The Craft Critique: Bell's Brewery 30th Anniversary Ale

Every once in awhile a beer comes along that I simply must try. I thought I had missed my opportunity to enjoy a bottle of Bell's 30th Anniversary Ale until a friend of mine surprised me with a bottle a little over a month ago. I have been waiting for the right time to pop the top off this bad boy and give it a try, and even though it's not a lager, I decided National Lager Day was as good a time as enjoy to indulge.

Appearance 30th Anniversary Ale is an Imperial Stout, and as such, I was expecting something deep, dark and mysterious and that's exactly what I got! This beer is so dark and murky that when I held my glass up to the light, not a single ray penetrated through its depths. The beer was topped with a thin to medium sized, caramel hued head that dissipated fairly fast and left a thin wash of lacing. The pour appeared to be a bit on the thin side, but what it lacked in body it more than made up for in flavor.

Smell The aroma of Bell's anniversary brew is packed full of roasted malts, syrupy coffee, light notes of vanilla and a touch of dark chocolate and dark fruits. It isn't the most distinctive smelling stout I have tried, but it stays true to its style.

Taste The flavor of 30th Anniversary is as packed with roasted malts as the aroma is, and for me, that's a delicious thing. It has an intoxicating blend of sweet, roasted malt, coffee, burnt sugar, fig and toasted bread flavors. If you like strong, dark flavors, this is definitely not the beer for you. However, if you like strong flavors such as espresso, dark chocolate or licorice this may very well be the beer for you. The booziness of this beer, in smell and flavor, creeps in slowly as the beer warms and fully opens up.

Mouthfeel At first, while this beer was still fairly cool, it felt somewhat thin in my mouth but as it warmed, the viscosity definitely increased until it felt creamy. It's a medium weight beer with a lighter carbonation that accentuates the flavors beautifully. As the beer warms in temperature, a boozy warmth also makes its appearance across the tongue.

Overall Stouts and porters are my favorite styles of beer, so I was excited at the prospect of trying this imperial stout, especially after I thought the window of opportunity had closed. It is the epitome of why I enjoy stouts so much-the flavor is as dark as its color. I would recommend serving this brew between 45-50 degrees from a goblet to maximize both its aroma and flavor. When pairing with food, I would suggest buttery cheeses, such as brie and Havarti, if serving with an appetizer, smoked meats with an entree and dark chocolate or raspberries with a dessert.

For more information about Bell's Brewery, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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