Bells Batch 7000 Ale

(03.13.06) 12 oz brown bottle purchased from Archer Liquors, Chicago, IL. Pours opaque black with tiny tan head. Soft carbonation. Prunes, roasted malt, and chocolate nose. Very full bodied stout that starts with a dried fruit (prune), expresso coffee, and burnt malt flavors . Smooth, rich and creamy. Some sharpness (carbonation?) in the mouth. Finishes with a roasted coffee, burnt malt fade. Some lingering bitterness. Definite alcoholic warmth. Burnt tasting and intense, this is a take-no-prisoner stout that you could either love or hate. I loved it. My friend Scott L, a homebrewer who specializes in stouts, thought it was unbalanced but could improve with about one year of aging.

Pours very dark black with a highlight of amber. Very little brown head. Smells of molasses, smoke, and some floral hops. Mouthfeel is thick and oily. Coats the back of the mouth. Tastes of choclate and roasted malts. Can definately taste the alcohol. Strong hop finish.

Pours dark brown, almost black, with a late forming head. Chocolate and malt dominate the aroma, with a small amount of hops present. Thick and oily with a strong bitterness. The alcohol is quite present at the finish. Overall, an impressive beer. But, not something I would drink daily.

As soon as the cap is popped off of the bottle a nice hearty aroma of hops enters the nose. Upon further sniffing the fragrances of caramel, nuts, and a mild hint of alcohol can be detected. This thick black liquid fills the glass with the consistency of motor oil. This heavy solution settles under thick mocha colored head that fades rather rapidly to leave just a glaze of bubbles floating on the surface. This thick beer spreads through the mouth smoothly with a bitter sweet introduction. After swallowing, the tongue is left tingling with the flavors of caramel, yeast, barley, roasted nuts, and a mild hint of cactus. There is hint of alcohol that can be detected in the background.

Dark muddy black with frothy head, good lacing. Aromas of molasses, chocolate, cough medicine, tootsie roll... very complex aromas. Full bodied thick texture, drinking this you can guess what drinking chocolate syrup would be like. Flavor long in duration, moderately sweet start with alcohol ending. Beer had a whiskey quality, not a session beer. Excellent beer!

Thank you TAR for this bottle. Full mouthfeel, almost chewy. Some creaminess, but not a really creamy beer. Taste is mostly of cocoa and a bit of raisin. Roasted malt bitterness along with a dash of hops. No alcohol presence, which is shocking for 12%. This is a tasty beer, but not extremely exciting.

Couple of different samples now. Dark brown pour with moderate head - decent lacing. Rich malty aroma with molasses, chocolate, and roasty goodness, and laced with noticable alcohol. Lots of rich sweet caramel malt flavors, with chocolate and molasses and some dark fruity notes. Thick, with alcohol very upfront. Can’t wait to see how this ages. Well done.

Pours as black as the devil’s soul. With a thin reddish tan head that bubles away rather quick. Nose is instantly alcoholic overwhelming even, with hints of dark chocolate and bitter fruit. Flavor on the other hand is almost without alcohol presence entirerly. Very thick rich dark chocolate bitterness overwhelms as a subtle cherry like sweetness trys to make an appearance, but is quickly overwhelmed. Good overall, but it’s no expedition stout. ;)