Bells Porter

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Porter
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Wonderful porter. Coffe and roasted malt on the nose. Dark chocolate and coffee on the tongue. Very pleasing. Medium mouthfeel.

Bottle. Dark brown hue with a thin layer of offwhite head. Nose is subtle, with faint scents of coffee and cocoa, roast is ever so slight. Flavor is equally unassuming but classically Porter: dark malts with a tinge of roast throughout, cocoa cream and coffee grounds linger through the dry finish. Medium body, watery texture, light carbonation. A very smooth and easy-drinking porter that is well in the session range, plenty of body and malt flavor here for multiple rounds, solid but nothing here screams outstanding or unique.

Dark black/red pour with a foamy, lacy head. Great roasted malt, coffee and chocolate aroma. A touch of sweetness and nice roasty flavor. Very tasty.

Poured a very dark reddish brown (almost black) with a thin tan head. The aroma and taste where very much the same: mild roasted malts with a mild sourness... nothing very up front. The body was a bit thin. This brew just didn’t work for me.... could use more depth and be more bold.

12oz bottle. Black pour, light tan head. Sticky lacing. Aroma of buttered popcorn. BLAGH. Why do I have to get the infected bottle. Tastes how it smells. Buttery.

Aroma is pleasant with the chocolate and roasted notes coming through. The appearance is a thing of beauty with almost two fingers of head and an almost black color. Taste is mostly sweet put not too overpowering with a slight sour finish. Medium body, balance carbonation and a taste that lingers long enough to enjoy not annoy. My favorite porter because of the taste for price combination.

Enjoyed from a 12oz bottle in a pub glass. The beer pours a dark brown to black color. The nose is quite interesting, giving a very obvious hint of vanilla, along with what seems to be a touch of sourness. Finally, roasted notes come through, although they are somewhat more muted. The palate features that vanilla/sour note, along with a bit of medium-high crystal and roasted malts. Carbonation is accurate for the style. The finish is slightly sour, slightly roasty, and slightly fruity. The sourness leads one to ponder whether the brewers were trying to achieve a flavor profile that replicates 19th century versions of the style in England. Overall, quite enjoyable.

Aroma is surprizingly smokey, with roasted malts, coffee, and a bit of dark chocolate. I also get some notes of sweet malts, vanilla, and smoked almonds. Flavor really hides the smokeiness and brings out the sweetier malts and the chocolate. Pretty good.