This One Goes To 11 Ale - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

webmanspidey

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a snifter. Bell's describes this as an "Imperial Red" ale, and the appearance is as you'd expect: a bright amber. The smell is extremely heavy on hops, piney and bitter. Taste is a crisp, bitter, hop flavor followed by a stinging bite of alcohol. There are some bready caramel malts mixed in, but I think this one is mostly dominated by the hops. The alcohol is a little too up front for me, but otherwise it is pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 00:28:54 | More by webmanspidey

Ryan011235

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into an Allagash glass on 10/8/12

The color is a deep copper and rust color with just a touch of haze. It almost looks crimson if the light hits it in a particular way. Though reluctant, I managed to get a near three finger head out of it. The head thins in a moderate order, leaving stuccoed lace webs.

A full malt aroma of caramel and bread wastes no time pushing forth a barrage of hops. Sticky pine, grapefruit pith, orange zest and lemon. Floral overtones. After a few moments, the malts shift to more of a cracker / biscuit combo. The hop profile seems aggressive, even here.

Whoo... This is massively bitter, scathingly bitter. Pine and grapefruit dominate the flavor aspect of the hops as the bitterness is driven home with something of a near-industrial solvency. It never becomes medicinally bitter, but it sure does push the limit. The malts are there, and are supportive, but they don't much cut through the mix.

Full, sticky, resinous and oily. This is one seriously bombastic mouthfeel. It's grit and teeth are comparable to the hop profile in terms of ferocity. It ain't the carbonation, though; it's set just under the razor sharp bitterness.

I reckon this beer has accomplished what is was meant to; that is, be an unabashed assault on the beer-tingly senses. To that end, it's a success, and much more so than many shock and awe beers that crop up from time to time. I like it, but I wouldn't want to drink a whole lot of it.

Perhaps I've being lenient with this beer; as MbpBugeye said, this is right in my wheelhouse.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 00:04:06 | More by Ryan011235

herman77

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Deep amber, rusty orange that seems clear, but is a bit hazy. Small off withe head that diminishes to a light cap and collar. Lacing is spotty.

S: Very rich and sweet honey like aroma at first. Almost candy like. Lots of piney, grapefruit and floral hops as well. A bit of lingering alcohol as well. You can tell this is a powerful, strong beer.

T: Your hit with a large amount of malt at first. Its got a bit of everything: toasted malt sweetness, biscuits, rich camel and toffee. Then the hops take over. Lots of pine and grapefruit, a bit resinous as well. Floral and some tropical fruits (pineapple) can be found as well. picking up some molasses and dark fruits as well throughout. Warming alcohol in the finish, though its not that strong at all.

M: Fuller body, softer carbonation. Feels smooth and fairly thick. Nice

O: It has fairly good drinkability since the ABV is hidden pretty well even though you get some heat in the finish. Malty, hoppy goodness here. I can see why there are some mixed reviews, but it all comes down to what you like and I really like this beer. Now the question comes, do I age one out of the three I got...?

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 00:01:13 | More by herman77

smakawhat

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a large snifter glass.

A really nicet orb and somewhat cloudy glowing reddish orange body, right like a sunset. Head is off white to very light tan, with very tiny bubbles and lots of creamy character. Speckled lacing hits the glass.

Nose is hop dominant. Dry pine and resin, faint malt backbone and sweetness, no heat. Pretty impressive but nothing mindbending. Some dankness and hints of earth and soil come out later, even some pickle juice.

Palate is all hops. Big dry hop angle with an almost wet backbone. Malt sweetness angle is completely shattered and trampled by a giant viscous and oily pine flavor. No warming heat, for 11 percent which is pretty impressive. However, the beer is trampled by this hop profile with no sense of malt backbone to carry it. A somewhat creamy body but also a little flat.

