Bell's Best Brown - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

PDXHops

South Carolina

2.88/5  rDev -25%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle poured into a Duvel tulip. Body is decidedly not brown out in the light; deep amber is more accurate. Modest off-white head with a little lacing.

Smells good, muted caramel and toffee with a dusting of cocoa powder and background nuttiness. A bit of leafiness in the nose turns into a fairly powerful bitterness, which is out of style and somewhat at odds with the otherwise nutty and toasty flavor profile. As the bitterness subsides at the swallow, toasted malts and a touch of nuttiness return. Some cereal grains in there as well. Just a hint of chocolate.

Overall impression: Not bad at all, but loses points when reviewed as a true English brown ale. Definitely would have scored this higher as an American version, which honestly seems to be a better fit.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 20:03:35 | More by PDXHops

woosterbill

Connecticut

2.88/5  rDev -25%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle, packaged on 9/13/11, into a La Chouffe tulip. Thanks to vonschplieffen for tossing one of these my way. Is Bell's distributing to CT now? If so, I'm ecstatic.

A: Clear ruddy chestnut body under an inch of soft tan foam. Good retention and some spotty lace. I love the color.

S: WTF. This smells like pure, raw pumpkin. Not pumpkin pie, but the distinctively evocative aroma of carving a jack-o-lantern. There's some more standard caramel and herbal hops, too, but I just can't get past the pumpkin. I might appreciate it if it were supposed to be there, but as it is I'm kind of weirded out.

T: The gourd is pretty much (bot not entirely) gone, replaced by more generic nuttiness, chocolate, and plenty of grassy hop bitterness. It's a little on the weak side, but not terrible. Just a standard brown.

M: Light-to-medium body, highly carbonated. Pretty nice.

O: I'm just confused by this beer. Is it supposed to be a pumpkin ale? If so, then it's pretty good. As a straight brown ale, though, it's quite disappointing. I know Bell's can do better.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 22:21:40 | More by woosterbill

SometimesIfart

Michigan

2.85/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

A - Pours copperish brown with a two-finger white head. No lacing.

S - Raisins, roasted malt.

T - A wee-bit of coffee, raisins, roasted malt, a bit water.

M - Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O - Overall, it was exremely average. I could have it at the the bar, but probably wouldn't buy it for the home.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 06:01:15 | More by SometimesIfart

LiquidBread219

Indiana

2.83/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A= Poured dark brown with a slight head which disappears quickly.

S= For me this beer smelled a little bit on the nutty side.

T= The taste was nutty with little bit of a carmel aftertaste.

M= Pretty smooth beer, medium carbonation. To me this is kind of a boring beer.

D= It's a ok beer kind of boring to me because nothing really stands out to me or defines it probably wouldn't buy this one again.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 16:53:40 | More by LiquidBread219

srv33

2.83/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dark amber pour, light medium-fine frothy head. Little smell, a little bread a little nutty. Tastes much the same, very much a generally pleasing ale. I could see how this would be a crowd pleaser. No notable overarching notes on first taste that aren't uncommon for an ale. Great aftertaste though, a little vanilla and oddly a little melon, very smooth.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2012 04:23:34 | More by srv33

Cresant

Kentucky

2.8/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured this 12 oz. brown bottle into a becker. Batch 7681. The body was a hazy, honey brown color with three fingers of head. Some lacing remained.

Smell was aluminum. Other aromatic characteristics were faint. Eventually a brown sugar aroma surfaced.

Taste was toasty sweet malts. Lightly syrupy flavor. Light hops lift. Nice interplay of malts and hops (not all malts).

Mouthfeel was smooth, however, the swallow revealed robust carbonation. Medium to light body. This is not one I would seek out again, but brown ales are not one of my favorite styles.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2007 14:32:26 | More by Cresant

dpnelson1978

Minnesota

2.8/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

12 oz. bottle into glass pint.
40°F

$1.50 / ea.

A: Cloudy brown body swimming with particulate and topped with a big tan head that quickly dissipates leaving light foamy lacing and a thin bubbly cover.

S: Unmistakable roasted character dominates the aroma, with distinct nut and sweet malt accents. Hops are negligible. Simple but effective.

T: Sweet nutty malt front and center with a mild hop bitterness in the distant background. Slight bitterness remains on the tongue after the taste. Borders on too sweet. Bandaid flavors at the very end, likely from the yeast sediment that made its way into the bottle. Again, very simple profile, but still enjoyable.

M: Light to medium body and moderate carbonation. Sweet malt has a tendency to coat the tongue giving a sense of smoothness that is a little overbearing.

D: Solid beer, but too sweet for my taste. A couple of these is more than enough, but would compliment a pork chop nicely.

O: A bit below my expectations for Bell's.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2010 03:51:21 | More by dpnelson1978

umustdrink

Minnesota

2.68/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

found in the back of the fridge (should have left it there?)

A - Deep brown color. Very light brown head, big and fluffy to start, recedes to a thick film. Little lacing.

