Bells Rye Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in English pint

12oz bottle. Pours black with a head that slowly dissipates over time. Caramel and chocolate taste and aroma. Hints of fruit and burn/roasted flavor as well.

Batch 9370

10/26/2009: Bell’s Rye Stout... Aroma: Earthy, rich, dusty chocolate; coffee grounds; the fruity rye malt definitely comes through. Appearance: Dull, dark brown color; mostly opaque; small, foamy tan-colored head. Flavor: Roasted malts and chocolate; rye malt is evident; tastes a bit like New Glarus Black Wheat with a spicy and dry rye twist; finishes a bit thin/watery; alcohol comes through more than expected. Palate: Medium-bodied; thick, filling texture; faily smooth. Overall: Quite good, but not worth the elevated price tag of $12.99/6-pack ($2.17/bottle).

12 fl. oz. bottle from Hyde Park Wine & Spirits in Cincinnati, Ohio. Rating #383 for this beer.

Pours a dark pitch black that’s completely opaque with only the faintest of dark mahogany edges and a one finger frothy beige head with decent retention, only slowly fading into a lasting ring. Slight spots of lacing left behind. Sweet caramel malt aroma with hints of toffee and sweet rye. Slight roasted notes with some dark fruit notes and subtle burnt toast. Slightly viscous medium body with a nice balance of roasted malt and sweet caramel and rye malt notes. Hints of toffee, roasted coffee bean and hazelnut with a nice hoppy dry finish. Very nicely balanced with subtle alcohol heat. Very drinkable with lots of silky chocolate malt and sweet ruye notes balancing out the roasted notes and alcohol heat.

UPDATED: NOV 20, 2009 Bottle: pours black with some chocolate brown highlights when held to the light. Small tan head that lingers as a thin line. Aroma is very nice, dark chocolate, slight roastiness, and defenetly some rye very enjoyable. Flavor is a slight almost smokey roast, good dark chocolate, nice drying in the finish from the rye. Very smooth drinking stout. this beer maybe the smoothest stout i have had that was not on nitro and still maybe smoother than those. damn perfect palate for a stout.

Draught at Capone’s: Aroma of malts, chocolate, rye, and light roasting. Poured dark brown in color with a huge, foamy, creamy, brown head that greatly diminished but lasted throughout. Opaque. Very good lacing. Flavor is slightly sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of malts, chocolate, roasting, rye, and a hint of espresso. Medium body. Creamy, lightly thick texture. Soft carbonation. Chocolate, rye, and malt, finish is slightly sweet, lightly bitter, and slightly dry.

Poured from bottle into Nonic Imperial Pint. Near black with very thin tan head and spotty lacing. Aroma of bittersweet chocolate, roasted malts, coffee and just a slight spiciness. Light roasted malts with notes of chocolate, coffee, spicy rye and some bitterness at the end. Very subtle beer overall, but the bitterness, while not too high, seems strangely out of place. Low carbonation, fairly light body for a Stout but pretty smooth. I actually like the mouthfeel although it may have led to the beer being too subtle. Very light and easy drinking Stout despite the 6.7% abv. However, it is also a little light on flavor. Mostly seems like a tamer version of their Kalamazoo Stout.

UPDATED: NOV 13, 2009 never tasted a rye stout before. interesting. less carbonation, a little lighter on the tongue. sweeter, ryer, yeahhh.

Heavy brown body, constant 1/2" dark tan head and good lacing. Peppery/spicy aroma chock full of coffee, chocolate fudge and roasted malts. There is a wonderful underlying fruitiness that comes forward after a bit. Full bodied, extremely creamy with a wonderful sweet finish and a lightly dry aftertaste. Nutty coffee with cream, mild black licorice, chocolate and hints of plum dominate the taste. Good spicy character in the back ground with a faint twang. Another top notch stout by Bells, seems like a drier and spicier version of the Kalamazoo.