Dark brown color, tan head. Light coffee and a touch of grass/grain in the aroma. Hoppy, long roasty/toasty finish.