Bells Rye Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in English pint

12 oz bottle from mix a six purchased at Lukas in Kansas City Missouri. Batch 9370 printed on the label. Pour is hazed deep brown and ruby with nice settling building up a 2 inch khaki head. Head falls with loud crackling, and very large carbonation bubbles. Aroma is roasty, earthy maltiness and the rye - which presents as a very soft leafy, almost tobacco like smell. Nice soft and engaging nose. Taste is the roast malt up front, followed close behind by the earthy leafy straw of the rye, leading to a burnt, almost charred finish. Transitions of flavors are good, though the charred element seemed disjointed from the rest - ultimately did not detract from my enjoyment much. Palate is medium bodied, though certainly on the light side of medium. Carbonation is fairly low, and the body is a bit on the oily side. After the char calmed down on my taste buds, this was nicely easy to drink. Nice one.

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.

12oz bottle from Knightly Spirits in Orlando. Cola brown pour with a thin tan head and a ring of sudsy lacing. Pungent and meaty rye aroma with hints of coffee and smoke. Interesting mix of tastes: roasted oatmeal, rye malts, dark chocolate, spices, molasses, dark fruits and a mineral vibe. Medium slick oily texture with light carbonation. Metallic slightly bitter quality in the finish. Surprisingly this all comes together to form a drinkable brew. Strange, but interesting.

12oz Pour $2.25 Eccentric Cafe Bell’s Rye Stout poured the darkest of browns bordering on black. Mahogany highlights flashed through along the sides of the glass. A minimal ecru crown formed on the pour (because the bartender) and left decent spotty lacing as it fell. Aroma was that of roasted grains and a mild coffee ground goodness. The rye was definately apparent wit ha very welcomed spicy caracter. Flavor was very similar to the aroma with a solid rye spicing that made this beer special. A lot of the standard stout flavors came through like roasted grains, mild coffee, and mild bittersweet chocolate. The alcohol is amazingly well hidden. This is on the lighter side of stouts and the mouthfeel really shows that. Body is medium and smooth with a nice slickness that keeps things moving. Highly drinkable with the moderate body and enjoyable rye spiciness. Drank this rye stout while eating a reuben and I don’t think there could have been a better combonation on that cool November day. 11/11/07

GTMW. Deep black. Coffee and roast with very mild rye spice. Well rounded roasted malt and coffee. Some rye, but not enough flavor to notice without knowing it was supposed to be there. Mild fruitiness. Finishes with some acidity and dryness. Residual roastiness. Well put together stout.

12 oz bottle batch 9370 thanks 17thfloor for sharing. Pours nearly black with a small but creamy light tan head. Aroma is super heavy rye, surprisingly smoky and a bit peaty, roasted nuts, some chocolate and coffee beans. Flavor again, very smoky some and roasted nut forward. Dark chocolate and bits of dark fruit come out towards the middle and give way to a strangely boring finish, lightly bitter coffee and roasty. Medium to full body and a light fizzy carbonation. Sadly flat in the finish and all around alright. Not bad, just decent.

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 a dark amber. Smells sweet, with a dough smell. Taste is sweet with a mild brown sugar bitter. Different but good. Very easy to drink more than one.