Bells Rye Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in English pint

What a treat and a surprise to find this on tap at Carrboro Bev Co (aka Tyler’s Bottle Shop), as no bottles made it to NC. Nice smooth-looking pour, a bit sludgy with a thin cafe au lait head. Sharp and slightly nutty aroma blended with chocolate malts, that sweet spot that Bells hits so often with stouts of all variety. Smooth and a bit chalky in the mouthfeel, which complements the very modest rye addition. I’d actually like more pronounced rye flavors, as this one’s a bit too understated. But I certainly enjoyed it well enough.

Glass at the brewpub. Almost blavk with a thin ring. Dark fruitbinbthe aroma. Thete is some coffee and maybe dark fruit. It was served too cold and might take time to warm. Rye is a subnote but dfinitely adds. Some espresso. That chocolate grows with warming. This is very good but I am not quite blown away. Almost, though.

Thanks to trades with both Ughsmash & jgd0608, I have two bottles of this stout. Pours a hazy deep brown, just about black, with a moderate tan head head that lasted through the first quarter of the glass and left light lace. Very pleasant aroma of roast with a very noticeable presence of rye. Some chocolate in the nose as well. Actually, as I think about it, the aroma reminds me very much of freshly baked pumpernickel bread. The flavor is similar with roast and ample rye, again with some chocolate. And again, I am reminded of fresh pumpernickel bread. A bit lighter in body than I was expecting. Overall, a very solid beer, and I’m glad I have another bottle to enjoy.

Dark brown. The aroma has hints of coffee & roasted nuts. It’s hard to describe precisely what the rye adds here, but it’s definitely in the mouthfeel

(bottle - 12 oz) Dark black pour with a creamy tan head. Aroma is dry and roasted with definite notes of rye apparent. Good roasted malt and caramel aromas as well. Flavor is very roasty and dry at the start with a roasted malt and coffee middle. Finishes with a dry and grainy flavor from the rye and a very light aftertaste. The rye, in my opinion, really evened out the roasted portion of the stout. Nice.

Pours dark brown, almost black. The head is dark brown and leaves very quickly. Aroma has roasted malt and cereal. The body is much lighter than expected for a stout. Light carbonation. The taste has some coffee and light chocolate notes. The dryness from the rye comes out on the finish. I wanted to like this one, but it just came off as too watery for a stout for my tastes.

bottle - Pours near black with a small, lingering tan head. The aroma is of chocolate malt and rye. The flavor is similar with an obvious rye presence and roast chocolate flavors too. It’s medium to full bodied and works very well.

tap at eccentric.....appearance: dark brown but not yet black with thin tan head.....aroma: roasted bitterness, toffee, and chocolate.....taste: sweet malt, chocolate, and then a bite of peppery spice to give it some character. finish was of a burnt roast.