Bells Rye Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Glad I finally got to try this one. Pitch black pour with a nice though small brown head. Aroma is strongly rye, bready, with nice stouty undertones. There is a lot of rye in the flavor, too, maybe too much so, that cover up the roastiness. Tastes a little "cold," for lack of a better term. Rich and creamy palate. I always love experimental brews like this. This one has a really unique taste.

Bottle (12oz). via Trade with Pailhead - thanks, K!. Enjoyed at about 12 degrees celsius. Poured deep ruby-brown with a large creamy-foamy tan head. Typical stout/porter dry roastiness (chestnuts, light coffee/chocolate with a hint of tart fruit and cream) - plus a somewhat sour rye and hop tang - not incredibly balanced, but appealing nonetheless. Taste is a continuation of the aroma - sour fruit overtones with a backbone of rye and roast, quick slightly bitter finish, but mostly dark roast malt. Mouthfeel is creamy and fairly thick, rather flat and a touch acidc - I liked it! Decent lactic character really makes this a smooth drink.

Batch 7235 Feb. 2006 Consumed 4.14.09. Dark with an off white head. Aroma is nice, smooth and a bit light. Taste is sweet, creamy, peppery, A bit spicy in the back of the throat. Very good.

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.

This poured a dark brown with a beige head. Aroma was light chocolate, toffee, roasted malts and rye. Flavor was nice toasty malts sweet cholate and a bittering rye flavor. Nice stout just a bit thin.

12 oz bottle, 2006 release, via MikeMac. Very dark brown pour, almost black, with a minimal fizzy light brown head that disappeared instantly. Light sediment in bottle. Aroma has a pronounced rye character with a backdrop of anise, coffee, and black patant malt. Very much like a fresh baked loaf of rye bread. Flavor is balanced between the rye and burnt malt aspects. The rye really takes center stage though. Finish is coffee and burnt rye toast. Mouthfeel is fairly thin with a little too much carbonation, which I find unusual for Bells because I normally love their mouthfeel. A very interesting beer, very prominant rye flavor. Not sure why I like rye beers so much when I hate rye bread.

Bottle batch #9370. Black-brown pour with a small, off-white head. The aroma is smoky with lots of rye. Very reminiscent of pumpernickel bread. There’s a hint of over-ripe, fermenting dark fruit in there too. The flavor is quite peppery and spicy from lots of rye malt. Again it really reminds me of deli fresh pumpernickel bread. There’s some soft notes of currant and plum hiding behind the malt and it finishes with a subtle cocoa note. There is a little metallic quality left in my mouth after each sip. I could see this going well with a really spicy brisket. The body is oily and full with plentiful carbonation. Definitely a unique new twist on a stout to me.

Bottle. Poured an opaque dark brown that appeared black in the glass. Head was minimal. A strong roast scent with a subdued sweetness, the rye was evident. Nice balanced flavor of roasted malt with like the aroma, a hint of sweetness and minimal bitterness. A bit watery, but with a pleasant fizzle to this smooth brew. Tasty.