30th Anniversary Ale
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

30th Anniversary Ale30th Anniversary Ale
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From:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
11%
Score:
96
Avg:
4.33 | pDev: 6.7%
Reviews:
306
Ratings:
1,467
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 12, 2023
Added:
Jul 14, 2015
Wants:
  79
Gots:
  511
Our 30th Anniversary Ale is a testament to three-plus decades of hard-work. It honors all that has helped us get to this point – hard work, quality and authenticity.

It reminds us of where we’ve been, how we’ve grown over the years, the challenges we’ve faced and at the same time, looks forward to what comes next.

Also a nod to another Bell's favorite, Expedition Stout, flavors of dark chocolate and fruit meld to create a full-bodied, roasty stout.

A fair amount of Polaris hops lend a brightness and a nice character that will help carry the beer in its early stages making it incredibly drinkable and interesting. Malt characteristics will continue to develop over time, so that beer drinkers who choose to cellar it can enjoy the beer for years to come.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BradenMK:
Photo of BradenMK
Reviewed by BradenMK from Alaska

4.51/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
APP (5.0) - This is the new imperial stout beauty standard people, pay attention. Motor oil black both in pour and in glass with a slowly roiling two finger head with foam so tight it appears to congeal into a mochaccino whipped cream. It leaves gorgeous, sweet-sticky lacing down all sides of the glass as you drink and retains more than just a ring for the entire experience. Incredible just to look at.

SMELL (4.0) - A cold latte sweetened with blackstrap molasses. A big waft of a savory yet honeyed marinade. A little acrid coffee and a little bit of an earthy pine. Lots of malt, very sweet, and yet also savory and umami.

TASTE (4.35) - I'm rounding up to a 4.5, but I don't think it quite gets there. Certainly the taste is magnificent, no doubt about it, but it's pretty straightforward and to the point, with very little need to contemplate its complexity. And that's not a bad thing (see overall)! Short version: Chocolate malt bomb that's a bit dark and a bit savory. Long version: Chocolate syrup is swiftly transitioned to a sort of sweet umami soy sauce flavor, a sherry-like raisin flashes by, and then another onslaught of chocolate coming at first as milk chocolate, then mocha latte, then dark chocolate, and a dry, non-lingering, earthy hop bitterness attempts to cleanse the palate and only halfway succeeds (also not necessarily a bad thing). She's very sweet up front, but she lets you down easy, finishing still sweet only less so (but still sticky).

FEEL (5.0) - Unreal. The body is massive without feeling chewy and the carbonation is impeccable. The beer flows over the tongue like silk. Plainly, there are no better renderings of a beer's body on the market.

OVERALL (4.85) - I'm rounding down in the actual score, but, overall, this beer is quite literally more than the sum of its parts. It's a joyful, near-perfect experience. I hope I can still find some more lying around, because I am blown away by how consistent, how precise, and how well-crafted this stout is. A lot of people are crying out that this beer be bourbon barrel aged, but I feel that would do it a disservice. If it were my decision I would age some in straight oak barrels for a year. I figure that would taste amazing by itself, but from there I would experiment with adjuncts. Maybe adding some smoked chocolate malt... mesquite? Coffee may well grant this beer some phenomenal complexity. Dear god, I just imagined an oak-aged coffee/almond/cherry version of this beer and... I... I just shit myself.
Oct 14, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.06 by CheapBeerBuzz from California

Mar 12, 2023
 
Rated: 4.11 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Mar 12, 2023
Photo of fujindemon74
Reviewed by fujindemon74 from Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
L- pitch black

S- a lot of burnt molasses & dark fruits

T- follows the nose, but with an effervescent hop bite, sweet melding of the two.

F- medium to full, velvety smooth

O- I would 100% recommend seeking out a bottle. I snagged a case years ago and happened to crack one this evening
Aug 05, 2022
Photo of Fordcoyote15
Reviewed by Fordcoyote15 from Pennsylvania

4.17/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled 8/28/15. This is actually a new beer for me. I love barrel aged expedition and equally as much loved bells 35th anniversay in 2020 so when I saw this come for sale on MBC there was no adding to cart... it was a purchase now moment.

Look is stupendous.

Smell is even better. Its expedition stout but different. I cant quite put my finger on what the note im picking up. Its pleasant and like a someones name you just cant recall not unfamiliar to me, but my mind simply cannot take me to recall it.

Taste is far more bitter and roasty than I expected. Expresso predominates with burnt toast following. Its oily and clings to all the surfaces of your mouth. I exhale between sips and its almost gross feeling of having black coffee breath. There's something off with this beer though. Its not tart but its perhaps a tinge acidic. It's also not as complex or expansiive as I know Bells more limited stouts to be. While I love all things roasty, bitter, smokey ane charred in my stouts I cant help but feel like I'm drinking a very boring liquid version of burnt toast.

Truthfully, it's likely me as the beers I've drank the last two days have all felt a bit 'meh, should I finish this?' I have two more of these so I'll revisit again down the road.
May 22, 2022
Photo of SpeedwayJim
Reviewed by SpeedwayJim from New York

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A big thanks to Ben for delivering these goods.

