Bells Batch 7000 Ale

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

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.

12 oz. bottle - thanks to drewbeerme for the trade; jet black with thin chocolate head; resinous aromas of coffee, alcohol, roasted malts; sweet and strong; a little on the hot side and a sipper, but a killer one at that; very similar to my most recent bottle of expedition; sweet and creamy, delish

bottle, thanks to The Beer Sommelier. pours a thick dark black with a one finger tan head. the head disappears after a bit and does not leave any lacing. wonderful strong aromas of dark fruits, chocolate and coffee. extremely smooth over the tongue with a huge soft body. somewhat bitter up front... lots of dark fruit on top and creamy on the sides. dark espresso and chocolate come through as well along with some oatmeal. nice finish - strong and sweet. wonderful beer.

Bottles from iowaherkeye and brigadier..many thanks. Black pour with a small wispy brown head. Aroma is molasses, prunes, chocolate and some coffee. Flavor is coffee, chocolate, and a really nice hop profile that seems to me to indicate a nice dry hopping in the beer. Great beer and I feel lucky to have had it.

a good beer...but it seems a bit funky....I wonder if it was just not handled well....seemed really too ashy for its own good.....sad....and a fair amount of vegetable notes

Many thanks again to Pigfoot in Minneapolis for this stunning special release! Sampled in the sun with friends on new years’ day 2008. Look: Menacing opaque with sediment in the bottle, like molasses or (from a rural perspective) like cow-shed effluent but not as green! Left a dense, viscous, thick oil around the glass (not unlike motor oil). Aroma: Big sweetness upfront (malty molasses, prunes) followed by Marmite (yeast spread) - and a farm supply shop smell. Finished with citrus zing. Taste: Surely the most polarising beer I’ve ever shared - "this is not like beer!" a friend exclaimed. We tasted tar (like licking a road), burnt coffee and toffee, molasses and treacle, an acidic bitterness combined with a sour edge that lingered for ever and ever. As we sipped the alcohol became apparent prompting guesses at it’s strength from 7.5 to 8.5% ABV. Body: A curious shift from fizziness to reveal a thick, tarry licorice body with warming alcohol. