Bells Rye Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in English pint

Dark roast and rye aroma, like a glass of pumpernickel. Tastes like a glass full of pumpernickel too, just a tiny hint of acidity and plenty of prickly rye spiciness. Very tasty.

Pours a cloudy brown color with a light brown head. Aroma is caramel, toast, rye, some chocolate, roast, some cofffee, and some spicy notes. Flavor is caramel, some bitter chocolate, rye, roast, coffee, and a bitter spicy finish.

Bottle from ford9719. Thanks Chris!
Pours dark black with a creamy, soft tan head. Smell is lightly sweet dark rich roasty malt but with a unique element from the rye, I’m guessing. A bit light of a mouthfeel, but the flavor is nice with a good roasty presence and a bit of the rye coming into play in the taste as well. Moderate carbonation, and a nice, if not spectacular beer. Very enjoyable though.

Dark brown, tan head fades quickly. Tons of roast up front in aroma, smoke, and only hints of rye. Flavor has a bit more of the spicy rye character, but roast and smoke still dominate. Mouthfeel palate are a tad thin at times. This one just doesn’t do it for me.

UPDATED: OCT 12, 2009 Bottle and rerate (batch 9370). Similar to the previous rating with these changes: aromas lack a "sourness." Instead, they are earthy and nutty with detectable rye. Flavor seems to be sweeter... no longer a bitterness. This sweetness seems to bury a little bit of the rye presence, though. All I can think this time is that I would LOVE to try a barrel aged version of this... (I made no changes to the numbers.) Looks just like a good stout, dark, tan head, etc. Smells a little off... sour, earthy aromas of peat and minimal chocolate undertones. Rye is present in flavor, and then gives way to burn malt and bitter chocolate. Finally ends up with a cream flavor that dissipates quickly. Could finish a little stronger, aftertaste is pretty brief. Different.

This is my first sampling of some of the "new beer" we’re now able to purchase in Iowa because of our fancy new laws. Pours a black by the way of brown color with some head and some lace. The aroma is plenty of chocolate with some graininess some mild coffee and some breadiness. The flavor is again lots of chocolate with some good bitter roastiness, some coffee, some mild sweetness and a fresh fruity hoppiness. The rye is very apparent but in no way dominates the flavor of this beer but kind of works in unison with some of the other things that are going on. Pretty tasty stuff.

12oz bottle. Pours a deep brown, almost black body with some red tints. Finger-width, creamy, brown head that dissipates slowly and leaves a good amount of lacing. Aroma is slightly smokey with a light roast and milky chocolate. Some bready malts, toffee, and a hint of rye. Somewhat mild aroma, but nice. Flavor is similar and very well balanced. A mild roast and rich, milky chocolate up front before the rye malts become evident in the middle. Some toffee and nuts come in as well before this finishes with just a hint of dark fruits and barely a trace of sourness. Slowly dries with a subtle bitterness as a light smoke creeps in and leaves the palate with a roasty chocolate aftertaste that lasts for quite awhile. Medium body and very smooth, yet thick feeling with a creamy carbonation. Overall, a very nice, rounded stout. The rye adds a noticable difference as this stays silky, rich, and evenly roasted. Good one.

Pours near black with red hues and a thin tan head. Notes of rye, spice, toffee, and coffee. Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.