Overall it's drinkable, and a classic hop bomb, but it's rather one dimensional and I am not really drawn to this at all. It feels like a big one trick pony, but it will keep the hop junkies happy.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 23:00:34 | More by smakawhat

divineaudio

Michigan

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bells tulip.

a - pours a deep copper color, almost red, and slightly hazy. gave me a pinky of sudsy, tan foam that slowly calmed to a thin film. leaves rings of lacing in the glass.

s - grapefruit, tangerine, mango, grassy, biscuity. slightly boozy. reminds me of hopslam a little bit.

t - biscuity malt with faint toffee notes. lots of fruitiness here, grapefruit, tangerine, and something darker like plum. pine resin bitterness on the back of the tongue that hangs for a bit. finishes dry and boozy. alcohol taste becomes much more pronounced as it warms up.

m - medium body i guess, but lighter than i was expecting. adequate carbonation, medium co2 profile. significant alcohol warming going on.

o - a fine beer but a little hot, definitely needs some time to calm down. solid all around but nothing about it really blew me away. curious to see what a few months does to this.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 21:46:14 | More by divineaudio

stakem

Pennsylvania

2.85/5  rDev -31.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle into a pub glass. The brew appears a clear dark copper to mahogany color with a finger of tan head that dissolves slowly leaving some webby strings of lacing effect sticking to the glass. A light swirl revives the cap back to the surface and a few bubbles rise to support. Overall, a very attractive looking brew with impressive head retention for it's strength.

The aroma of this brew is pretty fruity and floral from a combination of the hops as well as a mild hint of perfume-like alcohol that is mildly fusel/solvent. The malt presents itself with a bit of accenting sweetness that is nearly candy-like at times. As it warms up, it has a bit of rindy element to it somewhat reminiscent of pulp or zest of grapefruits.

The taste provides enough herbal bitterness to keep the overall package balanced. It is mildly catty with herbs, grass and pine. Whereas the aroma was more fruity and floral, the taste is more earthen, grassy and catty. The malt inclusion is mildly toasty with a hint of biscuit quality before the focus draws back into more of the hop bitterness and solvent alcohol. As the brew warms up, it seems like all other beer-related characteristics dissolve and all that is left is this solvent, neutral spirit-like alcohol that is reminiscent of low quality vodka.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. My initial impression/feeling was that this was similar to a big brother to nugget nectar. As the experience continued, it really fell apart and became nothing but a solvent/fusel alcohol mess with not enough malt backing and a hoppiness that seemingly provides bitterness but not much flavor beside the aftertaste. I am glad I got a chance to try this but not interesting in having it again... ever. I am surprised by how high the previous reviews are. This was a rare miss by Bells especially for a landmark/milestone batch number.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 02:03:50 | More by stakem

WesM63

Ohio

4.78/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a tulip.

A: Pours a dark amber/copper with a 1finger head. Minimal retention with some noticeable lacing.

S: Smells of malty sweetness with a tiny bit of floral hop presence. I also get a moderate amounts of pine/resin. Leaves a little bit to be desired on the nose, a bit faint IMO.

T: Smooth and complex. Tons of malt sweetness balanced out by the citrus packed hops. (mango/grapefruit)

M: Medium body and carbonation. Silky smooth with a tiny bit of heat at the end.

O: Damn, this one knocked my socks off. I had high expectations, but after reading the bottle i was expecting a hop/malt bitterness bomb (see Nugget Nectar or Nosferatu). However, that is not the case at all. It's bitter, it's sweet, is floral and citrus-y, is super smooth,complex and deep. Extremely well crafted and highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 23:50:03 | More by WesM63

CaptCleveland

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottled dated 09/19/2012 poured into Hoppin' Frog tulip.

Clear, dark orange elixir, one finger off-white head quickly dissipates. Plenty of lacing coats the glass.

Wonderful aroma of mango, cherries, vanilla.

Starts with sweet malt then smooth hops with a caramel stickiness. Alcohol comes through at the end.

Medium body, a bit under carbonated, resinous.

