Bells Batch 7000 Ale

Formerly brewed at Bells Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

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.

Bell’s Batch 7000 hits "center mass" on the imperial stout target. The aroma, appearance, and flavor match quite well. The sheer alcohol content somewhat detracts from the enormous malt and hop flavors, otherwise perfectly balanced. Unlike Kalamazoo Stout, the roast does not overwhelm the finish, and the hops endure. I wouldn’t mind even more hops, perhaps an "imperial" version of Anchor or Sierra Nevada porter.

12 oz bottle: Pretty dark, almost black but a very dark brown w/ a lasting tan head with some orangey redness. Initial aroma is dark fruit (prunes/dates) w/ a mix of chocolatey, roasty, and toasted malts. Some woody and cherry notes as well as alcohol esters. Lightly nutty & raisiny when warmed, and seems more woody as it warms further. Lots of malty sweetness in the flavor throughout. Finishes semi sweet w/ a bit of roasty coffee flavor. Some dark cherry fruit flavors along w/ some chocolate malt. Light alcohol flavor, but very light. Roasty aftertaste w/ some notes of dates and figs. Caramel and toasty malt flavors come through as it warms as well as a bit of a cherry wood flavor. Full bodied, low carbonation, well hidden alcohol although slightly warming, smooth and rich body. Damn, I wish I has more of this one! Fantastic beer to say the least. Thanks to kramer17801 for this one!

Thanks to Rebecca for the bottle. Big old chocolate head, amazing lacing, pitch black body. Nose has cherry twang, molasses,caramel, marshmallow, alcohol, chocolate, some dark fruits. Kinda hot, chocolate, caramel, burnt malt, sweet cherries, slightly sjmoky. If this wasn’t so hot it would be great. Amazing body/carbonation level

Rerate: If there is a beer that has a better aroma, flavor, or leaves a better flavor on the tongue i have yet to see it. One of my all time favorites. Got this on a road trip through Michigan. I wasnt thinking and only got a single instead of the whole six pack. This was excellent. This seems more complex than expedition, but i think i like it better because of that. I think i liked this one more than the expd. because the alcohol seemed more masked, maybe its just me and my palate has evolved. This was very thick and syrupy. If I could find this again I would pick it up very quickly.

From 12oz Bottle. Oily black pour with an even layer of toasted tan head. The aroma is quite delicious. Tons of dark fruits permeate through the heavy coffee aromas: dark ripened prunes, cinnimon spiced raisin, and pumperknickle bread tickle my nostrils. A hint of anise and plum also mix with a molasses and dried apricot sweetness. Some vegetal notes of celery seed in there as well. Thick, heavy, almost syrupy body splashes the lightly bitter flavors of dark fruit across my palate. Toasted dates, caramelized raisins, and seared almonds wash over the tongue during the first wave of flavor. The second wave brings on a dry french roast coffee that comes as a bit of a surprise after the fruity start. Delicious! I love how this beer is able to incorporate the massive fruity characters into the richness of the toasted coffee dimensions as well. It really gives this beer a uniquely creative touch.