S - Mild smells of brown sugar, cereal malts with minimal bitterness.

T - Very mild tastes as well: light and tangy malts with a tiny bit of sweetness.

M - Thin to medium consistency with probably too much carbonation considering it may be a bit too thin in consistency.

D - Completely un-stellar in most concerns. Not your typical Bell's. Oh well.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2008 01:28:51 | More by umustdrink

vfgccp

New York

2.65/5  rDev -31%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A – Gave this bottle a few days to rest upright in the fridge, and still poured with some chunky sediment. Otherwise the ice-tea brown body was clear, building a low white head.

S – Thin aroma. Brown sugar, and light oak is pretty much all I could get.

T – Disappointingly thin flavor as well. Has a wart character too it, with brown bread and honey. But even that is light.

M – Light and watery mouthfeel. Mildly sweet finish.

O – Almost tastes like too much water was used in the sparge.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 22:13:34 | More by vfgccp

quasimoto

Ohio

2.63/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A - Light Brown/copper color, w/ a big fluffy head.

S - Strong sour paper and some kind of muddy hop.

T - Muddy chocolatestarts off, but then melds into a chocolate toasty flavor. Too much hops.

M - Smooth all around, Some carbination bite, but easy on the palatte.

D - Not something I would drink all night. Also A bit off for the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2006 13:22:54 | More by quasimoto

biglite351

Pennsylvania

2.55/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - light for a brown. Tall tight near white head.

S - very mild. Almost like a sweet lager.

T - when I drink this it make me think of a very light bock. The flavor drops off fast.

M - not thin but no real coating either. Tingle on entire front of tongue.

D - very drinkable like any (seemingly) light beer would be, but why bother?

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2010 00:37:27 | More by biglite351

benmiliron

Ohio

2.53/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Beautiful color, deep deep reddish brown.

Taste is surprisingly unpleasant, especially for Bell's. Kind of earthy (like dirt) with a hint of aluminum. I hate to bash this beer's taste, being a huge fan of Bell's, but I really didn't care too much for this beer. This is the first Bell's I've not enjoyed :( sniff.. sniff... Lots of foamy carbonation. There's a hint of oak or maple in there too.

If you're looking for Bell's, buy the Expedition Stout instead.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2003 19:27:31 | More by benmiliron

jdubjacket

Georgia

2.4/5  rDev -37.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Got as an extra in a trade with limesmut.

I must say that of all the Bell's brews I've had, this is by far the biggest disappointment.

Pours a light brown with pretty much no head and minimal lacing. Smell was almost non-existent. Couldn't pick anything out of the nose. Taste was very disappointing. Very watered down with no real flavor. Nothing really jumped out at me here unfortunately. Very watered down mouthfeel. Drinkability is average since this beer is pretty unspectacular.

Very disappointed with this beer, especially since it's from Bell's.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2008 02:18:12 | More by jdubjacket

Crosling

Colorado

2.38/5  rDev -38%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Bottle purchased at the old brewery about 2 weeks ago. Bright copper color, with a small head. Very apparent oxidation in the nose; lots of sherry and wet cardboard, with light malts, honey....etc...but not much besides oxidation. Oxidation is less present in the flavor, thankfully, which I usually tend to experience in my tasting. Honey and dark malt flavors. The oxidation ruined the beer. I wouldn’t rate it, except that I purchased it the brewery a week or so ago.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2006 03:31:36 | More by Crosling

rkinsella

Minnesota

2.3/5  rDev -40.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Poured into a nonic glass, looks great...dark tea colored with a bit of a haze, off white head with good retention and average lacing.

On the nose, alcohol whiff right away, toasty bread with a bit of spiciness. Smells like a boozy home brew...sadly enough.

Taste starts with bread like flavors dipped in alcohol, moves to a slight tanginess before the subtle hop finish.
Missing all the wonderful flavors that can emerge from a brown ale...i.e. nuttiness, fruity and brown sugar notes.

Medium carbonation, medium to heavier body.

Too boozy tasting to be a session brown...almost has a winter warmer feel to it.

Not what I look for in a brown ale. Better domestic offerings from Goose Island, Avery, Sam Adams, etc.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2010 19:33:02 | More by rkinsella

bobhits

Kentucky

2.08/5  rDev -45.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Brown, thin, filtered, 1 finger head, white off white creamy head.

Toasty aroma followed by caramel malt. Some hops mixed in. Creates a rather complex and interesting aroma.

Somewhat thin, watery, toasted malt up front, finishing carmal, hops give an earthy piny touch that's just enough there to add some almost texture to the beer.

Drinkable enough and clean enough in the mouth feel, but both are just off. It's a touch too thick in mouth feel for the flavor. The flavor is pretty light and ready to a day of drinking but the body isn't. it's not something I'd drink 4-5 of in a night. Just too thick and not flavorful enough to have me keep tipping my glass.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 10:09:46 | More by bobhits