The aromas really came out when the brew was allowed to warm, but the alcohol was then more noticeable. A decent brew but a bit over the top for an Imperial Red, hence the label.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 22:50:48 | More by CaptCleveland

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

4.08/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Lost Abbey Teku. Pours a beautiful deep reddish amber with a nice rocky white head that dissipates quickly but leaves some nice lacing on the glass. The nose is like that of an American Barleywine. I get sweet malt (lots of it), a generous dose of pine-like American hops, and a nice faint scent of alcohol.

The beer has a full body and a velvety feel. The taste follows the nose. I get sweet flavors of toffee-like malt and over-ripe fruit coating my mouth. The hops are very well-balanced with the malt and start to arrive around mid-palate. You wouldn't think of this beer as hoppy, even though it can seem quite bitter in the back of the mouth. The bitterness is primarily resiny and piney with just a little grapefruit. The balance is so well-done, it is effortless to drink. There's a substantial hit of booziness in the back of the mouth and it lingers nicely on the finish along with the hops. There are some dark fruit notes like plums and raisins that linger a bit on the finish as well.

This beer drinks like a very nice old ale or barleywine. I was only able to get one bottle of this. I really would have liked to have tried it more than once. There's a lot there that I don't think I picked up on in only one tasting. I really enjoyed this beer and would pick it up again if given the opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 09:39:22 | More by deadonhisfeet

cfrances33

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into a Bell's tulip.

Pour: A mostly clear deep amber with two fingers of off white head, with some clay hues mixed in. It looks nice.

Smell: Some orange and mango, with a substantial caramel mixed in. This beer will be very balanced before I've even had a sip. I suppose I'm okay with that.

Taste: This. I gave this a 4 at first, and halfway through, I couldn't agree with it. Call it a 4.25. Huge pineapple (really) with some oranges and mango mixed in. A VERY substantial malt backbone checks in, and prevents any bitterness to be honest.

Mouthfeel: I don't believe this is 11%. I truly don't. This drinks like Surly Furious throughout the entire glass, with some concessions made for intensity in flavor. Great.

Overall: Dammit, when I had this on tap in a janky 4oz pour at Bell's Eccentric Cafe, it wasn't good. But through a whole bottle this beer is very good. I'm glad I gave it another shot.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 00:35:21 | More by cfrances33

nrbw23

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a rich dark red color with a nice off white head. Head has pretty solid retention and leaves some nice spotty lacing.

S- A great amount of hops. Picking up darker fruits, tons of pine and grapefruit. Pretty much no malts.

T- Pretty big hop bomb. Pine is every where and a good amount of grapefruit. Great amount of bitterness here. Not really finding any malts here at all.

M- Medium in body and carbonation seemed a bit light.

O- Very solid brew for sure. I really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 21:20:26 | More by nrbw23

tectactoe

Michigan

4.21/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a deep amber color with lots of red tones mixed in. Creamy, off-white head that leaves just a little bit of lacing along the glass. Smells are heavy on the citrus, mainly orange and pineapple. Right next to the citrus is a huge dose of hops. Very pine-filled and weedy, what you'd expect in any imperial red. The taste hits big with the pine tree, hop bitterness up front and through the middle, getting stronger as the beer gets warmer. It's balanced so well with the sweetness from the citrus flavors - the most noticeable being orange, but pineapple, grape, and melons are also relevant. The taste it truly fantastic - the perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness and incredibly easy to drink for being 11% ABV. Mouth is medium with a nice amount of carbonation.

Awesome beer, here. A great imperial red with a nearly perfect balance of fruity sweetness and hoppy bitterness. It's kind of sad knowing this beer most likely won't be produced again!

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 20:43:50 | More by tectactoe

emerge077

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Deep reddish amber pour into a Bells tulip, creamy offwhite foam that leaves a drippy crowning halo of lacing behind. Lasting retention, slight haze, saturated color.

Tropical aroma, cantaloupe and melon, fruity and hoppy.

Big and smooth, slightly sweet with a building bitter finish. Dank and hoppy, intense as advertised. Slight taste of alcohol, but not too distracting... it's 11% after all. Drinks like a smooth double IPA. Candied fruit sweetness, balanced by a burly malt character and a dry bitterness coupled with some drying alcohol. Overall pretty smooth, though not craving another. It reminds me of some Alpine beers, so West Coast-style indeed.

