Bell's Third Coast Old Ale

Reviewed By: Herr Rick

Style: Old Ale
State/Country: Michigan
ABV: 10.2%
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle

Look: 9
Dark brown color, medium head with decent retention & good lacing

Smell: 9
Dark fruit, sweet malt, caramel

Taste: 8.5

Up Front: All kinds of dark fruit. Finish: Malt, booze

Mouthfeel: 8.5
Full body, low/medium carbonation, thick & creamy

Drinkability: 8.5

Just a little on the sweet side, which was more of an issue as it got warmer

Overall Score: 8.7

Value: 6

Cost/12 oz serving: $4.30

Overall Impression:
One of the few ales that I enjoyed less as it approached cellar temp. Still enjoyable though.

Bell's Expedition Stout

Reviewed By: Herr Rick

Style: American Double/Imperial Stout
State/Country: Michigan
ABV: 10.5%
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle

Look: 9
Black color, medium tan head with decent retention & good lacing

Smell: 7
Raw chocolate, some dark fruit, and not much else. Strangely devoid of roasted malt and coffee notes

Taste: 9

Up Front: Dark fruit, chocolate. Finish: Chocolate, coffee, roasted malt. licorice, lingering sweetness. A lot more going on then that smell led me to believe

Mouthfeel: 7.5
Full body, low/medium carbonation, slightly cloying

Drinkability: 7.5

Ok, but the sweetness gets in the way

Overall Score: 8

Value: 5

Cost/12 oz serving: $4.30

Overall Impression:
This beer is all over the place: Great look, funky lackluster smell, complex & powerful flavor, with a sweet sticky feel. Somehow it managed to come out as "good", but just barely

Bell's Double Cream Stout

Reviewed By: Herr Rick

Style: Sweet Stout (Milk Stout)
State/Country: Michigan
ABV: 6.1%
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle

Look: 8.5
Nearly black color, medium tan head with decent retention & lacing

Smell: 8.5
Mild aromas of milk, milk chocolate

Taste: 9

Up Front: Slightly sour, chocolate, cola. Finish: Chocolate; reminds me of a Charleston Chew - NICE!

Mouthfeel: 9
Medium body with medium/low carbonation, slightly sweet - on par with the style

Drinkability: 9

Silky smooth, especially at cellar temperature

Overall Score: 8.8

Value: 6.5

Cost/12 oz serving: $4.30

Overall Impression:
This is a very mellow sweet stout. I really liked the chocolate finish. It was better previously at the POPE on cask, but that goes without saying. I never actually smelled milk in a beer before, and I've had many Milk/Sweet Stouts over the years. Regardless, I still liked it. This beer really did not come to life until it warmed up, even more so than most other fine ales

Bell's Java Stout

Reviewed By: Herr Rick

Style: American Imperial Stout
State/Country: Michigan
ABV: 7.5%
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle

Look: 9
Black color, medium tan head with decent retention & good lacing

Smell: 8.5
It screams dark roasted coffee

Taste: 7.5

Up Front: Slightly tart, and then a huge blast of espresso. Finish: Dark roast coffee, and earthiness

Mouthfeel: 9
Medium body & carbonation, creamy

Drinkability: 8

If you really like coffee, the score would be a little higher

Overall Score: 8.4

Value: 6

Cost/12 oz serving: $4.30

Overall Impression:
I DO like coffee, stouts, and coffee stouts, but this was just a bit over-the-top in the coffee department for me

Bell's Cherry Stout

Reviewed By: Herr Rick

Style: Fruit Beer (American Stout)
State/Country: Michigan
ABV: 7%
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle

Look: 8.5
Nearly black color, thick dark brown head with decent retention & good lacing

Smell: 9
Roasted malt, espresso, dark chocolate, molasses

Taste: 9

Up Front: Tart cherry, sweet malt. Finish: Roasted malt, espresso, chocolate

Mouthfeel: 8.5
Light/medium body (light for a stout) with low carbonation

Drinkability: 8.5

It was surprisingly easy to drink.

