Bells Batch 7000 Ale

Pours a super thick opaque black. Like primordial ooze. Very little head, just a swirl of lace in the center of the pour. Mirror black in the glass. Roast and alcohol dominate the aroma. Taste is very complex with burnt dark fruit, chalky burnt roast followed by caramel and hop/roast bitterness. Very complex and very good. I had thins one quite some time ago, wish I could score another bottle.

This is IMMENSE. So thick its almost chewy. Has an intense roasted malt flavor, the bitterness matched the maltiness quite well. I’m so glad i still have more of this.

Pours viscous and syrupy. Smells dark and roasty, with the slight scent of malts and alcohol. Had it many times on tap at the eccentric cafe and have a half of a case left for rainy days. Taste is mouthwateringly delicious espresso, chocolate, vanilla, with a perfect balance of hops and a light alcohol finish. I constantly have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy it. This is what a great Imperial Stout should taste like. Get it if you can...

Bottle. Poured a super dark opaque brown with a persistent light brown head. Rich sweet scent of dark chocolate and raisins, very malty. The alcohol in this is a little asertive upfront and something approaching a fruity sourness greets your tastebuds before the bolder dark roast bitterness overtakes and dominates this bold beer. Incredibely smooth with a nice lingering flavor.

Awesome. This beer is dark and flavorful. burnt coffe. bittersweet chcolate , vanilla, a lot of roasted flavors....carbonation level gives it a heavy mouthful, and lively taste -- spicey malt aftertaste....alch level is perfect!

Oh, lordy. Shimmering black motor oil. We got some roast, we got some coffee, we got some spice and dark fruits. Don’t forget the silky smoothness hiding 12%.

This beer pours a bright vibrant stream of glowing dark brown from the bottle into my tulip that looks tremendously viscous. After a gentle pour, a swarm of tiny copper bubbles sluggishly climb up the sides of the glass through the midnight black beer to take part in the copper ball-bearing head. The head then fell to a thin film of dark tan and slowly made its way into a collar. A glance across the dimple in the bottom of the tulip shows only the faintest hints of port. A gentle whiff detects maple syrup, prune, red licorice and brown sugar sweetness with a burnt coffee, ultra dark chocolate and a bit of anise riding on top. There’s also an organic, dry, woody essence that’s hiding in the background holding back a sweet alcohol. A strong inhale through my nose amplifies this alcohol (too much?), but pulls with it a lot of dark fruit sweetness. Oddly, if I sniff slowly, the pleasant qualities are amplified. If I sniff deeply, I get my nose hairs singed by alcohol. My rating will have to stand as an average. Tastes initially of sweet milk chocolate and some light and easy dark fruits. It then picks up a light electric sting around the edges of my tongue and then crashes down into a mesquite roasted coffee. Along the sides of my tongue, there are little effervescing pockets of charred caramel blended with oak and grapefruit that playfully dance there, and then fade away. Nice. The main coffee flavor here is really stupendous. I normally look down upon an over reliance on coffee flavors, but this one is really exciting for my palate. Thankfully, this coffee then rides out into the finish, accompanied by some sweet maple syrup and lingering cocoa with a spot of oaky dryness. I’m diggin’ this! The mouth feel is phenomenally delicate and smooth, much like a silk lace that initially swarms with microscopic bubbles lending a pudding like feel, but then deflates, dropping off the dry coffee and a slight layer of creamy film. This change up is really impressive, appropriate for the style and does wonders for the dynamics of the flavor. Damn! What a trip! Over all, the alcohol got a little hot in the nose and the over all intensity slowed me down quite a bit (a little over an hour to finish), but I loved this one.

Bottle, with ClarkVV and Sully. Black in colour. Very full bodied and heavy. Lots of roasted malt, tar, charcoal, dark chocolate, licorice. Quite a sweet mouthfeel, but with quite a bitter roasted finish, quite hoppy aswell. Full bodied. I need more of this!