Thanks for this one Eric!

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 01:43:25 | More by emerge077

33nickadams

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Transparent ruby-amber color with a half finger head. Lightly carbonated with some stickiness of the lacing on the sides of the snifter. Smells citrusy, slightly piney, some caramel and alcohol. Tastes citrusy and surprisingly dry for such high alcohol content. Some pininess at the back end and somewhat well balanced with sweetness from the malt. Alcohol is dangerously hidden well. Mouthfeel is full, and as I said before, dry and well attenuated. Overall, I enjoyed this one. I would have liked a little more complexity from the malt, as the hops from this one really make its mark. I'm looking forward to comparing it to my imperial red ale, which is getting dry-hopped right now. Somehow, I don't think it will compare to this one.

Edit: Had another one last night and found the nose to be very alcoholic which turned me off a little. Just editing here because I did not seem to notice it in my original review.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 01:13:52 | More by 33nickadams

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.48/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle, packaged on 9/13/12. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours a clear reddish/amber color with about an inch light tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. The aroma is very nice, it smells like citrusy hops (mango, tropical fruit), toasted and caramel malt, pine hops, oranges, and a bit of cherry. Taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like caramel and toasted malt, citrusy hops (pineapple, mango, tropical fruit), candied oranges, pine hops, and some toffee. It's sweeter tasting than I thought it would be, I was expecting a little more hoppiness but that's not a complaint at all! Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's creamy and smooth with moderate carbonation. The 11% ABV is well hidden, it's very easy to drink for a beer this strong. I liked this brew a lot, I figure the rest of my 6 pack won't last too much longer. $17.99 a sixer.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 21:00:32 | More by bluejacket74

4thelvofbeer

Virginia

4.65/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a six pack of this at my local store....it was $20 a six, so I was hesitant at first, but it payed off....it was worth it. Pours a clear coppery-amber with a minimal head. Tastes was so deep and nice, rich fruits with some nice heat from the alcohol. I really enjoyed this beer...it is not at all harsh as some strong ales are. This one is right on....don't be afraid of the price!!!

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 19:15:31 | More by 4thelvofbeer

Powderhornphil

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Couple fingers of head from an aggresive pour. This
Pours a clear amber red.

Smells of mango, caramel and a little pine.

A blend a fruity hoppiness followed by a caramelly sweet back bone. Almost woody at points. Where did they hide the alcohol?

The mouthfeel on this 11% monster is just great. It is full but not as heavy as some of these 10-plus percent dipa and imperials can get. Thank you, Bells for that.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 00:45:54 | More by Powderhornphil

SometimesIfart

Michigan

4.98/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Pours an extremely dark amber with no head. Leaves trace lacing.

S - Resiny hops, cherries, pine, slight grapefruit, and almost no malt.

T - Strong hop resin up front, followed by heavy amounts of pine and grapefruit. Almost no malt presence at all. Wonderful.

M - Light bodied with almost no carbonation. Very Creamy in the mouth

O - Overall I'm glad I got to try this beer. It's absolutely wonderful for 11% and everything you could ever want in a beer

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 22:59:02 | More by SometimesIfart

srv33

4.33/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep amber, with a medium-bubble head. Scent of fragrant, floral hops, cherries, pine, grapefruit, and a touch of honey. Taste is much the same, wonderful rich citrus flavor complimented by a dark fruit component, and biscuit. I can't believe its 11%, it absolutely doesn't taste like it, its quite smooth, and the mouthfeel is almost buttery. Another homerun from Bells, well balanced, and packed with flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 22:51:05 | More by srv33

chanokokoro

Illinois

4.73/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle aggressively poured into a Bell's short stemmed tulip glass

