Bell's Lager Beer - Lager of the Lakes

Good news and bad news, good news is I am NOT reviewing a stout of any kind tonight, bad news is I actually picked up a few more for future reviews. For tonight I thought I would pay homage to this awesome weather we are being treated to, low 70’s and clears skies, feels like baseball is just around the corner. Ok, on to the beer.

Bell’s Lager Beer, “Lager of the Lakes”

Wasn’t real sure if I should get this one or not but it is from Bell’s and it isn’t a stout so I grabbed it anyway. I got a good hoppy scent from the bottle before I poured it but now that it is in the glass I am almost getting the standard ‘American Lager’ smell, let’s hope it doesn’t taste like that. It is also very golden and crystal clear much like the American lager, one difference though is the head, this one is sticking around very nicely. Taste is very crisp and almost harsh and leaves a strong hop/bitterness in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is very thin but that is a plus if you are wanting a nice cold lager on a hot summer day. All in all, not so sure I would go out of my way for this one, definitely not one of their better beers. This beer comes across as an attempt to brew a beer for the masses, not a good thing if you are a craft brewery.

Oh well, weather is good, 3-day weekend, I guess you can’t have everything. It also looks like my home state Georgia will continue to prohibit alcohol sales on Sunday. Our state legislature squashed the latest bill that would at least let it become a local option, giving the people the power to decide. I found this quote in our local paper today, “Georgia is one of only three states that still forbids stores from selling alcohol on the Sabbath.” I really find it hard to believe in this day and age that some people here in the south still feel this way. Maybe they feel they have lost control of everything else and figure this is the one thing they can hold onto. And don’t give me the ‘we need at least one day a week to stay pure’, cause if that were the case, it wouldn’t be allowed in restaurants or bars on Sunday.

Ok, I’m off my soapbox. Cheers!

FourBoysBrewPub!

Bell's Double Cream Stout

Happy New Year peeps, sorry for the lay off last week, Christmas time is a little crazy when you have 3 boys 8 and under. This week may not be my first milk stout but it is the first time I actually knew I was drinking a milk stout. It is also from one of my favorite breweries, Bell’s.

Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout

It pours very thick but doesn’t create a large head, however it does at least stick around. The scent gives off a lot of chocolate, roasted malts. The taste is very smooth and creamy with just a bit of maltiness and a good bit of sweetness. Even though it is a heavy beer it still comes across as one that I could stand to drink 3 to 4 of in one night, it is just that easy to consume.

I am really starting to love stouts and find it easier and easier to drink them. I find myself going out of my way to search for them. Cheers my beer friend and I hope you favorite team plays their bowl game a lot better than mine did, maybe next year UGA.

FourBoysBrewPub!

JAVA STOUT! - Bell's Brewery

OK, this Friday I have another beer I have been craving to try since my uncle gave me a mix six packer last weekend. I love coffee almost as much as I love beer so if you combine the two, well I think I might feel complete bliss, nirvana, and utopia, yes, all at the same time. BAM! This beer is also from one of my favorite breweries, Bell’s, which happens to be located in Michigan, home to the Detroit Tigers, my second favorite baseball team behind the ailing Atlanta Braves. The only out-of-state college I applied to was also Michigan State, the only time I’ve been out of the country was when I was in Detroit and went south to Winsor, Canada so maybe I just have an unconscious love for Michigan, oh well, it could be worse, I could love Alabama or Mississippi.

Now, the beer, JAVA STOUT, stout brewed with coffee, man why didn’t I think of that. Wonder if I could get away with this in the mornings in place of my normal cup of joe.

It pours nice and dark like any good stout should, it has that cool bubbling effect just like Guinness that produces a nice thick, creamy head. It definitely smells like a good cup of coffee with a slight alcohol scent. The taste is amazing, starts of like a nice roasty stout but then the sweetness of a mocha hits and hides the 7.5% ABV unbelievably well. It truly is the marriage of coffee and stout. It is heavy like a stout but I still believe I could drink a handful of these at one sitting, it is just so smooth and creamy. Now, I’ve never had Bailey’s Irish Cream in my coffee but if it is anything like this I may just have to start. Wow, just wow.

So now I must get back to my favorite thing to do, grilling, and grilling my favorite thing, chicken leg quarters. Slow cook them for an hour than move them directly over the heat for another 45 minutes, um um, fall of the bone chicken. So I hope your Friday night has as much enjoyment as mine has in store, if not sorry brother, you can always grab a Java Stout and turn it around. Cheers beer nuts!

You can also check out 365beers’ review of this same beer, I think now that I have tried it I’ll do the same. This is also someone who has inspired me to take more creative pictures. I check his site almost daily and have found several beers that I have on my ‘to do list’ so had to close the page before I started reading this one as not to taint my opinion.

FourBoysBrewPub!