Bells Rye Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in English pint

12 oz bottle, 2006 release, via MikeMac. Very dark brown pour, almost black, with a minimal fizzy light brown head that disappeared instantly. Light sediment in bottle. Aroma has a pronounced rye character with a backdrop of anise, coffee, and black patant malt. Very much like a fresh baked loaf of rye bread. Flavor is balanced between the rye and burnt malt aspects. The rye really takes center stage though. Finish is coffee and burnt rye toast. Mouthfeel is fairly thin with a little too much carbonation, which I find unusual for Bells because I normally love their mouthfeel. A very interesting beer, very prominant rye flavor. Not sure why I like rye beers so much when I hate rye bread.

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....

12 oz bottle via trade with demitriustown. Pours black as the fur on a panther with a head that was really dissapointing that is until it dissappeared completely leaving a vague arcapelago of residue on the top. Roasty aroma that I assume has a bit of Rye to it, but I don’t really know what rye smells like. Its tasty with a nice something extra I’m guessing is the rye. The carbonation is nice and sticks to the tongue. Overall good but not super exciting. Very easy to drink for a 6.7.

UPDATED: JUN 28, 2006 Bottle: Aroma has lots of coffee and roasted grain along with a moderate chocolate balance. Pours a dark brown with a tan head that fades quickly. Moderate chocolate up front quickly fades to a point where there is no taste at all for an instant and then light rye and coffee appear in the finish and then those flavors quickly disappear. Not all that flavorful. Nice creamy smooth mouthfeel.

Bottle: Poured a deep pitch-black color stout with a small dark brown foamy head with average retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of roasted malt with light peat notes. Taste is very particular with some good peat notes and deep roasted malt. Body is quite full with a very nice creamy texture and good carbonation. Very singular since I am not used to rye being used in a stout but still very interesting.

Bottle, batch 9399. Pours a dark mahogany color that shows slightly translucent at the outer edges. A moderate, spongy head of khaki colored foam dissipates quickly, settling to a bubbly film and leaving scant traces of lacing on the glass. The nose is very mild, but nice, showing notes of dry, chalky cocoa, fresh rye grain, dry caramel, and hints of earth and smoke. Flavors are very well crafted and easy going, showing the same dry, dark caramel and cocoa, mild rye and toasty grain, with traces of pumpernickel and dry, slightly chalky yeast. Peppery, spcy hops come through on the finish. The body is medium-plus in stature, dry, yeasty, and easy going. Overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit. Very solid stout.

Nose of caramel, chocolate, with a coffee note; Transparent dark brown with a small tan head; flavor of coffee, caramel with a little chocolate.

UPDATED: JUL 2, 2010 Bottle courtesy of Beerbill. Dark brown color that doesnt show light. Smells of roasted malts, sweet flavors and peat moss. Taste is interesting at the least. Sweetness with malts and peat moss for sure.