Bell's This One Goes To 11 Ale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

A buddy of mine lucked into this beer at a Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids. He saw it behind the counter and luckily the woman working had no clue that she wasn’t suppose to sell it and let him purchase a six pack of this beer and he was nice enough to share a bottle with me. Categorized as an American Strong Ale or an Imperial Red This One Goes to 11 was rather obscure on the market this year. I know this beer comes with a hefty price tag but I do think a wider release of this beer would be great because this beer packed a ton of flavor and would be a definite buy again. Nice thick head with tons of lacing, the aroma of the centennial, simcoe, and mosiac hops stand out with grapefruit and citrus, followed nicely by the caramel and toasted aromas of the malts. Flavor resembles the aroma with a deceptively smooth finish. Bells really brings their A game with this beer and they continue to impress with their limited release beers. Not as talked about as Hopslam is when it comes out, this beer should be on your list of beers to try, especially if you are into reds, ambers, or Belgian strongs, but watch out for that ABV, it can sneak up on you. From the brewery: “This One Goes to 11 Ale opens with bright, juicy aromas such as tropical fruits & ripe cherries, largely derived from massive kettle & dry-hop additions of Southern Hemisphere hop varieties such as Galaxy, Motueka, and Summer. The citrus & resinous pine notes of the Pacific Northwest hop family are also well represented, making their presence known through Simcoe, Citra, and the newly released Mosaic varietal, just to name a few. A wide range of specialty malts anchor the hops to this IMPERIAL RED ALE, contrasting the assertive bitterness & juicy aromatics with a robust, toasty depth of flavor. Fermented with Bell’s signature house ale yeast, This One Goes to 11 Ale finishes with a lingering warmth.” REVIEW STYLE: American Strong/Imperial Red ABV:11% PURCHASED AT: A Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids. Pour: Amber pour with a thick white head; great lacing on the glass. Aroma: Grapefruit, caramel, toffee. Taste: Very well balanced between the hops and malts, very drinkable for 11% beer. Overall: B+ My Recommendation: Find it, try it. A great beer to try and if you are new to this style this is a good place to start.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

This imperial red was 3 mo old but tasted and smelled older. Too bad, cause the malts used were really nice, with a Carmely fruity nutty sweetness. There were some citrus hops and bitterness left but they were obviously faded. Fresh, I think this may be in Oskar blues territory, but has a short shelf life I guess...

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Another offering from the PfoxyJohn himself. Amber orange pour with a tight two-finger off-white head leaving drapes of lacing throughout. Nice hops aroma right upfront, grapefruit, a touch of peaches, some pine resin, dank, big caramel sweet malts. Taste is big too, tropical and dank and resiny, offset nicely by the malts. Bitter linger is supreme. Nice effort from Bells. Super cool name too. Thanks a ton to John!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

A very good showing from bells, when I saw imperial red on the bottle I wasn't expecting much. Almost dipa like in its caremally hoppyness. Smelled faintly of a bready Belgian yeast but didn't really pick up any typical Belgian flavors. Perfectly clear red with nice foam on top.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Dark amber pour with a thick creamy off-white head. Starts out with a fruity aroma, very IPA-like. Some fruity hops in the taste but with a strong caramel and bready malt presence as well. Bitter finish with some heat from the alcohol. The alcohol becomes much more pronounced and the fruity hop aroma fades as the beer warms. Will make for a great sipper as the nights get colder.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Bottle pour is deep amber/ruby with a thick and sticky head leaving it's mark all the way down my glass. Beautiful looking brew. This smells like hopslam, almost spot on. Very aromatic with pine and grapefruit dominating but the alcohol is present as well. Thick mouthfeel with a good bit of carbonation. This is a sipper. Flavors of lemon, pine, citrus are accompanied with a thick malt presence - earthy and biscuity. The emphasis of this beer is on the hops and it doesn't disappoint. Strong and unforgiving but no overly sweet. A really great offering.