Bells Porter

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Porter
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

12 oz bottle served in a tulip. Pour was cola brown with two inches of thick tan head. Nose is coco, coffee, and roasted malt. Taste is on par with the nose and there is a lingering coffee bitter that makes up the finish. Not a bad brew at all. I typically enjoy a heavier, more complex brew when it comes to the darkies. However, this would be a great substitute if I was in the mood to throw a six pack down or if the weather was a bit warmer.

pours a nice deep brown with a tan head aroma is chocolate metal cocoa sugar roasted grains. flavor is the same as the aroma. decent porter

pours black with small white head. aroma is chocolate, vanilla, roasted malts, and light coffee. drinks semisweet chocolate, roasted malts, vanilla, dark rich fruits. finishes crisp and clean. very good stuff

Bottle. Pours chocolate brown, no real head to speak of, aggressive pour results in a thin pale tan head that doesn’t stick around. Spotty lacing. Nose is lovely, plenty of vanilla and cocoa nibs, almost reminds me of Aphrodisiaque, dark fruit and roast behind it, mild coffee, toast. Palate is light and fresh, but still quite complex, refreshing but still appropriately bitter and roasty, not outstanding in any way flavor-wise, but stylistically correct. A bit of a disappointment considering how promising the nose was.

(Bottle, thanks tlay10!) Pours dark brown with a small light brown head. The aroma is very chocolaty with some caramelly notes in the background. The nose is light burned and earthy roasted but still quite round. Clean and malty, maybe just a bit husky and yeasty. A whisper of sweet liquorice, black currant, cookies and nuts. Almost no aroma hops present. The flavour is light to medium sweet, light to medium bitter and tiny acidic from the hops. The finish is rather dry. Clean malt profile that holds notes of chocolate, coffee, sweet liquorice and nuts alongside a smoked hint. The mouthfeel is clean, soft and light velvety with light carbonation. Bitter hops, coffee roast and earthy notes lingers. Near medium bodied. Overall a well-made and strait forward Porter. I like.

Bottle pours a clear deep brown with bright maroon/violet light shining through under a thin cap of tan head that does its best to lace the glass. Aroma is dominated by roasted malt, which comes across as green, unripened coffee beans instead of the common "burnt coffee" smell of heavier stout fame. Flavor is very crisp and moderate, which helps distinguish this as a plain porter. Hop balance and bright acidity match well with milk chocolate and a roasty smoke flavor to balance the tart coffee. Aftertaste is a bit clingy and acidic, and there isn’t a lot of weight to the body. Otherwise, a well-done porter that’s easily accessible.

Pours out of the bottle a dark black with a brownish tinge to it. About half an inch of brownish tan head. Mouthfeel is great with a taste of coffee and chocolate.

When does the porter end and the stout begin and, vice versa, when does the stout end and the porter begin.

Sitting pretty in my Bells pint glass, deep brown-blacks laze about beneath a voluminous khaki head which settles into a thin velveteen layer. Holding her up to the light, I can see burnt streaks of amber and mahogany along the sides and bottom. A pint glass isn’t usually the most beer friendly glass, but in the case of a simple porter, so to speak, she will do just fine. Rich chocolates melt before my nose while fresh cream is mixed in amidst a sprinkling of fresh vanilla root. Café late, anyone? An essential to any café delight is, of course, the espresso, and my Bells Porter hasn’t forgotten this crucial ingredient. Freshly drawn espresso enriches the air while her soft crema exudes burnt caramel and earth. Licorice root, chocolate covered espresso beans, and further notes of fresh vanilla bean and creamy milk chocolate leads my lips to fully embrace hers. Mm! Mm! Mm! Chocolate covered espresso beans lead me right into warm espresso, vanilla bean, and a long lingering finish of chocolate café late delights. A few minutes pass and as I breathe, as all living beings do, my breath is a bastion of the finest milk chocolate delights ever to grace mankind. Standing stalwart in the background is chocolate covered graham crackers and rich earth black as pitch, while each quaff is marked ceremoniously by a crackling patchwork of lace. Furthering our journey together, there is a growing presence of dark spices and charred wood which softly dries my palate, but never parches. I am in Bells Porter heaven and she is decadent milk chocolates, vanilla cream, espresso, graham cracker, earth, and charred wood. Delicious.

If I do recall, the Bells Porter is also quite the pleasing session Porter. Let’s see…yep, her ABV is only 5.6% which means if you’re not quite satisfied with one glass, by all means, please feel free to go back and have another. I insist. You won’t regret it; that is a promise.