30 April 2007

KOTBR Review #17: Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Ale

The Knights of the Beer Roundtable met up on Indy's better (south) side with special guest Jim Schembre of World Class Beverages to check out the amazing selection of beers on tap at Shallos. My notes said it well enough: "I'm overwhelmed."

Chris got lost on the way to reviewing the Hell Hath No Fury thanks in part to Shallos' amazing selection and the 21% ABV of his warm-up beer, Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. He added " I'll give it 5 mugs based on ABV, but I can't really remember what it tastes like!"

Jim safely made his way to the Hell Hath No Fury, which he gave a 4 mug rating: "It's dark brown in color with a fruity nose.... aroma I got was a slightly spicy, raisiny one... I expected the Fury to have a little bite to it. But to my surprise, the Fury is quite drinkable."

Jason lauded Shallos selection, thought up a new name for the Hoosier Beer Geeks, and agreed with Jim in giving a four mug rating: "I think there were plenty of roasted malt scents, like coffee, chocolate, caramel, and the like... in a way, it smelled like a chocolate-covered orange... Bittersweet. With a little bit of spice. And I found some clove after the beer is swallowed... I was surprised with how creamy smooth it was, making it easy to swallow. Makes me think of a nice porter."

Kelly was last to weigh in - she was too busy being a successful human being. But after all the bragging she shared her thoughts and gave the Hell Hath No Fury 3.5 mugs: "Wow... totally opaque, very thin head that dissipated almost instantly... could smell the toasty, malty smell before I even got my nose near the glass... I was expecting a pretty bracing and snappy beer. Not so with this one... it went down smoothly with a lot of coffee, caramel, and a bit of spice and fruit... this beer... was the perfect thing for me on a happy spring evening. I give it 3.5 mugs, with another .5 mug for the completely awesome server who name-dropped with me about people we both knew from my hometown."

All the Geeks wish to again extend our thanks to Jim Schembre of World Class Beverages, who bought us a round, and taught us about the business side of craft brew distribution in Indiana. For more about that, and further pearls of wisdom like you've come to expect from the Knights, click on the individual reviews.

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