Bells Batch 7000 Ale

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

12oz bottle, I stole it from Kevin! I figured this would be a barleywine...but I was pleasantly surprised! Pours oil black with a solid brown head...I can smell liquorice before I’m done pouring my glass. Strong aromatics...some sort of doughy roastiness...a bit chalky or musty. Chocolate too, with a little earth tinge. The massive thick sweet body is certainly there on this beast. Some coffee lingering. Mouthfeel is a bit odd as it jumps from huge sweetness into dry, warming tannins w/ coffee like bitterness hanging around for minutes after each sip. I don’t particularily enjoy that long lingering. Maybe I’m just jaded, but I don’t think this is wonderful. Massice...yes...delicious...I’m gulping it down instead of sipping it...but wonderful I’ll reserve for a beer that has a little more utility than this beast. The malt really does show up the more I drink it. But because of the relatively few times I could drink a beer this thick, sweet and strong, I can’t give it a lofty status, and I need to go back and reconsider many of my earlier ratings on beers like this. My growing feeling for Imperial Stouts is somewhat akin to how I feel about long classic rock or blues guitar solos...they soar on & on & on...and so many people think they are inspired...but to me, they are nothing more than guitar masturbation...they’re doing just because they can, not because it makes any sense...must be done in small, tasteful doses!

Bottled @ Sk8vikings blind porter/stout tasting. Beer no. 7: Pitch black coloured. Dense light brown head. Sweetness, liqourice, coffee, cocoa and some dark fruits in the aroma. Flavour is heavily roasted, sweet and has notes of burnt coffee, liqourice and brown sugar. Is full bodied. Very lasting roasty and alcoholdense end. Still loads of liqourice and roasted coffee. This is the shit. Looking forward to the sample I have at home from a trade with the mighty BBB63.

Bottle. Pours a very oily, dark ruby red, brown color. Massive tan head, that lingers for quite some time. Aroma is of coffee, malts, raisin, and figs. First impression is very thick and oily on the tongue. Hard to pick out alot of flavors for me. Maybe a slight apple note. Slightly bitter hoppy note. Some bitter dark chocolate notes as well. Very nice and long in the finish. Finishes very, very long. Good beer. Bells does another great brew.

Tasted blind at Sk8vikings amazing Porter/Stout tasting - Black body, big small bubbled head; Huge, soapy, hoppy, licorice nose, a little oxidized, lots of toffee, caramel, together with leather and some fresh fruit, very complex and very pleasant; Huge explosive body with a great very soft carbonation; Into a very, very long finish, that is so explosive that it almost hurts, lots of fresh and dry pine needles, English bitter licorice, a bit bitter dry as well as salty, the finish just goes on forever.

Bottle. Pitch black colour with a nice head. Lovely aroma of chocolate, roastedness and heavy maltness, hints of sourness and little alcoholic. Extremly heavy flavour of roastedness, little oli, coffee and fruity. Ends up little bitter and alcoholic. Very nice endeed.

Bottle. Black colour with a brown head. Light roasted, dark fruits, coffee aroma and taste. Full body with a fruity, light alcoholic finish. Great!

Bottle. Black coloured with a beige head. Roasted aroma of coffee and hops. Very roasted flavour of coffee, liquorice, hops and grape fruits. Long and dry roasted finish.

(Blind rating at sk8viking’s.) Pours black with a light brown head. Nice lacings. Burnt malts, strong coffe and some nice fruityness. Hints of dark fruits - raisins. Full bodied. Hint of tar. Mellow carbonation. Warming alc. finish.