Beer of the Week: Third Coast Beer

Beer score: 6.7

Company: Bell's Brewery

ABV: 4.8
IBU: 51.00

Coming out of Michigan, the folks at Bell's have been producing some fine beers for decades now. The bottle for this particular beer has changed a few times over the years, but it's always had something of a quaint, old-fashioned look about it, usually sporting portions of a map of the Green Bay region in northwest Michigan.

But what you really want to know how this beer tastes ... is it any good?

Okay, well, it looks weak in the glass with a light gold color, but that coloring can be fooling as this has a strong bitterness to it when it reaches your tongue. This stuff is quite wet, and it makes a great pub brew to go along with hot wings.

As for sniffing, you'll catchy bread-like scents here with maybe the barest hint of fruit. Once you've got this beer in your mouth, you'll pick up more of that bread-like sensation plus a strong hoppy taste and a touch of that fruitiness, though only a touch. What's really going to hit you is the bitterness here. I've read where others have described this drink as tasting something like an IPA, but while this beer does have some of the flavoring of one of the more bitter IPA beers, it doesn't have the usual sourness of an IPA, or at least mine didn't.

Not the best beer in the world, but you know what? It's still worth drinking. If you're in Michigan or somewhere else that serves Bell's beers, give this one a try, or any of the other beers from Bell's.