Pours a ruby amber with a two finger cream colored fluffy head. Excellent retention significant splotchy lacing as the head slowly recedes.The tempting aroma of citrus and juicy ripe fruit balanced by biscuity malt greets the nose. Opens with ripe fruit including Rainier cherries and rich passionfruit joined by pineapple, balanced midpalate by biscuity and bready slightly sweet caramel malt yet finishes dry with a fairly bitter grapefruit rind bite. Heavy medium-bodied to full bodied thanks to the abundant malt bill. Well carbonated and smooth and silky mouthfeel with a touch of creaminess; very little alcohol heat despite the 11% abv. Bell's has truly created an exceptionally balanced masterpiece with batch 11.000--named as an homage to one of the more memorable scenes in Spinal Tap. This one is certainly an "11" on a scale of 1 to 10. One of the most complex new brews I've had this year.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 03:11:53 | More by chanokokoro

yamar68

Minnesota

4.23/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

It's releases like these that make me truly appreciate my go-to bottle shop.

Pours a clear amber gold with a finger of boozy looking off-white head. Tremendous lacing and legs.

Caramely mango goodness... some banana and syrupy brown malts. Smooth citrus, even some oats. No obvious alcohol character.

More mango and pineapple, smooth caramel beneath that to keep things interesting and balanced. Imperial Surly Furious? I can see the resemblance. The alcohol is just short of hot. Seems appropriate actually. Dense tropical/citrus that plays well against a darker malt character.

Very well executed beer. Make it year round and consider me tickled pink.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 02:40:54 | More by yamar68

bsp77

Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Imperial Pint.

Appearance: Rich amber with thin off-white head.

Smell: Caramel, toffee, orange, pine and alcohol.

Taste: Sweet, toasted caramel and toffee malt core. Nice onslaught of orange, pine and tropical notes from the hops. Not really very bitter, just hoppy and a little spicy.

Feel: Full, smooth and chewy body. Moderately low carbonation. Quite warming.

Overall: Falling somewhere between a Barleywine and an Imperial Red Ale, this is a delicious, full flavored treat. This was a nice surprise, as I did know about this beer until it appeared at my local store.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 01:05:18 | More by bsp77

BB1313

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Batch #11000. Bottled on 9/13/12. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours a transparent burnt orange. Fluffy white head fades pretty quickly, but leaves great lacing and retention. The aromas are very pleasant. It has a touch of that "garlic & onion" aroma, which can be polarizing, but I love it. There's also a nice amount of mango, pineapple and orange zest in the nose blended with a touch of caramel malts. The flavors are very nice and have alot going on. Very sweet. Very tropical with a subtle amount of pine resin. Of all the hops used, Simcoe seems to shine the most. The Citra and Galaxy hops make their mark as well. The caramel malts definitely play a big role in cutting down on the aggressive bitterness. It's a pretty sweet beer, but far from cloying. The mouthfeel is wonderful. It's full-bodied, very thick, slick, fluffy and creamy, with the right amount of active carbonation. There's a minor touch of heat, but it's basically non-existent. At 11% abv, this is dangerously drinkable and extremely smooth.

Balance is the key with this one. There's a great balance between the hops and malts. It's a great Imperial Red Ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 23:05:41 | More by BB1313

aasher

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is an imperial amber to commemorate Bell's 11,000th batch with the name being a reference to the movie Spinal Tap.

This One Goes to 11 pours a medium bodied bright bronze in color with a slightly soapy, one finger head that quickly reduced to a lacing around the glass. Good looking imperial amber. The nose is big and complex. There is plenty of sweet malt, some cherry, a slight oakiness, some onion (Warrior hops?), and a touch of alcohol. The flavors too, big and malty. It drinks an off dry, featuring a nice balance of sweeter malt, high alcohol, and a lot of hopping. It's near barleywine territory. The flavors are sweet and slightly fruity, again with the sweet cherry character. As you continue to drink the hoppiness increases and the alcohol presence lessens, increasingly drinkability. Overall I thought this was a really nice imperial amber. I didn't expect it to have this much hop character so it was a nice surprise. Grab it while you can. If it's anything like the rest of the "Thousand Batch Series" this won't be on shelves for long. I especially love the Spinal Tap reference!

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 22:56:50 | More by aasher