Bells Smoked Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Smoked
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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On tap at Eccentric....definitely smoky, but not too smoky. Like the flavor a lot. Great with a sweet desert.

pours pitch blak, naturally. Looks thin. About 1/3 inch of dirty dark brown head. Served cold as hell… I envision hell as very cold. Smell is pretty great, even at this temperature. First I got huge dark chocolate, then the second whiff got a lot of the smoky character. In fact, that’s all I get now. Pretty peaty, though the bready/malts are still pretty obvious in the nose. Probably the best smoked I’ve ever had, because it’s such a complement in the flavor rather than the whole point of it. Actually I’ve had a real ygreat smoked barreled beer, but I can’t remember what that was. This is a very well-made beer. Too cold to really evaluate the body.

Pint at the Eccentric Cafe. Poured deep black in color with a medium sized tan head. Aroma of smoked malts, chocolate, and mild roast. Tastes of moderately smoked malts, chocolate, light coffee. I’m starting to love smoked beers, and this certainly was a very solid drinkable version of that style. Great body and smooth finish. Nice.

On tap at Eccentric Cafe. Pours a black body with a huge, two-finger width, creamy brown head that dissipates slowly and leaves lots of lacing. Gorgeous. Aroma is smoke and beef with some rich chocolates and a light roast. Just a touch of earthy citrus creeps in as this warms. The nose is more smokey, while the flavor is pretty balanced all-around. Flavor is more roasty and plenty of chocolate oozes in while the smoke blends nicely with the rest of the flavors. Very rich and bold flavor. Finishes dry with a touch of earth and acidic citrus and plenty of lingering tastes that last for quite awhile. Medium bodied. Overall, a really good beer. Sweet, rich, robust, smokey and all-around well balanced. Very nice.

Tap @ Bells. Black appearance with a tan head. Moderate smoky, rich dark chocolate malty, light espresso aroma. Delicious full bodied, moderately smoky, dark chocolate, light coffee, light vanilla flavor. Great beer.

Draught. Most is big on chocolate malt with lighter coffee notes. Dark red, no head. Flavor is Roasty, spicy, and lightly smoky. Nicely full bodied. Very dry but not in a way that affects the thickness. Interesting and delicious.

UPDATED: JAN 18, 2009 Draft at Eccentric Cafe. Nose is beef jerky, beech smoke and roasted grains. Taste is very robust and multi-layered. Lots of smoke and charcuterie. A touch salty and roasted. Pleasant underlying bitterness. Very nice.

Half pint at the brewery. This beer is black as midnight. Roasty, charred aroma. Not particularly meaty but maybe like burned bacon. Espresso, earth, dark cacao scents as well. Creamy palate. Delicious balance of cacao, espresso, lingering, hidden notes of smoke. A faint bittersweetness balances things out. Absolutely tasty, but needs more smoke

Lovely stuff. Very smooth, very black, lacy, the smokiness subtle among roasted flavours and dark chocolate. Lasting bitter aftertaste.

On tap at the Bell’s dinner at Brews. Lightly smoked malt in the nose with a dark caramel sweet note. Dark color with a foamy khaki head that left lots of sticky lace. Lots of roasted grain taste, dark toast, and real honest wood smoke flavor. Some chocolate and coffee poke through before the long burnt smoke finish takes over. The smoke is not so overpowering that the beer doesn’t come through. NIce use of smoke in beer.