Bell's Brewery - Best Brown Ale 2011

I just finished watching a documentary on the making of South Park, and Trey Parker/Matt Stone are insane.  Aside from their undeniable creative genius, they have incredible work ethic.  Can you imagine having to come up with ideas for a show, develop the scenes, write the script, create the animation, record the voice-overs...literally create an entire episode from scratch....all in just 6 days!?  Seems impossible.  But they make it happen.  Their true genius is in their ability to mock everyone and everything that deserves to be mocked.  Love those guys.

Tonight I'm drinking Best Brown Ale from Bell's Brewery in Comstock, MI.  Bell's is well-known for the heavy-hitting HopSlam Imperial IPA, and their Expedition Stout.  We've also tried their Batch 10,000, which was one of the oddest brews I've ever tasted.  Best Brown Ale is a seasonal brew from Bell's, registering a mild 5.8% alcohol.

The label includes a picture of an owl on the front, quite the stately label, as expected from Bell's.  The beer is a murky, dirty dark brown with a thin layer of cream head.  The aroma is pretty basic - sweet, nutty maltyness with a touch of nutmeg.  The flavor starts off with hefty malts.  Very nutty, with some woody, earthy undertones and a touch of hop bitterness in the middle.  This beer is heavily carbonated....too carbonated.  A hint of dark fruits, along with a dry and sour bitterness at the finish that lingers for a bit.

Overall Rating:  Well, I disagree with the name of this brew.  It's definitely not the Best brown ale....the carbonation was overwhelming, and the finish left an odd, out-of-place sour flavor that didn't sit well.  This one will go towards the bottom of my Bell's list.  C+

Bell's Brewery - Octoberfest

First off, I'd like to talk about something that's been bugging me tonight.  Is anyone else annoyed with the marketing strategy for Coors Light beer?  They market their beer as tasting "super-cold", with these annoying commercials with ice-trains crashing through buildings, and this blue bar on their bottles showing how super-cold the beer is.  How can anything taste super-cold?  The colder the beer, the less you actually taste it, everyone knows it's a farce designed to mask the awful taste of the beer.  And of course it's refreshing, if you serve it at 33 degrees.  Anything that cold could be considered refreshing.  Coors, I'm sick of hearing about how cold your beer is......it tastes like shit, regardless of its temperature.

Tonight I'll be drinking an Oktoberfest bier from Bell's Brewery in Comstock, Michigan.  This is their late-summer seasonal, and registers 5.5% alcohol.  The beer is a slightly hazy, dark golden amber color with a big layer of white head.  The aroma is hugely malty - sweet buttery biscuits, caramel/toffee and a spicy hint in the background.  The taste starts off with lightly toasted bread.  Grainy, sweet maltiness that screams Vienna-malts.  Herby and earthy, but with the slightest bit of tart apples coming through towards the end.  Through the finish there is a bit of noble hop bitterness and spice to dry things up. 

Overall Rating:  Another great Oktoberfest!  Simple, smooth, with loads of malts and a nice light hoppiness to balance things out.  Put this on your list for this fall - definitely worth a try!  B+