Bells Batch 7000 Ale

Pours dark brown, thick-looking like Expedition, with a nice sized tan head. Aroma is huge dark fruits, milk chocolate, very sweet, almost bourbon-ish... I had to double check I was not drinking the bourbon barrel aged stuff. Flavor is a lot heavier with the chocolate, except it has a bitter dark chocolate flavor instead of the smooth milk chocolate I got from the nose. Big dark chocolate, roasty malts, a little bit of cherry and just a tinge of alcohol. This is pretty old, it certainly does not need more age, but I still think it has the potential to be even better with additional time in the cellar. Absolutely fantastic.

Huge thanks to KP for this bottle. Been waiting to try this for a long time. Pours thick looking, dark black color with very good carbonation. A sea of dark brown head covers the top and has decent retention for awhile before forming a ring. Aroma is noticeable from a yard away. Intense display of brownie, decadent and dessert like. Sweet, chocolatey fudge. Really the only image in my head I get when I smell this is different forms of chocolate dessert. A lot of vanilla too. Creamy, milky smooth in its aroma, no harshness or alcohol, though that is to be expected of something more than 3 years old. The signs of aging have not really caught up to this. I have not had this before so I have no comparison but oxidation is surprisingly low. On to the flavor. Huge chocolate, velvety smooth and super lush. Wow, this is just a gorgeous beer on the palate. Super rich, super creamy, intense. Still has some big bitterness and roastiness, chocolate, dark chocolate. This is mindblowingly good. Super flavorful. This is different enough from expedition, one of my very favorite beers. They have similarities but this is more dark chocolate whereas expedition is milk chocolate. All in all I think this beer will last for a significant amount of time, I can actually see this improving. Phenomenal stuff.

12oz bottle. Dang, I forgot to write down the batch number on the back label (he he). Pours pitch black with a huge tan head. Aroma of bourbon, dark fruit, chocolate and coffee. Flavor is pretty much the same, with the alcohol presence being just a tad too much. Surprising, seeing as this stuff was bottled in ’05. Wonder what another year or so might do. Still an amazing beer. Update - Usually not my style to update ratings, but I had this one again at the Hopsnobbery Collective stout tasting on 1.16.09 and it was the best of the night up against some of the big boys. Did not seem as astringent as the last bottle and that really brought out the other flavors, so I have bump the flavor up to 10. Aroma got bumped to 9, bringing overall to 19.

12oz bottle from pantanap, thanks Kan. Pours like oil, dark tan head. Great aroma, dark roasted malt, dark fruits, very rich. Nice little bitterness to it, coffee, dark bittersweet chocolate. Very tasty brew.

Bottle. Had first one almost 3 years ago, and last one now. I remember the first one taking an hour to drink. I spilled a drop on my sock and the spot never completely faded in the wash in two years. That should tell you all you need to know about the depth of blackness in both color and flavor of this beer. Intensely flavored and mind-numbingly viscous. Actually feels like you are drinking evil. Good evil.

Bottle at home ...
Thanks to one of my traders for this ... sorry i kept forgetting who ... WOW this is a Stout.!!!! ... Maybe a Stout crossed with a Barley Wine ... Saying that mmmm .... Deep black ... no head ... sweet caramalised toffee barley wine malt nose ... Sweet juicy deep and rich ... low carbonation ... medium to full body ... rich vineous fruits ... litttle spirit ... some deep roast malts ...little chocolate ... quite sweet.

Bottle: Shared by beastiefan2k back at the hotel during G.A.B.F. 2008. Opaque pour with a deep khaki dense lacing head. Very pungent and sweet nose. Chocolate syrup, espresso, boozy and burnt. Slick and thick texture. Sugary sweet flavor with burnt espresso roast and chocolate liqueur. Extremely rich and hard to drink.

5/14/08. This was my end of the Spring semester celebratory beer. I can’t think of a better time to open this beer. An aggressive pour into my Duvel tulip leaves a nice lasting dark brown head. The smell is off the charts. Definitely a lot of oxidation (soy sauceish?) in there but it blends really well with the dark chocolate and roasted malt smells also get plenty of molasses. I could smell this all day. The taste is really similar to the smell and there is quite a bit of apparent alcohol still here. Tons of chocolate and roastiness as well as a pleasant lingering bitterness. This just absolutely coated my mouth and slicked over my tongue. Exceptional mouthfeel. This is a great double stout but I can’t picture ever having more than one or two but I don’t think I will have that problem as this is my only one! Enjoyed this to the very last drop.