Evening Bell - Kane Brewing
Morning Bell and Evening Bell have always been somewhat of a mystery to me. Very few places do porters to an exceptional degree, but Kane Brewing seems to skirt the line with what they do to their imperial porters versus what a stout is. I don't know what it is about both of them, but the sipping experience is almost akin to a finely tuned stout without being so. With that said, it's always a treat whenever either Morning Bell or Evening Bell are dropped in bottled format to the surprise of many. The 750 mL format is fantastic and ideal for sharing. Fortunately, I decided to sip this over the course of a Sunday afternoon for... hours.
It was an absolute treat to enjoy the nuances, flavors, and notes that Evening Bell brought to the table. Upon opening the bottle, notes of cocoa were prevalent. For a 9.2% beer, the booze is so well-hidden in the beer, you can hardly tell it'd be "alcohol". It'd been a while since I've had Evening Bell but I've had Morning Bell multiple times since. The main difference between the two is that Morning Bell has been brewed with exclusively Rook Coffee for a more balanced bitterness that is most excellent. Evening Bell is almost a stripped down version of that, that seems to serve as the base for Morning Bell. Both are fantastic. The slight nod does go to Morning Bell but that in no way under-appreciates what Evening Bell has going for it.
As the afternoon drifted on, and the bottled warmed up, the flavors bounced around even more. It was quite the delightful experience to enjoy while watching a movie on a colder weekend day. I'm glad that Kane decided to bottle this up, just so I could remember what this was like, especially now that my palate is a little more refined than the last time I had it a few years ago. Well crafted and delicious, another hit from Kane Brewing - cheers!