Bells Porter

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Porter
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Color is a dark opaque brown, nearly black, light but deep glowing brown highlights up to the light, a strong pour produced a thin, small tannish head of tight creamy foam, faded fast, some patchy lacing sticks every now and then. Smell is one complexing delicate nose of sourness of fruits, much like lemon-lime and oranges mixed but dulled and kinda dark, very calm, but I can definately detect a sour-like quality. Somewhat like super fresh sourdough bread yeast. I love it, whatever it is. That destinct Bell's quality. Aroma continues into some deeply roasted malts with cocoa hints and hop notes with a very slight coffeeish note as well. The taste is more complexing madness that starts mildly tangy, somewhat dullish fruit and hops, reminded me of mandorine oranges and of oriental salads with sesame, vinegar & soy sauces, but very good and not to sour at all. This is one pleasantly interesting porter. Flavors continue into some slight light and tangy smoothness of roasted malts, subtle in layers, and a really good mix of earthy tangy dryness thats a bit tingly and all in all very luscious and interestingly yummy. The more I drank it the more I absolutley fell in love with it. Feel is a smooth medium body with subtle layers of tangy dryness, damn nice. There seems to be more going on here then I can put a good finger on, but this will be a top pick to keep around at all times.

Have a hard time not believing this one is a brown ale. Tastes good and a person can detect the chocolate undertones. I was searching for the coffee though. A side note to this one was that I bought a sixer of Expedition stout and two of those bottles were porter. Usually I get peeved when that happens but I enjoyed the old switcheroo this time.

Mmmm, very good porter. Do these people make a bad beer? This is a great example of the style, but with slight variations, making it stand out on its own as a unique beer. It has the mild sweetness and coffee presence that many good porters have, but there is also a slight fruitiness to the beer which really makes it an enjoyable experience. Kalamazoo is fast becoming my favorite brewery.

Looks like a stout, with a rich, frothy head, and a very opaque, black body. Lactose in the flavor and aroma - some coffee, cream, and it is very similar to their Double Cream Stout, except not as potent. Very good beer - but not really a porter as much as a stout. No hop presence - just malts.

UPDATED: MAY 13, 2003 Nice chocolate aroma with a big head.Smooth creamy body. nice finish. one of the better porter's that I have tasted.

Rich, alcoholly aroma with hints of dark chocolate. Fully opaque in color with a large tan head that is mostly disappating. Deliciously satisfying flavor. Not too sweet, not too dry. The slight chalkiness in the nose is more oaky on the palate. Hints of vanilla. Smooth and creamy. Excellent lace. As it warms it loses some of its robustness and begs for a little more sweetness. However, it nevertheless is a quality brew.

Beautiful lasting head, big vanilla aroma, then a pleasant light roasted touch with a creamy body. Sure, their stouts are their money beers, but with a brewer of this skill, I'd buy virtually anything they brew. (on tap, Clark Street Ale House, Chicago, IL)

Coffee, chocolate and malt galore. Very nice and smooth. Blackest hell. An excellent display of a porter.

UPDATED: JUN 4, 2003 This beer has a very nice chocolate and coffee aroma. It poured a nice head that lasted a very long time and was filled with small to medium bubbles. It has a strong coffee taste with a mild after bite. It went down very smoothly. It has a dark black all but opaque at the bottom of the glass color.

UPDATED: AUG 26, 2006 Replacing an earlier rating. Deep brown body with reddish highlights, thin off-white head. Rich roasted malt aroma. Flavor of strong roasted malts with dark chocolate, finishing quite bitter. Lacks any sense of sweetness to balance out the bitterness, and is a bit thin, but still quite good.