Bell’s Brewery « My Wine Education

Bell’s Brewery

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Since Michelle is recovering and at a conference in Florida, this is Kevin and I’m taking over for today.

I’m always looking to try a new type of beer or brewer, so I have to wonder why have I missed Bell’s Brewery (formerly Kalamazoo Brewing Company) until early summer. Michelle and I were eating at the Cock and Bull pub on Mainstrasse, when our server recommended the Oberon. After trying a little of Michelle’s, we were both hooked and promptly proceeded to forget about it.

Then in early June, at Party Town during their beer tasting, we had the opportunity to try Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. A nice India Pale Ale (IPA) style beer with an unexpected lavender aroma and very floral taste. We stopped by the Microbrew aisle and picked up a mixed case of Two Hearted Ale, Oberon, Sparkling Ale, and Best Brown Ale.

Full reviews of all four after the jump….

At 6.99-8.99 a six-pack, Bell’s falls into standard pricing for micro brews in the Cincinnati area.

Even bottled, the Two hearted Ale carried a large amount of floral characteristics. I enjoyed this as a nice alternative to the Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA, but the hoppy flavor of IPAs are not Michelle’s favorite things.

Kevin:

The Oberon was a very nice wheat style that had more orange characteristics than a more German-style Weissbier. Bell’s website claims Saaz hops are responsible for the slightly spicy characteristic. Overall, this was one of the best all-around offerings of our selection. It is a Summer only beer, so you might have to wait until next year, but if the opportunity presents itself, I strongly recommend trying this one. It’s now Michelle’s favorite beer.

Kevin & Michelle:

Sparkling Ale was a slight disappointment to me as I think I purchased it past it’s prime drinking window. The release of this brew is only during November, so I think it deserves another try after the next release later this year. I will withhold my rating and notes until a second try.

Kevin: ?

Finally the Best Brown Ale, a maltier ale, was another very nice example of what can be done with a winter focused brew. The almost 6% AbV is enough to keep you warm during the colder months of the year. I think this would make a very nice drink to have after a cool football game or possibly even sking or the hot tub. I’ll have to give that a shot as well in the next few months.

Kevin