Bell’s Brewery – Porter *

 Beer Reviews  No Responses »
Jan 102012
 

After getting through a few really solid Robust Porters last week, why not stay within the same style range for a few more this week?  I really should do runs like this more often where I do reviews for the same style for a stretch rather than doing that for a brewery.  That gives me a chance to see how those beers compare to each other.

So let another week of porters begin . . .

Brewery: Bell’s Brewery, Inc. (Comstock, MI)

Name: Porter

Style: Robust Porter

ABV: 5.60% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before serving in a pint glass.

Aroma: A nice, smooth, roasted malty aroma with slight notes of bittersweet chocolate.  I think I get a touch of floral as well.  Pretty mild overall aroma.  – 8/12

Appearance: Dark, dark brown with some garnet highlights when held to light.  A slight, light brown head that holds quite well and leaves a nice trail on the glass.  Appears opaque though is clear at the edges when held to light.  – 3/3

Flavor: A moderate roasted malty flavor up front that has a bit of earthiness to it.  There is a relatively mild bitterness from the middle to the finish.  Also kind of get some coffee-like flavor toward the finish.  Finishes a bit dry, but is mostly clean with just a touch of lingering malt flavor. – 13.5/20

Mouthfeel: Medium(ish) body with a moderate to low level of carbonation.  very smooth and quite creamy on the palate (to the point of almost feeling thin). – 4/5

Overall Impressions: After drinking the same style from Anchor and Sierra Nevada last week this one does not taste as good as it might have otherwise.  It is solid, but I would not choose over the other two if I had the option.  Goes down very easily without any harsh flavors at all.  A bit of sharpness comes out as the beer warms some and the overall flavor becomes a bit less bold as well.  – 6.5/10

Overall: B (35/50)

6667203575 e32edfb692 Bell’s Brewery Porter *

Bell's Brewery - Porter

 Posted by Lucas at 12:00 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Bell’s Brewery – Cherry Stout *

 Beer Reviews  No Responses »
Jun 242011
 

Fruit beers are not something that I often choose to drink , but I do find that the correct use/type of fruit in a stout can be really nice.  Putting fruit to an American Wheat Ale or the like is frequently too prominently fruity to me, but a subtle fruit character in a darker beer tends to suit me just fine.  While I will not say that this one was great, I can say that it has some things going on that I really did enjoy as I drank it.

Easing gently into the weekend . . .

Brewery: Bell’s Brewery, Inc. (Comstock, MI)

Name: Cherry Stout

Style: Fruit Beer

ABV: 7.00% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge, pulled slightly early to warm some, and served in a pint glass.  A stout brewed with cherry juice.

Aroma: A deep roasted malt aroma with strong notes of cherry floating on that.  The two characteristics combine into a sweetness that is like chocolate covered cherries.   – 8.5/12

Appearance: Dark, dark, dark brown in color (black really).  Slight deep brown head that is pretty thin, dissipates quickly, and leaves very little trail on glass.  Opaque even when the glass is held to light.  – 2.5/3

Flavor: Chocolately roasted malt flavor as a base with a good, full hit of tart cherry juice flavor from middle to finish.  The flavors are pretty well balanced as the tartness of the cherries balances out the bitterness of the roasted malt.  finishes quite smooth with some lingering cherry and roasted malt flavors left on the palate. – 14/20

Mouthfeel: Medium to full in body with a moderate level of carbonation.  Smooth on the palate and lightly creamy though it does have some roasted astringency. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: The flavors balance together more as I drink and it gets better as it warms even more.  The first sip was kind of a wow, but it became much better after that.  The tartness of the cherries is a nice characteristic as a sweet fruit would not have worked as well.  Might just make a nice ice cream or chocolate cake or something like that.  The Wife indicated that she never had anything like it.  – 7/10

Overall: B (36/50)

5857858410 6fdfc3ab96 Bells Brewery Cherry Stout *

Bell's Brewery - Cherry Stout

 

 Posted by Lucas at 10:00 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Fun Collaborations

 Beer News  No Responses »
May 262011
 

The introductions to these beer news posts are getting shorter and shorter as I tend to relax my filter and share even more each week.  A thank you to The Wife for passing along stories and away we go . . .

clutch label2 Fun Collaborations

via http://beernews.org

 Posted by Lucas at 12:00 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
 Older Entries

Last chance to find what you are looking for!

99 Bottles Ale Amber Ale American Belgian Bell's Brewery Black Ale Blueprint Brewing B Notes Breweries Brewing Brooklyn Brewery Cigar City Brewing Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Dubbel Flying Dog Brewery Food Fruit Beer Great Divide Brewing Co. Imperial IPA Ithaca Beer Company Lager Lagunitas Brewing Co. Oskar Blues Brewery Pale Ale Porter Random Thoughts Redlight Redlight Russian Imperial Stout Rye Beer S-H-V Saison Samuel Adams Seattle Shmaltz Brewing Co. Sierra Nevada Southern Tier Brewing Co. Specialty Beer Stone Brewing Co. Stout Strong Ale Terrapin Beer Co. The Bruery Travel
© 2010 A Night With The Hops "He was a wise man who invented beer." - Plato Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha