Bell's Porter | Bell's Brewery, Inc.
Brewed by:
Bell's Brewery, Inc.
Michigan, United States
bellsbeer.com
Style: American Porter
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.60%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
One of our many award-winning beers, Porter emphasizes the darker, roasted aspects of malt. Hints of dark chocolate and freshly roasted coffee provide the focus, while hops remain in the background. Not as full-bodied as a stout, Porter bridges the gap between malty brown ales and our more heavily roasted stouts.
Added by Mitchster on 02-06-2002
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Reviews: 1,043 | Ratings: 2,814
4.12/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Bell's Porter 12oz poured into nonic pint. Pours very dark with small head. Aroma of smokey chocolate, malt, coffee and hops. Smooth mouthfeel, Balanced flavor of malt, hops, cocoa and coffee with a touch of smoke. Exceptionally easy to drink porter, up there and comparable to GLEFP in flavor and mouthfeel.
★ 308 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Bell's Porter 12oz poured into nonic pint. Pours very dark with small head. Aroma of smokey chocolate, malt, coffee and hops. Smooth mouthfeel, Balanced flavor of malt, hops, cocoa and coffee with a touch of smoke. Exceptionally easy to drink porter, up there and comparable to GLEFP in flavor and mouthfeel.
★ 308 characters
3.99/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Packaged 1/29/15.
Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy swaths of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, toasted sesame seed, earth, char, and cocoa powder aromas. Taste is much the same with cocoa powder, char, earth, and slight burnt toast flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of roast bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that has a nice balance of roast, char, and cocoa characteristics all around.
Serving type: bottle.
★ 687 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Packaged 1/29/15.
Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy swaths of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, toasted sesame seed, earth, char, and cocoa powder aromas. Taste is much the same with cocoa powder, char, earth, and slight burnt toast flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of roast bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that has a nice balance of roast, char, and cocoa characteristics all around.
Serving type: bottle.
★ 687 characters
2.6/5 rDev -33%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Pours a dark brown/black with a thick firm light yellow/tan head.
Nose is assertive milked, semi-sweet coffee, roasted grain and rich sweet dark chocolate - very nice nose.
Mouthfeel is thin and watery and with no body.
Flavors are thin bitter grapefruit and thin bitter espresso but with a citrus character and acidity that detracts. Thin all around.
★ 357 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Pours a dark brown/black with a thick firm light yellow/tan head.
Nose is assertive milked, semi-sweet coffee, roasted grain and rich sweet dark chocolate - very nice nose.
Mouthfeel is thin and watery and with no body.
Flavors are thin bitter grapefruit and thin bitter espresso but with a citrus character and acidity that detracts. Thin all around.
★ 357 characters
3.83/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A tasty brew, as much in the brown ale range as a porter for me, lighter in color with some Indian red shades and raisin looking brown at the core, no darker. Head is fizzy and quite dark as well. Chocolate malt is there in the nose, and with what seems like some English malt, maris otter and medium crystal perhaps. Some bready yeast there too, which I always like in these styles for depth, but I was let down a bit to not have it transfer do well from the nose to the flavor, it's not really there. Nice nutty and toasty qualities the in flavor, I dig nutty in porter with the darker grain. Cocoa and almond notes late. Smooth in feel, medium in body, light in residuals, and quite actively car boned, definitely above the style norm, really pops on the palate. Everyone always raves about the whacky stuff bells does, but I for one am a fan of their most basic styles, this one included. It's a little something different as they go, and it's wide availability makes it easy to locate with a little effort. I enjoyed this thoroughly!
★ 1,038 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A tasty brew, as much in the brown ale range as a porter for me, lighter in color with some Indian red shades and raisin looking brown at the core, no darker. Head is fizzy and quite dark as well. Chocolate malt is there in the nose, and with what seems like some English malt, maris otter and medium crystal perhaps. Some bready yeast there too, which I always like in these styles for depth, but I was let down a bit to not have it transfer do well from the nose to the flavor, it's not really there. Nice nutty and toasty qualities the in flavor, I dig nutty in porter with the darker grain. Cocoa and almond notes late. Smooth in feel, medium in body, light in residuals, and quite actively car boned, definitely above the style norm, really pops on the palate. Everyone always raves about the whacky stuff bells does, but I for one am a fan of their most basic styles, this one included. It's a little something different as they go, and it's wide availability makes it easy to locate with a little effort. I enjoyed this thoroughly!
★ 1,038 characters
3.91/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This porter pours out with a nice black color, the head was thin and a light shade of brown. The smell of the beer was of roasted malts and some old wood. The taste was interesting, had a flavor in the aftertaste that I can't really describe. Other than that it was chocolatey and earthy. The mouthfeel was smooth and had a lighter body to it. Overall it's a really nice simle porter.
★ 384 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This porter pours out with a nice black color, the head was thin and a light shade of brown. The smell of the beer was of roasted malts and some old wood. The taste was interesting, had a flavor in the aftertaste that I can't really describe. Other than that it was chocolatey and earthy. The mouthfeel was smooth and had a lighter body to it. Overall it's a really nice simle porter.
★ 384 characters
4/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: The beer is close to near black in color. It poured with a half finger high beige head that has good retention properties and never completely faded away.
S: There are aromas of roasted malts in the nose along with some notes of coffee.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell and is quite complex with flavors of roasted malts, notes of chocolate and hints of cocoa and coffee. The finish has some bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is very easy to drink and goes down smoothly.
★ 568 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: The beer is close to near black in color. It poured with a half finger high beige head that has good retention properties and never completely faded away.
S: There are aromas of roasted malts in the nose along with some notes of coffee.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell and is quite complex with flavors of roasted malts, notes of chocolate and hints of cocoa and coffee. The finish has some bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is very easy to drink and goes down smoothly.
★ 568 characters
3.88/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The 'tap' version of the beer offers a better experience than from the bottle. The beer is typically colored with a deep walnut hue and nearly opaque. Well headed and modestly carbonated gives visual weight and stability to the brew. Faint aromas of coffee, chocolate, toasted malts, and heavy cream. The flavors of malt sweetness pronounce early, but are quickly tempered by bold columbian coffee notes and acidity, fresh bitter hops, walnuts, cocoa, and milk sugars. Creamy textured and silky smooth, not relying on carbonation to lighten the feel. Finishes with a simple coffee and milk aftertaste that lingers into a slight bitterness. As nicely flavored as I had remembered, but better bodied from the tap.
★ 711 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The 'tap' version of the beer offers a better experience than from the bottle. The beer is typically colored with a deep walnut hue and nearly opaque. Well headed and modestly carbonated gives visual weight and stability to the brew. Faint aromas of coffee, chocolate, toasted malts, and heavy cream. The flavors of malt sweetness pronounce early, but are quickly tempered by bold columbian coffee notes and acidity, fresh bitter hops, walnuts, cocoa, and milk sugars. Creamy textured and silky smooth, not relying on carbonation to lighten the feel. Finishes with a simple coffee and milk aftertaste that lingers into a slight bitterness. As nicely flavored as I had remembered, but better bodied from the tap.
★ 711 characters
4/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a dark chocolate brown with a beige head that displays good retention and some shards of lace
Smell: Alternating wafts of dark bread, chocolate and roast
Taste: Starts out with a bread and chocolate flavor that grows increasingly chocolatey by mid-palate; after the swallow, the chocolate is joined by hints of coffee bitterness through to the finish; some vanilla sweetness in there, too, but the aftertaste is rather roasty
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation
Drinkability: A nice middle of the road porter, with good chocolate flavor and a commendable balance of sweet and roasty flavors
★ 625 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a dark chocolate brown with a beige head that displays good retention and some shards of lace
Smell: Alternating wafts of dark bread, chocolate and roast
Taste: Starts out with a bread and chocolate flavor that grows increasingly chocolatey by mid-palate; after the swallow, the chocolate is joined by hints of coffee bitterness through to the finish; some vanilla sweetness in there, too, but the aftertaste is rather roasty
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation
Drinkability: A nice middle of the road porter, with good chocolate flavor and a commendable balance of sweet and roasty flavors
★ 625 characters
3.23/5 rDev -16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottle courtesy of Hogtownharry: Poured a pitch black porter with a medium foamy head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of roasted malt with some very subtle coffee notes is interesting but a bit weak. Taste is a mix between bitter roasted malt with some subtle sweet chocolate note. Body is a bit thin IMHO. Definitely not the best offer from this otherwise fine brewer.
★ 375 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottle courtesy of Hogtownharry: Poured a pitch black porter with a medium foamy head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of roasted malt with some very subtle coffee notes is interesting but a bit weak. Taste is a mix between bitter roasted malt with some subtle sweet chocolate note. Body is a bit thin IMHO. Definitely not the best offer from this otherwise fine brewer.
★ 375 characters
4.13/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A timeless classic, and staple of any Midwest beer bar worth their salt.
Sooty black with mahogany edges. Several fingers width of tan foam with a vigorous pour, that slowly recede and coat the glass with intricate lacing. Retention is great, the foam remains unbroken the entire time.
Roasty black patent malt, coffee notes, and a mild bready malt sweetness.
Supple feel, signature roast with coffee and bakers chocolate notes. Little to no bitterness, creamy and smooth body with mellow carbonation. Lingering flavor of dry roast in the aftertaste. Extremely drinkable, flavorful and well-rounded. Many so-called extreme beers pale in comparison to this classic Porter.
★ 676 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A timeless classic, and staple of any Midwest beer bar worth their salt.
Sooty black with mahogany edges. Several fingers width of tan foam with a vigorous pour, that slowly recede and coat the glass with intricate lacing. Retention is great, the foam remains unbroken the entire time.
Roasty black patent malt, coffee notes, and a mild bready malt sweetness.
Supple feel, signature roast with coffee and bakers chocolate notes. Little to no bitterness, creamy and smooth body with mellow carbonation. Lingering flavor of dry roast in the aftertaste. Extremely drinkable, flavorful and well-rounded. Many so-called extreme beers pale in comparison to this classic Porter.
★ 676 characters
4/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Poured out an opaque, dark brown color with a small, foamy, caramel-colored head. It left small thin traces of lace.
S - It smelled of roasted malt, dark chocolate, dried fruit (cherry), and toffee. Also, some light floral notes.
T - This is a nicely balanced porter with a bittersweet blend of hops and caramel roasted maltiness. Some chocolate flavors add to the complexity of this beer.
M - It was soft and smooth. A medium-bodied beer.
D - This is a very nice porter. Yet another fine offering from Bell's.
★ 518 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Poured out an opaque, dark brown color with a small, foamy, caramel-colored head. It left small thin traces of lace.
S - It smelled of roasted malt, dark chocolate, dried fruit (cherry), and toffee. Also, some light floral notes.
T - This is a nicely balanced porter with a bittersweet blend of hops and caramel roasted maltiness. Some chocolate flavors add to the complexity of this beer.
M - It was soft and smooth. A medium-bodied beer.
D - This is a very nice porter. Yet another fine offering from Bell's.
★ 518 characters
3.83/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
G: Poured into a Bell's pint glass. Batch # 8941.
A: Pours a lightish cola color out of the glass with a single finger head that is a dark cream and fairly-highly carbonated. The beer is a very dark brown and pretty much opaque in the glass. Good lacing.
S: Malt and a hint of chocolate--nothing really overpowering.
T: Dark malts and a little bit of hops. Some dark chocolate flavors.
M: Medium body with carbonation that hits the tip of my tongue. Slightly creamy and goes down smooth.
D: Fairly drinkable. Sort of a heavy mouthfeel to drink a lot of, but not bad for a porter in that department.
★ 604 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
G: Poured into a Bell's pint glass. Batch # 8941.
A: Pours a lightish cola color out of the glass with a single finger head that is a dark cream and fairly-highly carbonated. The beer is a very dark brown and pretty much opaque in the glass. Good lacing.
S: Malt and a hint of chocolate--nothing really overpowering.
T: Dark malts and a little bit of hops. Some dark chocolate flavors.
M: Medium body with carbonation that hits the tip of my tongue. Slightly creamy and goes down smooth.
D: Fairly drinkable. Sort of a heavy mouthfeel to drink a lot of, but not bad for a porter in that department.
★ 604 characters
3.57/5 rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a bottle into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: Pours very dark brown with some red coming through when light hits the edges. There is a half finger of tan head that goes away quickly.
Smell: Roasty with hints of coffee and some dark chocolate. There is a very mild malty sweetness in there as well.
Taste: Roast up front, a nice amount of bitterness. Mild malt sweetness with some hops showing up in the finish to mingle with the roast.
Mouthfeel: Medium body with intensely tingly carbonation and a slightly dry finish.
Overall: This is a solid porter. I'm not sure I'll pick this one up again, but I might.
★ 621 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a bottle into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: Pours very dark brown with some red coming through when light hits the edges. There is a half finger of tan head that goes away quickly.
Smell: Roasty with hints of coffee and some dark chocolate. There is a very mild malty sweetness in there as well.
Taste: Roast up front, a nice amount of bitterness. Mild malt sweetness with some hops showing up in the finish to mingle with the roast.
Mouthfeel: Medium body with intensely tingly carbonation and a slightly dry finish.
Overall: This is a solid porter. I'm not sure I'll pick this one up again, but I might.
★ 621 characters
4.2/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a deep brown-ruby color with nice big creamy head,very appetizing smell of rich chocolate and deeply roasted malt.Taste was of dark roast coffee and bitter chocolate with some lingering earthiness.Very smooth and velvety and pretty easy to drink a real nice porter from my favorite brewer.
★ 296 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a deep brown-ruby color with nice big creamy head,very appetizing smell of rich chocolate and deeply roasted malt.Taste was of dark roast coffee and bitter chocolate with some lingering earthiness.Very smooth and velvety and pretty easy to drink a real nice porter from my favorite brewer.
★ 296 characters
4.09/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A - Black with some ruby color around the edges and a very large and tenacious dirty cream colored head that leaves very good lace behind.
S - Roasty malt and a little bit of yeast. Not much else to speak of.
T - Full, almost smokey roast malt and a bit of nutty flavor. Quite pleasant, round malt flavor with only some bitterness perceptable in the finish.
M - Medium body with moderately high carbonation.
D - This is a highly drinkable beer. The flavors are light but present enough to keep you interested and the midrange body and higher carbonation help it to go down easy. I am impressed that they have hit the porter style so solidly and I must say that this is a beer that I could drink all night long.
★ 723 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A - Black with some ruby color around the edges and a very large and tenacious dirty cream colored head that leaves very good lace behind.
S - Roasty malt and a little bit of yeast. Not much else to speak of.
T - Full, almost smokey roast malt and a bit of nutty flavor. Quite pleasant, round malt flavor with only some bitterness perceptable in the finish.
M - Medium body with moderately high carbonation.
D - This is a highly drinkable beer. The flavors are light but present enough to keep you interested and the midrange body and higher carbonation help it to go down easy. I am impressed that they have hit the porter style so solidly and I must say that this is a beer that I could drink all night long.
★ 723 characters
3.96/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Another review coming from Noslenwerd.
A: Big frothy 1 finger thick rich head with darker color. The color of the beer is very dark brown with almost no light escaping.
N: Nose has some dark malts, some light roast, light chocolate, a nice porter roasty aroma. Some very light spicy hops. It's almost the epitome of a good porter but on the lighter side.
T: Starts with some dark malts, roasted characters quite a bit. Adds slight chocolate and more lush malts. Slightly sweet. It has some bitter stout like flavors from charred malts. Slight creaminess. Rich and more flavorful than I expected from the nose. It's almost a juicy malt flavor.
M: Semi thick, luscious, creamy, decent carbonation.
F: FInishes a little drier but still slightly sweet, it has a nice earthy spicy bitter feel on the finish, and almost that clean mouth feel you get from higher abv beers. The lingering bitter stouty roasted flavor remains for a bit.
★ 934 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Another review coming from Noslenwerd.
A: Big frothy 1 finger thick rich head with darker color. The color of the beer is very dark brown with almost no light escaping.
N: Nose has some dark malts, some light roast, light chocolate, a nice porter roasty aroma. Some very light spicy hops. It's almost the epitome of a good porter but on the lighter side.
T: Starts with some dark malts, roasted characters quite a bit. Adds slight chocolate and more lush malts. Slightly sweet. It has some bitter stout like flavors from charred malts. Slight creaminess. Rich and more flavorful than I expected from the nose. It's almost a juicy malt flavor.
M: Semi thick, luscious, creamy, decent carbonation.
F: FInishes a little drier but still slightly sweet, it has a nice earthy spicy bitter feel on the finish, and almost that clean mouth feel you get from higher abv beers. The lingering bitter stouty roasted flavor remains for a bit.
★ 934 characters
3.9/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
12 ounce bottle into signature pint glass, bottled 9/6/2012. Pours lightly hazy very dark reddish brown color with a nice 1-2 finger dense khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty foamy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of big chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, toffee, coffee beans, toast, light dark fruit, cream, and herbal hops. Very nice aromas with good strength and balance. Taste of milk chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, toffee, toast, light coffee, earth, and herbal hops. Lingering notes of milk chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, toffee, and herbal hops on the finish for a bit. Nice balance and robustness of flavors; zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy, slick, and smooth mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with nearly zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice porter. Nice balance of nicely robust roasted flavors; very smooth to drink. Very enjoyable and sessionable porter.
★ 1,026 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
12 ounce bottle into signature pint glass, bottled 9/6/2012. Pours lightly hazy very dark reddish brown color with a nice 1-2 finger dense khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty foamy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of big chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, toffee, coffee beans, toast, light dark fruit, cream, and herbal hops. Very nice aromas with good strength and balance. Taste of milk chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, toffee, toast, light coffee, earth, and herbal hops. Lingering notes of milk chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, toffee, and herbal hops on the finish for a bit. Nice balance and robustness of flavors; zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy, slick, and smooth mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with nearly zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice porter. Nice balance of nicely robust roasted flavors; very smooth to drink. Very enjoyable and sessionable porter.
★ 1,026 characters
4.1/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Close-to-opaque mahogany brown with lighter brown highlights at the bottom edge of the glass. It looks a good deal more substantial than most porters, a definite plus. The toasted tan head is fairly large, lasts a while and leaves broken sheets of lace on the glass. The nose is of roasted black malt with chocolate and hops. So far, so good.
This is a very good porter. The flavor, like the aroma, is considerably roasted malty with a lovely bittersweet chocolatiness. Coffee peeks through in the second half of the mouthful, but is still subservient to chocolate.
There's also a restrained hoppiness that isn't up-front enough to gum up the works for the malt lovers. The finish is long and increasingly bitter, especially as the beer warms. Firm, not quite full body with a slightly too lively carbonation. Good mouthfeel overall; I'll let the minor degree of fizziness slide since it doesn't last for the entire bottle.
Bell's Porter is a quality, quaffable version that lovers of the style should seek out. I acquired this bottle from deejaydan and wish now that it had been multiple bottles.
★ 1,107 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Close-to-opaque mahogany brown with lighter brown highlights at the bottom edge of the glass. It looks a good deal more substantial than most porters, a definite plus. The toasted tan head is fairly large, lasts a while and leaves broken sheets of lace on the glass. The nose is of roasted black malt with chocolate and hops. So far, so good.
This is a very good porter. The flavor, like the aroma, is considerably roasted malty with a lovely bittersweet chocolatiness. Coffee peeks through in the second half of the mouthful, but is still subservient to chocolate.
There's also a restrained hoppiness that isn't up-front enough to gum up the works for the malt lovers. The finish is long and increasingly bitter, especially as the beer warms. Firm, not quite full body with a slightly too lively carbonation. Good mouthfeel overall; I'll let the minor degree of fizziness slide since it doesn't last for the entire bottle.
Bell's Porter is a quality, quaffable version that lovers of the style should seek out. I acquired this bottle from deejaydan and wish now that it had been multiple bottles.
★ 1,107 characters
3.34/5 rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into a Sam Adams Sensory Glass. Batch 8726.
Color is a dark coffee brown. Tan head, that leaves little lace.
The aroma is a little off on this beer. Smells like burnt coffee, that is really old. The taste however is much better. Taste is of toasted malts. Coffee and carmel flavor as well.
Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth, with a hint of bitterness at the end.
Overall, the smell was a big turn away from this beer. The taste was normal, but I couldn't get over the smell. I would try it, just to compare to other porters, but wouldn't buy it again.
★ 561 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into a Sam Adams Sensory Glass. Batch 8726.
Color is a dark coffee brown. Tan head, that leaves little lace.
The aroma is a little off on this beer. Smells like burnt coffee, that is really old. The taste however is much better. Taste is of toasted malts. Coffee and carmel flavor as well.
Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth, with a hint of bitterness at the end.
Overall, the smell was a big turn away from this beer. The taste was normal, but I couldn't get over the smell. I would try it, just to compare to other porters, but wouldn't buy it again.
★ 561 characters
3.88/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a clear, dark brown body with a small, creamy off-white head.
Smell: Roasty aroma with notes of oven-cooked fruits, coffee, chocolate, and yes, even cola.
Taste: Roasted malt flavor with plenty of coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Dash of cola. Light fruitiness, though not as much as the aroma led me to believe. Roasty, earthy bitterness holds on till the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.
Drinkability: So yeah, good stuff.
★ 468 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a clear, dark brown body with a small, creamy off-white head.
Smell: Roasty aroma with notes of oven-cooked fruits, coffee, chocolate, and yes, even cola.
Taste: Roasted malt flavor with plenty of coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Dash of cola. Light fruitiness, though not as much as the aroma led me to believe. Roasty, earthy bitterness holds on till the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.
Drinkability: So yeah, good stuff.
★ 468 characters
3.84/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Very dark brown and nearly opaque in my snifter despite being clear. The sudsy tan head is mildly disappointing at first, but largely redeems itself with some retention and lacing.
The aroma is very promising, with a bit of caramel sweetness, and more subtle notes of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee. The roasted malt comes to the fore in tasting, especially mid-taste onwards. Some dark chocolate, sweet caramel and a bit of a spicy hop flavor too.
M: Medium body; very smooth; would be creamy were it not for the lively, moderate carbonation.
O: Not exotic or extreme (and it shouldn't be) but a quite good porter in all aspects.
{12 oz bottle produced essentially the same impression and ratings - March 2013 & again August 2013}
★ 740 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Very dark brown and nearly opaque in my snifter despite being clear. The sudsy tan head is mildly disappointing at first, but largely redeems itself with some retention and lacing.
The aroma is very promising, with a bit of caramel sweetness, and more subtle notes of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee. The roasted malt comes to the fore in tasting, especially mid-taste onwards. Some dark chocolate, sweet caramel and a bit of a spicy hop flavor too.
M: Medium body; very smooth; would be creamy were it not for the lively, moderate carbonation.
O: Not exotic or extreme (and it shouldn't be) but a quite good porter in all aspects.
{12 oz bottle produced essentially the same impression and ratings - March 2013 & again August 2013}
★ 740 characters
4.42/5 rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Acquired via trade from JAYW, so a big Thank you goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.
A: The beer is a dark brown color with a short foamy off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a very thick lace on the glass.
S: The aroma is very creamy and full of roasted coffee along with nuts, a touch of dark fruit and some hops.
T: The taste is very well-balanced, with flavors of coffee, nuts, smoky malt, dark fruit and a good amount of hops for a beer of this style, all complimenting each other. The coffee flavor stands out but not too much. Its also not overly sweet like some porters can be. The after-taste is bitter-sweet.
M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, slightly sticky finish.
D: Very tasty, goes down very easily, not very filling, good representation of style and one of the best American Porters that Ive had. If Im in a porter kind of mood, I could see myself drinking quite a few of these, if only Bells were available here.
★ 1,025 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Acquired via trade from JAYW, so a big Thank you goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.
A: The beer is a dark brown color with a short foamy off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a very thick lace on the glass.
S: The aroma is very creamy and full of roasted coffee along with nuts, a touch of dark fruit and some hops.
T: The taste is very well-balanced, with flavors of coffee, nuts, smoky malt, dark fruit and a good amount of hops for a beer of this style, all complimenting each other. The coffee flavor stands out but not too much. Its also not overly sweet like some porters can be. The after-taste is bitter-sweet.
M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, slightly sticky finish.
D: Very tasty, goes down very easily, not very filling, good representation of style and one of the best American Porters that Ive had. If Im in a porter kind of mood, I could see myself drinking quite a few of these, if only Bells were available here.
★ 1,025 characters
4.13/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12oz bottle served right out of the fridge and poured into a pint glass
A - Poured a very nice hazelnut brown color with a very nice and somewhat hazy consistency to it. Enough light was coming through though so as not to give it the impression of being too dark and you could definitely make out the carbonation chains reaching up toward the surface. A very nice tan colored head of approximately three fingers in height formed almost immediately across the top of it, and where it met the cloudy dark liquid below it, some nice cascading bubbles gave it a nice effect and let you know there was some thickness to it. Very nice retention as the head stuck around for a good few moments before resting and coming down to about an inch and staying that way throughout the session. There was very nice side glass lace as well, which contributed nicely to the overall appearance.
S - The aroma was very nice and more then adequately strong in that you could easily pick up the different aromas and make out some subtleties in the profile. There was a strong smoky aroma going on here, which I was not expecting, but blended in very nicely with the rich malty profile on this one. Very nice deep earthy smells, caramel, and sugar with some grain making it very nice. There was a slight grass like hoppiness to it as well, there gave it a little bright spot in an otherwise dark smell. There was the slightest bit of dark chocolate present towards the end of the session as well, once it had warmed, that seemed to be a little bitter.
T - The flavor was very nice, and followed along well with the aroma, making this one more of a smoked porter then a sweet one. There was definitely that smoked flavor that translated over to it and gave it a good little bit extra that made it a bit different then normal. The base was a rich mixture of earthy malts, lots of grains and chocolate like flavors mingling around and mixed in very well with a touch of caramel sugar that sweetened it up a little. Perhaps a touch of roasted coffee in there, more likely though this was more of the smoke coming through. The finish was typical for a good porter with a strong hoppy bitter finish that drew out the flavor and made it a little longer lasting then I thought it would have been.
M - Very nice medium bodied porter, to be honest at times it bordered on being a little bit more, but had a bit of a lightness to it, which was good, as you want a porter to be a porter. Very smooth and creamy with the finish giving it a bit of a crisp edge that served to have it be more refreshing than a thick filling porter would be. Very nice and quite classic for the style, nothing really bad you could say about this here.
D - Really a very nice and quite high quality session beer. This one worked quite well as a nightcap to, which was the way I actually enjoyed it. I wanted something a bit lighter as it was already late, so I decided to go with this one, and it was a good choice, as the flavors were rich enough to stand on their own, but also this was definitely sessionable in a different environment.
Overall this was am excellent porter, and something that is quite useful as a staple or standby beer for everyday use in the fridge. I could easily have had another and thought it came off quite fresh. Another quality offering from Bell's regular lineup. I would recommend giving this one a try.
★ 3,386 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12oz bottle served right out of the fridge and poured into a pint glass
A - Poured a very nice hazelnut brown color with a very nice and somewhat hazy consistency to it. Enough light was coming through though so as not to give it the impression of being too dark and you could definitely make out the carbonation chains reaching up toward the surface. A very nice tan colored head of approximately three fingers in height formed almost immediately across the top of it, and where it met the cloudy dark liquid below it, some nice cascading bubbles gave it a nice effect and let you know there was some thickness to it. Very nice retention as the head stuck around for a good few moments before resting and coming down to about an inch and staying that way throughout the session. There was very nice side glass lace as well, which contributed nicely to the overall appearance.
S - The aroma was very nice and more then adequately strong in that you could easily pick up the different aromas and make out some subtleties in the profile. There was a strong smoky aroma going on here, which I was not expecting, but blended in very nicely with the rich malty profile on this one. Very nice deep earthy smells, caramel, and sugar with some grain making it very nice. There was a slight grass like hoppiness to it as well, there gave it a little bright spot in an otherwise dark smell. There was the slightest bit of dark chocolate present towards the end of the session as well, once it had warmed, that seemed to be a little bitter.
T - The flavor was very nice, and followed along well with the aroma, making this one more of a smoked porter then a sweet one. There was definitely that smoked flavor that translated over to it and gave it a good little bit extra that made it a bit different then normal. The base was a rich mixture of earthy malts, lots of grains and chocolate like flavors mingling around and mixed in very well with a touch of caramel sugar that sweetened it up a little. Perhaps a touch of roasted coffee in there, more likely though this was more of the smoke coming through. The finish was typical for a good porter with a strong hoppy bitter finish that drew out the flavor and made it a little longer lasting then I thought it would have been.
M - Very nice medium bodied porter, to be honest at times it bordered on being a little bit more, but had a bit of a lightness to it, which was good, as you want a porter to be a porter. Very smooth and creamy with the finish giving it a bit of a crisp edge that served to have it be more refreshing than a thick filling porter would be. Very nice and quite classic for the style, nothing really bad you could say about this here.
D - Really a very nice and quite high quality session beer. This one worked quite well as a nightcap to, which was the way I actually enjoyed it. I wanted something a bit lighter as it was already late, so I decided to go with this one, and it was a good choice, as the flavors were rich enough to stand on their own, but also this was definitely sessionable in a different environment.
Overall this was am excellent porter, and something that is quite useful as a staple or standby beer for everyday use in the fridge. I could easily have had another and thought it came off quite fresh. Another quality offering from Bell's regular lineup. I would recommend giving this one a try.
★ 3,386 characters
4/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to Jason for this nice extra.
A: The pour is a very dark brown with a bit of reddish notes and a thin khaki head.
S: There's quite a bit of sweetness to the nose. I get caramel and sweet chocolate. The roasted malt and coffee notes are a bit more subdued.
T: As much as the roast is in the background on the nose, it's surprisingly strong and "featured" on the palate. Lots of roasted malt flavor with a nice bitter chocolate compliment. Some slight caramel sweetness and a bit of an earthy hop flavor.
M: The body is medium with a smooth and almost creamy feel on the tongue. The carbonation is moderate.
D: Not quite an amazing porter, but quite good. Solid in all aspects.
★ 687 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to Jason for this nice extra.
A: The pour is a very dark brown with a bit of reddish notes and a thin khaki head.
S: There's quite a bit of sweetness to the nose. I get caramel and sweet chocolate. The roasted malt and coffee notes are a bit more subdued.
T: As much as the roast is in the background on the nose, it's surprisingly strong and "featured" on the palate. Lots of roasted malt flavor with a nice bitter chocolate compliment. Some slight caramel sweetness and a bit of an earthy hop flavor.
M: The body is medium with a smooth and almost creamy feel on the tongue. The carbonation is moderate.
D: Not quite an amazing porter, but quite good. Solid in all aspects.
★ 687 characters
Bell's Porter from Bell's Brewery, Inc.
3.88
out of 5
based on 2,814 ratings.
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Vanilla and wine Aroma and taste like a bit of wine. Top porter. Tan foam on black. Malty with Coffee bean, buttery chocolate and hickory, and carbonation. Creamy with yeast and caramel, a winning pleasure. Spicy aftertaste. Markled it down a bit on tasting May 2005.
★ 267 characters