122. Bell’s Third Coast Ale

More Bell’s makes for happy drinking. This is our fourth beer from Bell’s Brewery; we’ve tried Two Hearted, Octoberfest, and Oberon. We had this on tap at the Trolley Stop.

Third Coast Ale has a delicious and complex nose; besides the sweet malt and the more complex dark sugar aromas, there are dark fruits and some low level alcohol notes as it warms. Color-wise, Third Coast is a dark brown with a white head; it appeared clear, although maybe a bit hay, but the bar was kinda dark, so you’ll have to forgive the environmental influences. The front is sweet with fruit flavors—there is both caramel and raisin running across the mouth at the start—before moving into some bitterness and dark malt sweetness mixed with molasses, and finishing with roasted malt and chocolate flavors as well as a return of the raisin flavors that linger on the palate. Third Coast has a thick, heavy mouthfeel that may be a bit syrupy; the carbonation is a bit light, and there is not much bite in the profile—it is even a bit light by English standards. There is some warmth in the mouth as well. While there is a lot going on, Third Coast is a complex and interesting beer; it has an excellent profile in terms of flavor and balance. We would be interested to see how this aged; while good drinking now, we’re wondering if some of the dark fruit flavors would continue to develop and get more complex across the flavor profile.

From Bell’s website: “A barley wine with deep amber color. The brandy of ales, this beer has vintage character and will mature in the bottle at cellar temperature for years.”

ABV: 10.2%
OG: 1.098

(10/30/2009)