Bell's Porter - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Very dark brown and hazy with a light brown head.

Aroma: Typical Porter smell; Roasted coffee and chocolate with a little caramel/molasses. A well rounded malty aroma.

Taste: There is an interesting brightness to the palate right away. I'd attribute that to a bit of hop presence, but it fades quickly. The second half is all roasted coffee and dark chocolate. This is a good example of what a Porter should be, but it's not really showy enough to stand out against others of the style. That's not necessarily bad considering how some Porters go wrong when they are messed with too much. Nice lingering coffee bitterness in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Effervescent at first, but smooths out nicely in the finish. Medium bodied. Easy to slug this one down.

Final Thoughts: I'm not sure what the original Porters tasted like, but this one seems like it would fit right in with those. It's sort of a back-to-basics example of the style but it does not disappoint. It's nicely robust with a lot of great flavors to back it up.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 03:44:53 | More by JamesMN

elNopalero

Texas

4.56/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

This pours a ruddy dark brown with thick foaming.

There’s an evident roast to the aroma with a hint of toffee and chocolate maltiness. Some sweet notes round it out.

Great up-front roasty flavor with a taste of coffee and a hint of toffee. A welcome warmer for the winter months—or any other time of the year!

Serving type: on-tap

05-25-2013 05:07:56 | More by elNopalero

Murphious

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

05-25-2013 02:51:05 | More by Murphious

vfalstad

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

05-25-2013 00:26:50 | More by vfalstad

cosmonick

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

05-25-2013 00:16:51 | More by cosmonick

bobbyr5

Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.1%

05-23-2013 18:26:40 | More by bobbyr5

ArfArf

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +22.4%

05-23-2013 06:41:01 | More by ArfArf

josephwa

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-22-2013 20:53:10 | More by josephwa

ackeeper

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-22-2013 02:03:17 | More by ackeeper

thedoubler55

New Jersey

3.89/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: Pours a very dark brown, almost black in color, with a nice finger of tan head at the top that goes away pretty quickly, a slight bit of lacing around the glass.

S: Slight hints of chocolate and coffee up front, with a hint of brown sugar as well, the malts are present.

T: Up front is a hint of espresso beans with a little bit of dark chocolate, some nice roasted malts throughout.

M: Medium bodied, a good amount of carbonation, a little sticky on the tail end.

O: I feel that this was a good porter, being from my favorite brewery Bell's I was expecting a lot more, but this wasnt bad at all. Bought this in a variety case from shangys in PA.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 18:23:50 | More by thedoubler55

mikeg67

New Jersey

3.89/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle. Pours dark brown with tall, short-lived, beige, creamy head. Aroma is of dark fruit, coffee, chocolate, toasted, nutty malt, bread crust, cacao. Body is full and smooth. Taste is herbal hops, roasted malt, coffee and cream, dark fruit and brown sugar. Finish is long and earthy. Wonderful Porter.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 18:40:41 | More by mikeg67

NJB145

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

05-19-2013 01:02:06 | More by NJB145

MatterOfOpinion

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +16%

05-18-2013 05:36:20 | More by MatterOfOpinion

Crimsonfloods

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-18-2013 04:31:11 | More by Crimsonfloods

Demarais20

North Dakota

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%

05-16-2013 07:59:41 | More by Demarais20

smartassboiler

Illinois

3/5  rDev -22.7%

05-15-2013 20:21:32 | More by smartassboiler

GinsuDave

Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.1%

05-15-2013 10:19:21 | More by GinsuDave

MSandahl23

Indiana

4/5  rDev +3.1%

05-15-2013 03:52:16 | More by MSandahl23

dlin0sbb

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

05-14-2013 23:20:48 | More by dlin0sbb

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-14-2013 21:12:14 | More by InspectorBob

wac9

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

well i like this beer pours great in glass , a little swett tasting but the way it rolls around in your mouth is very pleasent so enjoy great color great taste doesnt blow you away but there a taste in there that make you come back for more enloy this beer the one guy compares this beer to the heavy hitter of edmund and and founder this is not them but a very enjoy triple a beerdrink and enjoy

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 01:42:12 | More by wac9

Roman5150

Michigan

3.23/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

bottle into tulip

appearance: dark black, not pitch black though, not much head retention

smell: subtle coffee, biscuity bready malt, not too much aroma

taste: follows the nose, not a whole lot of flavor. slight coffee and roasted malt flavors, very minor dark chocolate but not really a whole lot going on here, pretty watery for a porter.

mouthfeel: decent amount of carbonation, very thin feel

overall: did a blind test with Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald and Founders Porter, this was my least favorite and the lightest of the bunch. A decent porter, but just lacking the flavor and chocolately kick I expect from a porter. One of my least favorite beers from Bells.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 02:56:17 | More by Roman5150

HarmonMW

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-12-2013 00:30:22 | More by HarmonMW

cornpone

New York

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%

05-11-2013 21:28:04 | More by cornpone

NYR_Rob

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-11-2013 02:18:34 | More by NYR_Rob