Bells Batch 7000 Ale

Thanks to iowaherkeye for this one. Black pour with a very small head and minimal lacing... almost oil. Aroma is big. Rummy raisins, licorice, chocolate, coffee, all the stuff you want. Flavor is big, some hop bite too. Oily mouthfeel, some alcohol in the finish. Very tasty.

12oz bottle - totally opaque jet black color with tiny ruddy brown/red head. Aroma has notes of apple, pear, brandy, blackstrap molasses, raisens, dark chocolate with a touch of roastyness. Flavor is malty, fairly roasty, prominent roasted grains, ash, bit of caramel, pear, brandy. Palate is thick and chewy, with a finish that is reasonably balanced, but the bitterness winning out a bit in the end. A deep, contemplative brew, nice, but with a bit too much bitter malts that gives it a bit too much of a bitter edge.

Rating #2000! I was going to hold out until a tasting this week but I had a night to myself and the lure of rating "7000" for "2000" was pretty tempting, so here we are. Many thanks to those who shared beers along the way! <P> Black ruby tinged body with a moderate creamy chocolate coloured head, nice lacing. Sweet, fruity aroma, rum raisins, sour chocolate, muted roast malt. Dry tangy malt flavour up front, sweet malt middle with notes of chocolate, dry finish and lingering warming alcohol in the throat. Lingering aftertaste has a bitterness that I have trouble attributing to roast and hops. Becomes a bit too bitter, and harder to drink as the glass warms up, and more of the flavours I tend not to like come out but nice nonetheless. Medium oily palate. Pretty solid imperial stout, and a fitting milestone beer.

Pours a deep viscous black, opaque with a brown cream-like head, beautiful lacing and a lasting head. Aroma is innitially burnt and choclatey, but as it warms, rum raisin, alcohol and anise come to the forefront. The body is simply viscous. Could be thicker, but I wouldn’t want it thicker. The flavors are a melding of dutch chocolate, caramelized rum raisins, nougget, and alcohol. Finish is slightly bitter but lasting with a sweetness and warming character that I could really get used to over a long winter night. Quite simply a beautiful complex stout from the best stout brewer in the world.

12 oz bottle courtesey of Footbalm. Dark, dark, dark. Smells great, very strong aromas of chocolate/malt. Taste is very potent, strong, but well balanced. A definite good beer. Very strong though.

Pours VERY dark brown, close to black with a beautiful dark orange head. Aromas is roasted dark chocolate malt, cream and vanilla - delicious. Thick and oily mouthfeel - very smooth with gentle carbonation on the finish. Taste has lots of roasted / burnt malts and spicy / woody hops with lots of creaminess and some vanilla and chocolate hinted in the background. Finish as more bitterness from the hops and a little burn from the ABV. Fantastic beer.

Some chocolate and coffee in the aroma and flavor. Also had a slightly hoppy flavor. Some dry dustiness and syrupy thickness reminded me of an old ale mixed with an imperial stout.

Appears a dense black with a 3 finger tan, pillowy head that slowly fades out in a mild egg shell finish cap. Luscious coats of lacing are left around the glass complete with little bubbles that are reminiscent of pancake batter first poured on a hot griddle. Smell is of hot chocolate fudge, ripe dark fruits, fresh espresso, raisiny resin, and roasted peanuts. Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a doughy taste that also contains molasses. The hops are there and I could see how some would be turned away by this hoppy, sweet monster...but I am a huge fan of the fresh hop out of the bag aromas and taste and this is like standing over a hop boil in a stout. I could just dig into this all night long. Chewy, full bodied, sweet up front, sticky along the palate with sweetness, hoppy bitterness, and a dessert richness that is blissfull. This one is a fantastic brew. I was torn at giving it between a 4-4.5 but overall, this is an after dinner brew/night capper that is rich, fulfilling, and packs an alcoholic punch. I really wish that I had picked up more of these on my MI trip. I’ve got one more that I will sit on and open at a later time.