Hell’s Belle

Big Boss Brewing Co.
Raleigh, NC

Available: NC

Hell’s Belle is named after a U.S. WWII aircraft, as are all Big Boss brews.

ABV: 7
ABW: 5.57
Color: 4.5
Bitterness: 20
Original gravity: 1069

Hazy gold color. Funky aroma, with creamy vanilla, citrus, clove and a hint of steamed broccoli. More citrus (and orchard fruit) on the palate, along with vanilla-tinged malt and clove, leading to a bitter citrus rind finish. I’d like to see a little more body to balance all the other activities going on in this beer. Too much icing and not enough cake?
- John Hansell

This golden, Belgian-style ale has a prodigiously spicy aroma, full of the kind of citrusy and peppery notes that make me think of coriander and other fiercely aromatic spices, with a canned peach fruitiness serving as backdrop. Tasted cold, it has some bold and round fruit up front, with the spice waiting until the beer has warmed some before making itself known, perhaps a little too aggressively. The finish brings nicely warming alcohol and, in an undecanted glassful, at least, a slight yeastiness. Not quite as well-structured as those Belgian beers that serve as its inspiration, but most enjoyable nonetheless.
- Stephen Beaumont

John Hansell
John Hansell is an equal-opportunity drinker. He writes about beer, wine and spirits. He is the creator, publisher & editor of Malt Advocate, a magazine for the whisky enthusiast.

Stephen Beaumont
Stephen Beaumont boarded his first plane at the age of 15 and hasn’t looked back since, obsessing about travel to the point that he gets nervous if he doesn’t have a ticket or two stacked on the corner of his desk. When he’s not running around in search of new taste experiences, he makes his home in Toronto, where a new cultural experience is only as far away as the next neighborhood.

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