Sierra Nevada/Bells Brewery – Beer Camp Across America Maillard’s Odyssey: A collaboration with Bells Brewery this Imperial Dark Ale was brewed at a strength of 8.5% abv and 40 IBUs. Another brewery that has not come across my fridge or cellar is Bells Brewery who seems to make a lot of high quality beer that I will try and find in the future. This particular beer was named after Maillard’s reaction, the browning of food and reducing sugars that brings forth caramelization and more, pretty suitable for an Imperial Dark Ale!

Aroma and Appearance: It pours a very dark red colour with an inch of foam and no visible carbonation. The aroma is molasses, blackberries, booze, well toasted bread, toffee and plums.

Flavour: Lots of roasty malt and some smoke up front followed by molasses, toffee, earth, nuts in the middle and a dry cocoa light bitter finish.

Overall Impression: I swore on my first sip, awesome stuff.

Rating: It was awesome at 9/10, best of the bunch I think. This is one of my favourite styles of beer and they nailed it, it would also do well in a cellar for a couple years.

Food Pairing: Smoked brisket or ribs would pair wonderfully with this beer.