Bell's Neptune Review

Name: Bell's Neptune
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 9%
IBUs: N/A

After a year of keeping up with this series, we've come to the final beer in the Bell's Brewing Planet Series, which takes its name from the Gustav Holst orchestral suite: The Planets.

We've come to Neptune: The Mystic & it's the beer that I've been looking forward to the most since I first heard about it last year. That's because the details about this beer were mum at best with the only information given that it was based on a recipe that Larry Bell used back when he was homebrewing. Well the specifics have finally been revealed about this beer and, great googly moogly, there are bunch of them.

The list of ingredients used in this beer (aside from hops, barley, yeast, and water) are as follows:

• Star anise
• Dried cayenne
• Raisins
• Dates
• Black pepper
• Hickory bark
• Dandelion root
• Nutmeg
• Grains of paradise
• Fenugreek seeds
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Cane Sugar

Is this a beer we're talking about here or a potion that you'd find in a wizard's lab? Then again, it is called a Mystical Stout by the brewery, so for all we know, there's a good chance that this may give me a pair of wings (not really.)

Appearance - Pitch black in color with no visible carbonation to speak of. The head is quite thin in appearance with dark brown hue and rather filmy retention. The lacing is also very sparse and almost nonexistent.

Aroma - Where do I begin? The molasses and raisin notes are front-in-center that are followed by some dark fruitness and oak notes. I'm also getting some light maple syrup notes with a bit of spiciness, some nutmeg and even a hint of black peppers. There are of course other scents in here but they're too close together to distinguish one from the other. All of this is supported by a solid chocolate malt backbone.

Taste - Rum raisin, maple syrup, and chocolate malts make up the front of the flavor, before giving away to molasses, nutmeg, and oakiness in the middle. That, in turn, is followed by some dates & cheyenne peppers.....which is followed by some more rum raisin & black peppers, some grassiness that tastes like the smell of a dandelion.....before finally rounding out with some roasted barley, chocolate sweetness and a bit of a peppery kick.

The amount of layers along with the sheer diversity in the overall flavor borderlines on being mindblowing. Like a Russian nesting doll, the flavors keep coming out of nowhere just when you think it's finished and then some after that. This is one of the most complex tasting Imperial Stouts I've ever had

I'm going to make an impassioned plea to Bell's Brewing here: I know you have tons of different styles of beer that you produce each year and I'm painfully aware that beers like Neptune are more of a niche than say Two Hearted. However if you can find it in your heart to bring this back in some way, shape, or capacity, you will have my eternal gratitude.

It is rare that I find a beer so perfect that it leaves a lasting impression on me and this is one of those beers. It makes it all the more unfortunate that this is a one time deal, because Neptune is a love letter to fans of the Imperial Stout style. I know it's unlikely that this beer will ever see the light of day again, so if you're able to find this, there is no question that you need to buy this. It is beers like Neptune that make the world of craft beer such a fun & interesting place.

Bell's Neptune - 10/10

Bell's Uranus Review

Name: Bell's Uranus
Style: Imperial Black IPA
ABV: 9.5%
IBUs: N/A

Well I honestly thought I'd never get to review this due to everything that's been going on and the fact I hadn't seen it on shelves until last weekend, but now my bottle cap collection can continue. Today I've got the second-to-last offering in the Bell's Brewery Planet Series which is Uranus: The Magician.

This time around, we've been given an Imperial Black IPA. It's a style I've never had before from Bell's, let alone a Black IPA from them. However they've added Citra, Galaxy & Polaris (The North Star) hops, because, you know, it's all about space. Though I will admit it's fairly clever to implement the said hops.

Appearance - Initially pitch black in color but it turns to a very dark brown color when held to a light. The head is reasonably foamy but not by any means voluminous. There is some pretty good sticky lacing here but there isn't any visible carbonation

Aroma - Chocolate malts upfront followed immediately by bitter & citrus hoppiness. There's also a bit of light roastiness thrown in as well. Aside from all of that, the nose feels just a little underwhelming even after warming up. On the plus side, I'm not getting any booziness.

Taste - Strong citrus and bitter hops upfront backed up by a solid chocolate malt backbone and light roasted barley. I'm also getting some grapefruitiness more towards the back of the palate along with some light marshmallow notes that seemingly encompass the flavor.

All and all, I wouldn't go as far as to say that this is my favorite of the series (That distinction still belongs to Saturn) but it's up there! That said, it's a great tasting black IPA in it's own right. If Bell's were to add this as a seasonal, I would certainly be buying this as a six pack. Like many beers I've had in the Planet Series, it's makes my heart sink just a bit knowing that we could potentially never see these beers made by Bell's again.