Overall Score: 8.7

Value: 6.5

Cost/12 oz serving: $4.30 - Philly prices :(

Overall Impression:
A really good balance of flavors. Not nearly as tart or sweet as I expected, which is a good thing. I have always been a fan of the combination of cherry with dark chocolate, and this did not disappoint. It also has a yeasty homebrewed quality to it that I enjoyed. It reminds me of a Chocolate Cherry Stout I brewed years ago.

Bell's 2 Hearted Ale

Reviewed By: Herr Rick
Style: American IPA
State/Country: Michigan
ABV: 7.1%
Serving Type: On Cask @ Sidecar Bar & Grille

Look: 9
Deep golden honey color, clear, thick head with great retention & good lacing

Smell: 9
Pronounced citrus, nice floral aroma

Taste: 9
Up Front: Pine, citrus. Finish: Tropical fruit, sweet malt

Mouthfeel: 9
Medium body with light carbonation - super creamy!

Drinkability: 9
I could pound this cask ale down all day!

Overall Score: 9

Value: 7.5
Cost/12 oz serving: $6.00

Overall Impression:
This beer may have benefited from me drinking the Firestone Walker Double Jack right before it. It was a very enjoyable IPA served on cask; what's not to love about that?

Bell's HopSlam Ale

Reviewed By: Herr Rick
Style: Double/Imperial IPA
State/Country: Michigan
ABV: 10%
Serving Type: On Tap @ The POPE

Look: 9 .5
Golden amber, clear, with a medium head and decent lacing (perhaps it was the glass?)

Smell: 10
Massive citrus hop aroma! Malt and a slight amount of honey also present

Taste: 10
Up Front: Sweet malt and hops do battle, grapefruit, apricot. Finish: Honey, with malt and hops still duking it out

Mouthfeel: 10
Medium body, incredibly smooth and balanced!

Drinkability: 10
Alcohol is well hidden, uber-drinkable, but watch out, it's a shit kicker!

Overall Score: 9.9

Value: 9
Cost/12 oz serving: $7, but worth every penny!!!

Overall Impression:
I started and ended my session with the mighty HopSlam. This is the best Double IPA I've had to date! That may not last though, because Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger are coming to Philly on March 1. (Edit: as it turns out, I actually preferred Hopslam to Pliny the Younger, making this my 2nd favorite Double IPA, second only to Pliny the Elder)

This beer reminds me of Boulder's Mojo in that it has honey and apricot flavors in addition to the typical grapefruit. Of course it's much higher octane, and the flavors are significantly more intense. Truly Nectar of the Fucking Godz!

Bell's Oarsman Ale

Reviewed By: Herr Rick
Style: Berliner Weisse
State/Country: Michigan
ABV: 4.8%
Serving Type: On Tap @ The POPE

Look: 8.5
Light golden color, cloudy with virtually no head and no lacing which is true to the style

Smell: 9
Lemon zest, orange, wheat, and the standard acid funk

Taste: 9
Up Front: Lemon, then that tart yeast/acid funk. Finish: Sweet, mild malt flavor

Mouthfeel: 8.5
Crisp, and sharp

Drinkability: 9
A very refreshing, quaffable session beer!

Overall Score: 8.8

Value: 8
Cost/12 oz serving: $5

Overall Impression:
This is the second Berliner Weisse I've had in the past 4 days. I really enjoyed it, even after having 3 other Bell's beers prior to this. It was not quite as good as the 1809 I had a few days back, but it was pretty dam close!

De Proef & Bells, Van Twee

I had an awesome brew at Bridgid's in Philadelphia last evening. Actually, I had a few, but the De Proef & Bells, Van Twee really stood out!!!

--HR

Brewmaster's collaboration withe Bell's Brewery Inc.