Bells Rye Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

12 oz bottle Thanks OhioDad. Deep brown-black beer with a tan head that quickly fades back. Great herbal aroma, underlying a deep rich dark chocolate nose. Chicory and light roast in the aroma. Flavour is really fantastic, dark chocolate, toast and roast. Big slick mouthfeel and a great rye spiciness. The heavy rye mintiness works very well with all of the dark chocolate. Earthy hoppiness with a hint of pine as well. I’m a huge sucker for rye and this doesn’t disappoint. Great balance, great maltiness, great beer with a touch of coffee through the finish. Awesome.

Heavy brown body, constant 1/2" dark tan head and good lacing. Peppery/spicy aroma chock full of coffee, chocolate fudge and roasted malts. There is a wonderful underlying fruitiness that comes forward after a bit. Full bodied, extremely creamy with a wonderful sweet finish and a lightly dry aftertaste. Nutty coffee with cream, mild black licorice, chocolate and hints of plum dominate the taste. Good spicy character in the back ground with a faint twang. Another top notch stout by Bells, seems like a drier and spicier version of the Kalamazoo.

Pours no head into my english pint. Has a gamey roast smell, but wow this is delicious and smooth. What better way to get your daily grains? Strange label; is that Ed Gein?

A nice stout from Larry Bell. Delicious stout fragrance enhanced by the spicyness of the rye. Dark brown color and a minimal head. A thick, full-bodied texture brings out a very tasty treat. The rye serves to add a bit of complexity to an otherwise by-the-books stout. Very smooth with an extended toasted flavor continuing afterward. Pretty good!

Dark brown color with a small tan head. Roasted coffee aroma. Flavor of roasted coffee and miky malt. Smooth and very drinkable like most Bell’s beers.

I really like the way rye gives a beer a slippery feel in the mouth. The liquid slides though and bearly gives you time to think on it. Nutty, coffee flavors. The finish is quite dry and bitter.

02 Bottle. Pours a magnificent brown with some lighter ruby tinges peeking through. One of the best looking heads Ive seen on a beer, big and creamy and has a wonderful beige/mocha appearance. Aroma is equally huge, sweet and coffee like, with a slight hint of carroway. Tons of lacing in the glass. Begins surprisingly sweet, but just when it may get too sweet, there is the classic bells stout coffee flavor to the rescue. Flavor dries out and there emerges a big, medium sweet, lighlty acidic flavor of alcohol mixed with grains and lots of spice. As the beer warms, the rye flavor is quite noticeable. At first, I passed this one off as just a Kalamazoo Stout with some rye flavor. But this beer has its own personality. The sweetness stays on the palette, even as the coffee flavor comes through. Decent amount of hops throughout, with some roasted barley as well. As it warms to around 58-60, there is a distinct and tasty rye flavor on the finish. It reminds me of Sam Smiths Oatmeal mixed with Kalamazoo Stout (with a rye aftertaste). Good.

2002 bottle shared with Muzzlehatch on 2/18/06. My above rating is pretty on par. Didnt find any alcohol, but the rye and a very dry chocolate covered coffee-bean note are truly wonderful, balancing light caramel sweetness, hints of dry vanilla and still a soothing, if slightly leaner texture. Oxidation is only lightly present and quite enjoyable (nutty, dry marzipan like notes and touches of madeira).

Dark black color. Medium head. Aroma is roasted malts and slightly spicy. Medium bodied stout. Deep roasted malts are chocolate and coffee. The rye adds a nice spiciness to the beer. Well balanced. Smooth taste. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.