Mars (The Bringer Of War)
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

Mars (The Bringer Of War)Mars (The Bringer Of War)
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From:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #1,190
ABV:
10.1%
Score:
92
Ranked #5,711
Avg:
4.11 | pDev: 9.98%
Reviews:
217
Ratings:
1,428
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 17, 2022
Added:
Jun 28, 2014
Wants:
  133
Gots:
  287
Mars is the first beer release in the "Planet Series," inspired by the symphony written by composer Gustav Holst. Mars is a Double IPA with an intense hop profile and malty backbone. The hop flavor and aroma is complex, with notes of tropical fruit, pine, and citrus. A generous addition of Munich malt gives Mars it's toasty, deep malt character.

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet in the Solar System, after Mercury. Named after the Roman god of war, it is often described as the "Red Planet" because the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of Earth. The rotational period and seasonal cycles of Mars are likewise similar to those of Earth, as is the tilt that produces the seasons. Mars is the site of Olympus Mons, the second highest known mountain within the Solar System (the tallest on a planet), and of Valles Marineris, one of the largest canyons. The smooth Borealis basin in the northern hemisphere covers 40% of the planet and may be a giant impact feature. Mars has two known moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are small and irregularly shaped.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Thomas_Picton:
Photo of Thomas_Picton
Rated by Thomas_Picton from Florida

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

Sep 09, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of Peach63
Reviewed by Peach63 from New York

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Amber with a 1/2" light tan head, which lasts. Heavy glass clinging lacing.

Aroma of toffee, pine, caramel, lemon.

Tsate is very caramelly, toffee, pine. Resinous.

Medium body, light carbonation. Dry, resinous finish.

This is a very good Imp IPA.
Sep 17, 2022
 
Rated: 4.36 by Dougwillhike from New Jersey

Apr 17, 2022
Photo of CastleBravo
Reviewed by CastleBravo

4.75/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
A while ago someone asked on the forum what everyone's go-to IPA was. This is it. This is mine.

This is a delicious, malty beer that hits every note an IPA should. It's god a beautiful red color and after the pour (you really need to drink this from a glass) the head stays and stays and stays. Being a double IPA it has an excellent hoppy flavor and finish and there is even a hint of sweetness on the back end.

I could go on - bottom line is, if I see this at the store, I buy it. You should too.
Feb 25, 2022
Photo of mactrail
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington

2.61/5  rDev -36.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
This beer looks OK in the glass, with clear orange color and plenty of foam. The smell is citrus and something musty and even rubber in the nose. I am trying to figure out what exactly is so awful about the taste. It occured to me it tastes like chlorine, which I'm very familiar with from having to filter tap water (Denver, you don't know how good you have it). But also sugar cane, old oranges, boiled broccoli, and on the bright side, candied grapefruit peel.

On top of everything it's astoundingly bitter, more like aspirin than hops. I can't think what people find drinkable about this, unless it's another case of Total Wine buying cheap lots of badly stored beer and then aging them on their usual warm shelves. From the 12 oz bottle dated 10/19/2021, not long after their helpful "Shelf Life - 3 Months" note.
Feb 23, 2022
Photo of Whyteboar
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

4.34/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured transparent reddish copper color with ivory colored head that left copious lacing.
The aroma was piney and sharp with a handful of toasted caramel for balance.
Taste followed, no doubt this is an IPA. Piney hops and toasted caramel swirl and play a lively tune in my mouth. So tasty.
The feel is excellent, found it difficult to not slam this down, but knowing the ABV is just north of 10, I paced myself.
Really glad they remade this, it is a very good DIPA.
Feb 07, 2022
 
Rated: 4.1 by Boone757 from Virginia

Feb 03, 2022
Photo of chum_husk
Reviewed by chum_husk from Minnesota

4.26/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
12oz single bottle

Looks great, unfiltered and unusually red... lots of red berry flavor and scent from the hops, pretty complex taste and not at all what I expected... fitting name
Jan 29, 2022
 
Rated: 3.78 by sbradley41 from Pennsylvania

Jan 26, 2022
Photo of mntlover
Reviewed by mntlover from Tennessee

4.49/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a deep dark burnt amber color with a thumb sized off white head that falls to a ring leaves some nice lace.

Aroma is nice smooth big chewy malts loads of caramel dripping in hop resin big citrus, pine and alcohol notes all mingle together into good ole fashioned hoppy/chewy scrap the resin of your tounge 90s I2PA.

Taste goes with the nose big chewy caramel malts loaded with big hop resin from citrus rind and pine resin, all mingled with alcohol notes. This all blends together perfectly into a big enjoyable beer that's malty and hoppy.

Mouthfeel is big and chewy with smooth carbonation.

Overall a very enjoyable a nice big brew.
Jan 23, 2022
 
Rated: 3.42 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Jan 22, 2022
 
Rated: 3.92 by chris826 from Mississippi

Jan 17, 2022
Photo of Wasatch
Reviewed by Wasatch from Colorado

4.6/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12 oz. Bottle
PKG: 10/19/2021

Poured into a Tree House glass a very nice clean/clear dark golden copper color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice two-finger thick/creamy off-white head, which also leaves a very nice medium size island, with some very nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is hoppy, malty, with a very nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, grapefruit, mango, apricot), pretty nice sweetness, pretty nice pineyness. The taste is very nice, hoppy, malty, with a very nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, grapefruit, mango, apricot), pretty nice touch of sweetness, very nice pineyness. Full Body, ABV hidden very well, very drinkable for a brew this high in ABV, very chewy, with a nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, a very tasty brew. Big Beer for sure, but very drinkable.
Jan 16, 2022
 
Rated: 3.7 by cbuzz24 from Mississippi

Jan 15, 2022
Photo of Singlefinpin
Reviewed by Singlefinpin from North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Drinking this at one of my favorite tap rooms, Tapped Craft and Drafts in Greenville NC.
Poured from a tap into a pint glass.
Looks deep Amber with a nice offwhite foamy head that dropped quickly to a thin cap.
Smells lightly bready, citrusy orange grapefruit sweet piney, boozy.
Taste follows the nose nicely, but the booze aspect is a little too much for my personal taste.
Mouth feel is medium for the style.
Overall a very nice example of a Imperial IPA but a little too boozey for me.
Cheers!
Jan 13, 2022
 
Rated: 4.28 by MICAMD from Maryland

Jan 09, 2022
Photo of Khocolate
Rated by Khocolate from Tennessee

5/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
One of the best Double IPA on planet Earth.
Jan 08, 2022
Photo of ColoradoPhil
Reviewed by ColoradoPhil from Colorado

4.51/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
I think this beer is great! My favorite beer in my entire life is Pliny the Elder from the Russian River, I think/feel if I took a blind taste test I could not tell the difference. 4.5 is a low overall score as I do not think I am qualified to rate beer as an expert. I just know for me personally this beer is amazing. and it has 10% Alcohol kick. Rich and delicious. Worth the 2022 money I spent on it. Kudos!
Jan 05, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by avisong from Virginia

Jan 02, 2022
Photo of Mdog
Reviewed by Mdog from Minnesota

4.24/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Hazy amber, good head.

Smell: Fruity--cherries, citrus, some alcohol noted.

Taste: Big citrus bitterness, full bodied, balanced by some fruitiness and sweetness.

Overall: Nice old school double IPA. I didn't get to try it the first time around 7ish years ago, so it was nice to catch the re-release. Big bitterness, big citrus, big body. Good stuff.
Jan 01, 2022
Mars (The Bringer Of War) from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 1428 ratings