Bells Rye Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in English pint

Poured a nice dark brown, but had minimal head for whatever reason. Aroma was nutty and definitely rye bread, with some subtle dark chocolate notes. Taste is rather tangy for a stout, I think the rye maybe penetrates through the traditional stout flavors a little too strangly. There was some chocolate and nuts to the flavor as well, and the beer finished a bit roasty. A little thin, with medium carbonation. To me, this beer had a very odd aftertaste, similar to the lingering taste in your mouth after you eat too many peppermints, and it’s not exactly minty-fresh anymore. Decent, but that’s about it.

Bottled at Akkurat, Stockholm. Almost black with a low dissapearing beige head. Slightly spicy aroma with notes of toasted malts, biscuit, marzipan and black coffee. Grainy flavour of coffee, mild spices and biscuit. Mild but long aftertaste of fresh, grassy hops, coco-powder, biscuit, all-spice and black coffee. A really interesting stout (as usual from Bella). Quite complex but could be more concentraded....

Bell’s Rye Stout 12 oz bottle Packaged 02/06, pondered over 10/06. Medium pour in an English pint Poured black, with dark brown highlights, with a moderate frothy mostly diminishing light brown head with a tiny ring of lacing. Smelt of strong leathery and mushroomy yeast. Taste was upfront moderate sweet caramel, raisins, cereal, like oatmeal, but sweeter, probably the rye, bitter spices, wet earth, followed by a moderate wet leaves earthiness and moderate mild chocolate bittersweetness on an average length finish. Mouthfeel was medium bodied, oily and softly carbonated. Overall, a very interesting take on a stout. The flavors are brand new to me. Its hard to tell whether on not I like it. Im pretty sure I do, but this stout is unlike any other stout. Better looked at as a rye beer than a stout, so as to not be disappointed.

12 oz bottle from Ohiodad(thanks!).Pours a near black with a small tan head. Nose is of roasted coffee and rye. That is pretty much the taste along with some lactose and possibly some oats. Well carbonated fizzy finish. The rye is actually fairly subdued. Thin bodied and sessionable. No alcohol detected. Nice easy drinking stout. Bells seems to never do wrong.

Bottle thanks to Kevin. Dark brown with small head that totally disappears. Very little aroma with hints of yeast, metal and roasted malts. Balanced flavor with spicy and bready hints and some caramel. Almost no bitterness. A bit thin in the mouth. Quite refreshing, but not terrible interesting.

Pours a dark brown with a decent head that sticks around for a while. Aroma is typical stout. Can’t notice much contribution from the rye. Taste of chocolate, dark roast and caramel dominate, but not in an overpowering way. It is very balanced. I think Rye maybe too subtle for a stout with other such dominant malts. It’s definitely drinkable though.

Burnt toast notes detract from the malt aroma, but appear less in the flavor. Pours a thin, porter-like viscosity with little hop lace. Flavor is primarily grainy, followed by roasted malt and little else. The palate is dry, clean, and short, and the extra alcohol does not even register. Bell’s recipe matches the yeast and malt superbly well, but this needs more malt and less grain.

Yummy yummy yummy I got Bells in my tummy. When will these guys ever dissapoint? Never it seems. Nothing really to add to the prvious ratings, so will leave it at that.