Bells Red Nose ESB

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Bitter
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Draft at Eccentric Cafe. Poured clear reddish copper color with an average creamy off-white head that mostly lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate to heavy resin hop and toasted malt aroma. Medium to full body with a slick texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy bitter flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of moderate to long duration. The beer is a standout brew for style.

On tap at the cafe. Red pour, some head. Smells spicey and hoppy like an ESB should. Flavor is big, a bit piney and malty. Dry finish. I dug it, though is definitely unlike most other ESBs Ive had.

On tap at Eccentric cafe. Ambery red color with not much for aroma. As it warms the spruce tree rears its head some but not much. taste of sour/bitter apples wrapped in pineboughs. eh.

On tap at Eccentric Cafe. Pours a reddish amber with little head. Aromas are weak at first, but as it warms a bit of a christmas tree pineyness starts to emerge. Flavor is unbalanced with spruce-tree hops and astringent alcohol pulling the cart. This was pretty odd... not balanced at all with very strange hops for the style.

Finally. Had this on Eccentric Day about a month ago. Nice upfront almost offensive scent which i look forward to in an ESB. Strong hops and fruit throughout. Would love to try it again without the other beers mucking up the taste as much.

On tap at the Eccentric Cafe. Light, translucent orange-brown body, thin off-white head. This beer reminded me of Founders Red’s Rye, minus the rye, with punchy, resiny grapefruit and pine hops playing off a dry, toasty malt backbone. Lacked the sweetness of Red’s Rye, the end result being a drier beer. I’d drink another.