Why are Bell's beers either World Class or really "average"?

What the hell do they have against making a "very good" beer?

This is the guy who not too long ago asked if Michelob is "well respected in the craft community" and then proceeded to say that Mich "is a nice beer".

Mr. Biff_Tannen, I am not impressed.

 

Biff's started some pretty great threads, but this one is kinda just average.

 

We on Beer Advocate I do not think have a good sense of what beers actually keep the lights on at a brewery. I will say up front I don't know for certain that it's Bell's more mild options that pay the bills, but I would be willing to bet the brewery couldn't just make Black Note Stout, Hopslam, and Expedition Stout to stay afloat.

We should be more thankful for when a brewery does decide to brew a 15% barrel aged stout because in truth they could probably just keep on making blondes and IPA's that would have way faster turnover. We should also be thankful that breweries like Bell's keeps trying new things despite almost for sure making less than if they just made another batch of Two-Hearted, Stone IPA, SNPA etc.

 

I will drink any Bells Beer all year. A lot of your listed supposed "average at best" beers are extremely enjoyable and spot on style examples. I rarely rely on other opinions to choose what I drink. Also 80-90 scores are hardly "average", so your logic is flawed.

 

Haha! I was going to say the same thing! Third Coast is very good! I also think that Double Cream stout is really good and does serve as a base beer for Black Note, which is just sublime!

 

Bell's suffers from the problem that any brewery does once they "make it". Why drink two-hearted when you can drink a pint of "local brewed barely fermented between 4.0-11.5% IPA"? Two-hearted is my go-to IPA, it never disappoints and I'm never sad I am drinking one. But, in the midwest, it isn't new or novel, so it gets passed over. I think (in general) Bell's makes the best every day beer available in Ohio.

 

Couldn't agree more. Best Brown is one of the best brown ales I've ever had, period. Their amber is top notch as well.

One thing you really have to keep in mind is big beers (whether barrel aged or not) typically score really high here. I think our love for those big beers hurts the scores of "normal" beers. You rarely see a world-class brown ale on BA (voted by the masses). We should be rating beers like a dog show (best of breed/style) but IMO we don't.

This is just my opinion of course. Feel free to disagree!

 

Mars was pretty amazing based on this BA's opinion. I don't disagree with your sentiment, but the same can be said for most breweries. It's really hard for a brewer to hit it out of the park with many different styles.

 

Bell's makes plenty of really good beer across a fairly wide variety of styles. You don't think all of them are amazing? Oh well.

 

Mars was fantastic and goes in the World Class category. Their Porter, Java Stout, Third Coast Old Ale and special double Cream Stout are all really good. Best Brown is a very solid brown ale. You don't give them nearly enough credit but I don't really disagree on the rest on your list.

The bottom line is they're a great brewery that brews a lot of different styles really well for the most part. Even the best don't hit 1.000. They're one of my favorites for a reason.

 

If Bell's had better labeling and packaging, they'd be rated higher.

 

Why are Biffs threads either world class or really average?

 

Your break down of the two lists can also be classified as:

Overhyped styles
Under appreciated styles

 

He has a hard time making just a "good" thread.

 

Maybe it's all in the semantics of the descriptors.. and I'm fine with your feelings on Bell's - it's your palate and your opinion, and that's part of what makes this site great, a forum where we can all be honest and open with our opinions of beer. I personally consider Bell's to be a high-end quality brewer, and would rate all of their brews at above average or better. Even as I read this I'm sipping a glass of their Expedition Stout, which is divine in my opinion. I also love their Third Coast Old Ale, and you will always see a 6xer of fresh Two Hearted in my fridge, a fantastic and yes perhaps a "World Class" IPA. I will also reflect what a few others have said here and say that Mars was even better than Oracle and Hopslam. But getting back to your point - I'm not sure I consider them world class, but I definitely consider them well above average - but again, just my palate and my 2 cents. If I'm enjoying a beer at your place and I see you cracking open some Bell's brews, you'll see an appreciative smile on my face. Cheers everyone

 

What's your point? You don't like everything a certain brewery makes? So fuckin sue them. Claim their brewery as damages and brew your own fucking Bell's beer.

On the other hand, I think you're setting the standard too high. Sometimes average is good enough. And everything I've ever had from Bell's is nothing less than solid.

Butthead.

 

I honestly don't feel any Bell's beers are world class.

But then again I only drink IPA's. Hopslam and Two Hearted are so over hyped. This last batch of Hopslam was hoppier than ever before, so this is a good start.

 

I'm pretty sure the Hop King started this same thread two years ago.

 

I respectfully submit "Beavis" as a more appropriate moniker.

 

Everything Bell's makes is just average at best. There isn't one beer they make that isn't done exponentially better than another brewery.