Bell's Uranus - 9/10

Bell's Saturn Review

Name: Bell's Saturn
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 11.5%

Bell's Brewery has just released the fifth beer in their Planets Series, which is based off of The Planets suite by Gustav Holst. Tonight I have the beer based on the fifth canto of the suite: Saturn.

The style is a barleywine that has been aged in bourbon barrels, and it's meant to be aged for a long time according to the brewery's website. it makes sense when you consider that the full name of this canto is Saturn: The Bringer of Old Age.

Appearance - Dark orange/brown color with just a hint of carbonation. The head is on the thinner side but has some good filmy retention and the lacing itself is rather plentiful

Aroma - Strong caramelized malts on the front of the nose followed by some potent vanilla sweetness and oakiness. I'm also getting some strong bitter and piney hoppiness here too. The more it warms up, the more that vanilla and oak start to shine through, so you can definitely tell this has been barrel-aged.

Taste - The vanilla and oakiness move to the front and center of the flavor along with the caramelized malts, all of which linger throughout. During the second half of the flavor is when you starting getting that bitter and citrus hoppiness. The aftertaste consists of some vanilla and oak notes paired with some bitter hoppiness

My favorite barrel-aged barleywine before having this was from Central Waters, but I think this is slightly better. I've been very impressed with the Planet Series so far, but this stands out right now as my absolute favorite of the series. Even if you don't decide to wait and age this, you're still in for an absolutely fantastic beer!

Bell's Saturn - 9.75/10

Bell's Mercury Review

Name: Bell's Mercury
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
ABV: 4.8%

The next release in the Planet Series from Bell's Brewery, which based on the orchestral piece by Gustav Holst, recently hit shelves with Mercury: The Winged Messenger. Since Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system, it only makes sense that this beer is the smallest in terms of alcohol content at just 4.8%

The beer also pairs wonderfully with the Mercury section of Mr. Holst's classic masterpiece...

Mercury pours a very hazy yellow color with no visible carbonation. Despite there being a very thin head that retains around the edges, the lacing is on the sparse side.

The aroma has some potent clove notes in with some Belgian Yeasts along with some pale maltiness. I'm also getting some some cracked pepper and a some pilsner-grassiness.

Flavor-wise I'm getting some strong clove and cracked pepper notes upfront mixed in with some Belgian yeastiness and pale malts. In the aftertaste I'm getting some surprisingly strong hop bitterness & light spiciness in the aftertaste, which is unusually strong for a session ale; Though I'm not complaining

This has to be one of the best session ale, if not, the best I've had to date. The flavor is complex and robust yet you can still enjoy it throughout the day. I can tell that Bell's put a lot of love into making this a tasty session ale and their efforts are a resounding success. It's a limited release so get it while you can.

Bell's Mercury - 9.25/10

Bell's Venus Review

Name: Bell's Venus
Style: Blonde Ale
ABV: 7.5%

Today I have the second beer in the Bell's Planet Series, which are a series of 7 beers based off of Gustav Holst's The Planets orchestral suite. The first one I reviewed was Mars: The Bringer of War, which was an aggressively hopped Imperial IPA, much like its musical counterpart which was aggressive as well.

The beer we are taking a look at is Venus: The Bringer of Peace, which is a Blonde Ale brewed with Apricot Juice, Honey, Cardamom (ginger) and vanilla beans. Also, I have provided the musical counterpart for this beer.

Venus pours a bright hazy orange color with a thin filmy head. The lacing retention is somewhat sparse and the visible carbonation is mild.

The aroma is somewhat of a delight. On the front end of the nose, I'm picking up on some strong ginger and vanilla notes, which are backed by some apricot & honey sweetness, and what I believe to be some citrus hoppiness.

The flavor switches it up a bit, as there is some citrus and apricot fruitiness upfront while the ginger and vanilla aspects make up the second part of the flavor before ending on with a lingering vanilla and light honey aftertaste. There's also a light coriander-like tanginess in the flavor that lingers mostly in the aftertaste

The body is pretty moderate in weight with some light carbonation, which makes this an easy drinker.

Venus matches its musical counterpart well with a complex & dazzling flavor and yet manages to come across as non-aggressive. Like the orchestral piece, it's a flavor that lingers on long after being finished. Be sure to check this out should you get the opportunity to do so.

And in case you were wondering, I did listen to the musical piece while drinking this.

Bell's Venus - 9.25/10

Bell's Mars Review

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