Bell's Best Brown Ale - Bell's Brewery Inc.

    Bell's Best Brown Ale is a Brown Ale created by Bell's Brewery Inc. which is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This specific beer was donated to Amulets and Ale by Cale Nearing.

    The beer pours a dark garnet-brown with a large brown head that leaves a good amount of lacing on the glass.

    The Brown Ale smells like toasty malts as well as an almost metallic smell.

    The ale is medium bodied with a medium level of carbonation. The beer is very smooth and creamy.

    The Brown Ale's flavor is mainly sweet. Toasty malts and cocoa flavors predominate, with a slight hops bitterness to balance the sweetness. There is a sweet, almost caramel flavor to the beer as well. There is no alcohol warmth or flavor to the ale, which at 5.8 ABV is not surprising.

    I find the label choice for this beer interesting. Anyone who has ever seen an owl knows that their eyes are open WAY too wide to have consumed any alcohol. From strictly scientific observation of my friends while they drink, I have learned that eyes become more and more squinty as alcohol is consumed. If anything, owls are addicted to coffee. I mean, they're nocturnal, right? Up all night chasing (small woodland creature) tail, eyes wide and extremely alert. You can't tell me that these things aren't hopped up on caffeine. I would also like to comment on the fact that the owl on the bottle is looking at you somewhat condescendingly. He even has one eyebrow raised, as if to say, you're going to drink My beer? I don't know about you, but I don't really like elitist, caffeine addicted owls.

    Bell's Best Brown Ale is not at all a bad beer. In fact, I've never had a Bell's beer that wasn't serviceable. Unfortunately, I find this beer to be a very average Brown Ale, which is fine for a night of drinking, but if I were to look for a tasty treat of a Brown Ale, this would not be it.

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Pecan Harvest Ale - Abita Brewing Co.

    Pecan Harvest Ale is a Brown Ale created by Abita Brewing Co. which is located in Abita Springs, Louisiana. Pecan Harvest Ale differs from other Browns in that Pecans are added to the brew for a subtle nutty flavor. This beer was donated to Amulets and Ale by Emily Hohman.

    Abita's Brown Ale pours a copper color with a substantial beige head. Some lacing can be seen on the glass as the beer level diminishes.

    The beer smells mildly of sweet malts and toffee. There is also a noticeable hint of nuttiness to the beer.

    Pecan Harvest Ale is a light bodied beer with very little carbonation. The body is so thin that you have swallowed the beer before you even realize that you had some in your mouth.

    The Brown Ale's flavor is quite mild. A base of sweet malts is the main flavor with the tiniest bit of hops coming in at the end. You really can taste the pecans in the beer, which I find quite nice. The light toffee sweetness and nutty flavors remind me of a pecan pie, though much more subtle in flavor.

More like a "light brown" ale.

    I'm not really a fan of pecan pie, though I do find this beer to be pleasant. I'm starting to think that Abita Brewing Co. got their name from the various things that they add to their beers. The last Abita beer that I reviewed, Purple Haze, has raspberries added to the mix. Abita's brewmaster must just run around the brewery putting "a-bit-a" this into one vat, and "a-bit-a" that into another. Well, I suppose if he goes around doing that long enough he's bound to come across some very good combinations, and Pecan Harvest Ale seems to be one of them.

    I am, however, disappointed in the body and flavor of this beer. Such a thin, water-like body is not very pleasant to me when I'm drinking beer. The lightness of the flavors make me think even more that Pecan Harvest Ale comes off as watery. Luckily, Abita found that Pecans really add something nice to their beer, changing an average beer to a slightly better than average beer.

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