Bell’s Brewery- Third Coast Old Ale: Michigan fights to remain a contender as a top five beer brewing state.
Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 11:01PM | by Wes 
When Bell’s came back to Illinois after a lengthy hiatus I was overjoyed. Over the years I have been able to pick up pretty much everything they brew in and around Chicago. So I was a little surprised when Ryan showed up last month with a bottle of Third Coast Old Ale. Not only had I never seen this one on the shelf; moreover, I had never even heard of it. Here is what Bell’s Brewery themselves have to say, “Third Coast Old Ale focuses on malt, offering notes of burnt caramel & other earthy malt flavors. Designed with vintage aging in mind, the malt aspect is matched to a heavy complement of hops. Sharply bitter at first, this will fold into the malt character over time and balance out the maltiness.”
This beer is murky and foreboding with a dark ruby hue. The head was thick and dense like a memory foam mattress. My bottle had a lot of sediment which is pretty common amongst bottle conditioned beers. The aroma was very sweet with hints of toffee, malt and alcohol. I also got a slight fruity note that I would argue most closely resembles cherry. It is really a pretty and complex beer, minus all the drudge floating in it, but that is kind of my fault for pouring in like a Neanderthal.
I really enjoyed this beer. As it warms the full bodied flavor really comes to life. It reminds me of a sweet DIPA like Dogfish Head’s 90 minute but with a dryer and hoppier finish. For a rocking an ABV over ten percent I found Third Coast Old Ale to be surprisingly smooth with a nice strong alcohol undercoating. The flavor has just enough bite to keep you sipping as the flavor sweetens while it warms. I am just glad this beer wasn’t around when I went to college and lived right next to Bell’s Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo because I woke up in the bushes in the beer garden enough times as it was. This beer says it ages well and I think a year old bottle might just be a little slice of heaven.
ABV: 10.6%
Consumed: Globe Glass
Verdict: Buy a Case!
