R.J. Rockers Bell Ringer Ale

Brewed by R.J. Rockers Brewing Co.
Style: American Strong Ale
Spartanburg, South Carolina USA

Bottle: Hazy deep orange with a dense off white head. Hops are prominent in the aroma, with some pale malt sweetness and grassy character. Light & creamy on the palate. Grassy, lightly catty hops with resiny bitterness. Simple overall.

Pours a clear bright copper orange with a thin, spotty-lacing white head. Aroma of grapefruit and orange with some sticky caramel sugar. Body starts with good fullness and sweet caramel honey character balanced with a heavy citrus bittering hoppiness before a drier, slightly warming finish. Could be a little cleaner and better balanced, but still a decent brew.

Poured a hazed amber color with an off-white head. The aroma was of oranges and aged malt with some piny notes. Fruity malty flavor with a bitter finish. Light-medium body.

12 oz bottle. Pours a medium copper with a thinning head. Aroma is a thin grassy hoppy mess with fusels and harsh solvent character. Alcohol is apparent in the flavor as well, grassy, harsh and a syrupy honey sweetness and a harsh astringetn finish.

Its hysterical looking at my notes how much my handwriting had degraded by this point in the night. Then after sampling this beer, Larry pulls out another six pack! As for this beer, thank you to Dickinsonbeer for sharing. Pours a hazy dark gold. Pleasant aroma of sweet caramel, orange and grapefruit. The flavor is quite similar with caramel up front followed by some orange and grapefruit. Mild bitterness at the finish; I was expecting more given the citrus presence. Still, overall a decent brew.

12oz bottle. Thick unfiltered brown color. Sweet piny hop aroma, a little grapefruit, had me thinking IIPA. The finish is all malt though, albeit saturated in hop. On the thick and syrupy side, Hmm..weird. Maybe a Double American Pale Ale. Some GM-like orange tastes, but overall a pretty bland offering.

Bottle, #450. Very hazy pour with sediment floating around and nice creamy head. Mild sweetness to the aroma. Caramel, malt and hops in the flavor. Decent, but not great Am Strong.

12 oz bottle **Summary** - Another pickup from the Alexandria area I think this was well worth the $2 I paid for a single. It is not the best American strong ale but it gets the job done. While not distinctive it does the right things well. **Aroma / Appearance** - A half finger dirty head tickled the rose gold body underneath. Caramel dipped popcorn, apple cider, salty pretzels, and other flavors form a sticky combination that refuses to let go. **Flavor / Palate** - Caramel and Nutella start this off with a bang. Low key hops help bring up the syrupy problem that is the middle of this experience. Warming but not overpowering the ABV is well hidden. A dry roasted finish caps a standard and safe beer worth the cost of admission.