Name: Bell's Mars
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 10.1%
The other Imperial IPA from Bell's Brewery is Mars: The Bringer of War. Mars is the first beer of seven in Bell's Planet Series, which is inspired by Gustav Holst's musical composition aptly named The Planets.
The Planets is an orchestral that was written between 1914-1916 and is considered one of the most influential musical pieces of the 20th Century. Just how influential? It served as one of the inspirations for John Williams when he was writing the score for a little film called Star Wars.
Mars pours a very hazy orange color with a thin creamy white foamy. The lacing is quite abundant and I'm not picking up on any visible carbonation.
The aroma starts out very malt forward with some caramel sweetness mixed in with some strong citra hops and grapefruit notes. There is also a lingering bitterness in the back but it's masked quite well unless you pay attention. Unlike The Oracle, this is more malt forward.
Much the nose, the flavor is very caramel malt forward with some candied sweetness. Luckily the citrus hops and grapefruits really help balance things out. Interestingly enough, the aftertaste is only mildly bitter and ends on a sweet caramel note
The body is on the heavier end, and the thickness makes it pretty chewy. The carbonation is pretty light here so you're allowed to savor the flavors here.
Keeping in mind the flavor profile, Mars is a nicely balanced Imperial IPA. If this is any indication as to what to expect from the Planet Series, then I'm looking forward to trying out the rest of the offerings down the road.
Bell's Mars - 9/10
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