Subsidiaries
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Dark brown pour with short, beige head. Aroma was heavy with scent of burnt notes, reminiscent of burnt popcorn. with hints of coffee, earthiness and grains. The flavor was earthy and burnt with some sweet fruit and spice notes underneath — a little clove, a bit of banana and some vanilla. The mouthfeel was prickly and the finish was clean. Wasn’t sure what to make of this at first, but it grew on me with each sip.
Tried
on 28 Dec 2005
at 10:56
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
An amazing find just in time for the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006. I had to open a bottle right away to make sure this beer isn’t pickled. The first "pffft" upon opening the cap was a relief. No noxious aromas on the pour. Beautiful. Success. The body is a bit light for a stout, a deep yet translucent garnet red-brown with dark yeast sediment taking gravity’s cue to the bottom of the glass. There’s even a thin ring of off-white carbonation clinging to the glass. The aroma is similar to a barleywine, with raisins, prune, and caramels backed by soy and toasty malts. A bit "aged" smelling and yeasty, but still pleasant. The body is nicely carbonated for a circa-1998 beer. Opens with the same prunes, raisin, and caramel, leading to faded esters and alcohol, leaving a somewhat charred, bitter aftertaste. I’m not sure how this beer changed over the years but it is more like a barleywine right now than a stout. I suspect this was well taken care of over the past seven years. I thought this was a real long-shot to find, but everybody’s capable of making an improbable shot.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Dec 2005
at 19:48
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Thanks to Darkover for the trade. Dark orange/copper color with a thin and lasting off-white head. Thin lacing. Aroma of sweet malt and maple syrup. Light-bodied and kind of creamy with malt and caramel flavors outright. There is a light hops bitterness in the background as well as a hint of roastiness. The finish is very sweet and lingering. Despite my personal hope that they would do something a little more "dramatic" to celebrate, this is a well-made beer and in the upper eschelon for the style. Congrats to Bell’s on 20 years!
Tried
on 27 Dec 2005
at 10:33
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Tart sour cherry and malt aroma. Reddish amber with small head. Sweet-tart cherry flavor - tastes like freshly picked cherries, not a nasty chemical fake cherry flavor - with light malt tones. Nice drinkable fruit beer - just doesn’t have strong beer flavors.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Dec 2005
at 20:10
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle. Dark malt and banana aromas. Opaque dark brown color with small head. Dark chocolate malt and banana flavor. Body good for the style. The best and most complex of the wheat series - this is a great beer. Consider it the best Dunkelweizen I tried from the US and in the top 5 worldwide. Exceptional - I hope they keep brewing this one from now on.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Dec 2005
at 20:06
8.5/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Very dark. Very Delicious. Some bitterness to be had with this one, not overwheleming. My personal favorite.
Tried
on 23 Dec 2005
at 01:09
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle. Nice banana wheat aroma. Cloudy reddish amber color with small head. Slightly sweet banana and wheat malt flavor with some bitterness coming out as the beer warms. This is more fruity than the Wheat 4 and I enjoyed it more. Will compare more after tasting 8.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Dec 2005
at 21:41
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle. Sweet malty aroma. Medium amber color with small head. Sweet pineapple-orange flavor with moderate hops. Good nice tasting beer - just nothing too spectacular.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Dec 2005
at 21:20
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Pitch black color with a thin brown head that disappears pretty fast. Thin lacing that does not cling to the glass. Pungent aroma of dark malts and coffee. Thick and creamy body with loads of sweet dark fruit followed immediately by hops and roasted coffee flavors. Alcohol in the background from beginning to end as well. The finish is long and smokey with more dark malt. Seems a little untamed right now, still it is another well done Stout by Bell’s.
Tried
on 21 Dec 2005
at 10:33
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Clear straw-colored brew with a fairly subtstantial frothy white head. Aroma is sweet and heavy of bread, grass and yeast. Maybe a touch of honey and some bananas. Flavor seems to pick up on the cloudy yeast, grain that is not present visually. Aftertaste is dominated by a grassy, banana flavor that is very different, but pleasant. Don’t know that I’d buy a case of it, but pretty good.
Tried
on 20 Dec 2005
at 21:30