Bells Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Ale

Formerly brewed at Bells Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Bottle and served in Bells tulip: Pours a coppery amber hue with a solid creamy head which left very good lacework upon the glass. The aroma has notes of juicy fruit and slightly resiny American hops, caramel and bready malts, some rye like esters, hint of candi sugar and a dollop of peppery esters. The taste mostly follows suit with a moderate hop character over layers of sweet malt and sugars. Just like the nose, I pick up what appear to be a light rye like snap even though I am not sure if any rye is actually in this beer. There is also a bit of a strong lager yeast presence with some herbal notes too, it is definitely fruity throughout. Seems like a cross bred of American Barley Wine with a Abbey Double and a splash of Lager graininess. Very interesting flavor profile that I am actually digging quite a bit, wondering what age will do to this? The mouth feel does display some alcohol warming but seems to be a help and not a hindrance, sticky and smooth, slightly prickly around the edges. After the disappointment of the Twenty Anniversary, I did not approach this with much expections but happily I found a slightly complex and nice sipping beer here.

Pours dark orange, pumpkin color. Medium head - dissipates rather quickly. Light carbonation. Fruity (tangerine?) aroma. Fruity, bitter, taste & aftertaste. Flavor easily identifiable as Bell’s product - one of my favorite brewers! Very tasty.

Old notes. I must have been a little too disappointed with this one, because after the rating numbers, it literally read "Hodge podge is the description and hodge podge it tastes." I think it was a great effort, but mediocre execution.

pours a dark crimson with just a little head. Malty sweet, biscuity aroma. Really nice strong malt flavor, little To no hops. No hint of the 8.5%

Bottle, 12oz. A clear one, golden in color and topped by an off-white head. The aroma is alcoholic and malty, quite sweetish, and with some beef stock. Alcohol, malty sweetness, beef stock, some nuttyness and a decent hoppyness in the flavor. Full bodied and almost sticky on the palate. Sweet finish with dried fruits. Not a favorite of mine this one, but certainly a fine brew anyway. 110826

Bottle. Pours hazy orange with a large almost white head. Sweet caramel aroma with hint of dried fruit, bread and a touch of herbal hops. Flavor is similar with more herbal hop notes and a touch of spices.

12 oz into a pint glass. Murky brown with a persistent tan head and no lacing. Plum and ripe fruit aromas. Flavor is very malty molasses with a finish that is a little roasty and bittersweet with a chalky texture. Interesting drink but not coming together in a particularly coherent manner. Bordering a little on the side of an old ale. The alcohol has chilled out a bit from what I read in other reviews.

From notes. First reviewed 12/25/2010. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass. The color seems sort of light for this style - a mostly transparent full amber color with a foamy off-white head that bubbles away, leaving a bit more than a ring around the glass. Tons of caramel malt sweetness to go along with some dark fruits and not much else in the nose. A little bit of booze as it warms. There is an overabundance of caramel sweetness in the taste; I actually get a cotton candy taste out of it, which is uniquely enjoyable. A little bit smokey. I am actually curious what the intention was here, since this is so cloyingly sweet. I get no real hop presence. Finishes -- surprise! -- sweet. A stickiness coats the lips and tongue. Medium carbonation, fuller than medium body. The sweetness here really dampens my enjoyment of this beer. There was not really much balance, and this is just more of a mess than I really want to deal with.

Bottle . Deep golden colour with an off-white head. Aroma is caramel, roasted malt, fruit. Flavour is peaches, roasted malt, caramel, fruit. Nice beer.

One that I feel fell just a tad bit under expectations. Strong aroma and taste of burnt malt with caramel, faded hops, grassiness, and citrus. Slight bitterness. Nothing to write home about but not that bad and drinkable. Just doesn’t scream 25 years of brewing.

12 ounce bottle .. . interesting choice for your 25th anniversary .. . pours a old penny brown .. . medium foam .. . light bitterness, squashed fruit .. . decent brew but not for an anniversary .. . . Are you going to marry a carrot?