12oz. bottle into a Founders snifter.

Pours jet black, thick, and oily. .5 finger mocha-colored head with decent retention. Spotty lace with legs for days. Nose is baker's chocolate, anise, logan, roasted malt, cocoa, and a lightly sweet soy sauce. Aromatic. Rich. Beer opens chocolate, roasted malt, anise, sweet soy sauce up front. I get layers of fudge, cocoa powder, and more roast in the middle. Dark chocolate, ash, caramel, and cocoa powder on the finish. This is as classic a flavor profile as it gets for the style. Body is full with low carbonation. Slick, oily, and viscous in the mouth and goes down warm with a long, lingering aftertaste. Super drinkable.

This one's just excellent. It really harkens back to what this style used to be.
Jan 30, 2022
Photo of RMelyon
Rated by RMelyon from Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
think i cellared this one for 2-3 years. it was good, not mindblowing
May 10, 2021
 
Rated: 4.44 by Unclevince from West Virginia

Dec 02, 2020
Photo of KensWorld
Reviewed by KensWorld from Florida

4.8/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Drank it fresh back in 2015 (4.24, 4.25, 4.75, 5.00, 4.75). and now I have finally decided to open my cellared bottle on 11-2020. I was not expecting to to be as good as when fresh, but how I was wrong. This beauty has aged to perfection. Slight pop when opened, Coco head settling down to a nice ring lace. Nut fruit on the nose. The taste is so perfect, semi dry, semi sweat , semi everything. Nothing dominates, perfect balance. No oxidation what so ever. Layers of malty complexity. This is the reason I cellar beers, for the hope that they might improve. Most don't but the ones that do make it all worth while. Upgraded to (4.50, 4.50, 5.00, 5.00, 4.75).
Nov 13, 2020
 
Rated: 4.18 by hopley from Massachusetts

Jul 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by zenithberwyn from California

Jun 25, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by rare_bird from Michigan

Jun 10, 2020
Photo of ryan1788a5
Reviewed by ryan1788a5 from Massachusetts

4.19/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12oz bottle poured into a snifter. 2015 vintage.

A: Motor oil black with a nice brown head that eventually settles to a thin cap. Spotty lacing.

S: Straight fudge sauce up front. Brownie batter, double chocolate cake, chocolate covered espresso beans, woody roast. Suggestions of concord grape, black cherry, and blackberry at its core. Interesting floral/fruity hop note still pulling through.

T: Fudge sauce at the outset. A thick blanket of woody roast soon begins to dominate. Sooty, a bit acrid, burnt coffee, chocolate cake. Subtle darkfruit flavors of concord grape, black currant, and sweet black cherry peek through. Some oxidation is perceptible in a sherry type of way, revealing its age. Faded floral hop notes. Long, sooty and roasty finish.

M: Thick, rich, and chewy. A little bit coating. The kind of mouthfeel you could cut with a knife. Deep creamy smoothness. Gentle carbonation.

O: I'll confess I was a little worried about this one, being five years old at this point. It's just one of those bottles that got lost in the back of my fridge. There's definitely some oxidation present, but it wears it well and is still drinking pretty nicely. No regrets, just a great beer that stood up well enough to the time.
Mar 30, 2020
 
Rated: 4.29 by BeardedWalrus from North Carolina

Feb 16, 2020
 
Rated: 3.94 by BeerMe8 from Florida

Jan 04, 2020
 
Rated: 4.29 by ryancl from Minnesota

Oct 24, 2019
Photo of Tsar_Riga
Reviewed by Tsar_Riga from Minnesota

4.41/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A 2015 pulled from my cellar.

A - Pure black pour, but with almost no head in the pour, what little there is being tan, but very quick to fade, and leaving only minimal ring and a few stray bits of lacing.

S - Strong hits of alcohol warmth and toasted malt darkness.

T - Opens with a dark fruit and chocolate start, quick to move to more toasted bread notes, then bittering in the finish, adding a note of char that lingers with a final chocolate aspect that trails off very slowly in the close.

M - Clean and surprisingly moderate given the ABV and powerful flavor notes.

O - Glad I decided to crack this one. It is impressive and satisfying, but I am not confident that further age would do the beer much good. As is, this is a very well built stout, and a worthy anniversary brew.
Jul 24, 2019
Photo of Orca
Reviewed by Orca from Washington

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12oz into a tulip. Pours an oily black—10W-30—with just a thin collar of reddish-brown foam around the side of the glass.

Aroma is rich and roasty, dark and stout. Bitter dark chocolate, espresso.

Taste follows nose. Rich and delicious, perfectly balanced. Roasty malt, chocolate, coffee.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a slick, slightly bitter finish. Dry and balanced.

Overall an outstanding imperial stout, worthy of Bell's 30th anniversary.
Jul 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4.04 by Gambyt20 from Illinois

Jun 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by Griffith from Connecticut

Jun 07, 2019
30th Anniversary Ale from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 1467 ratings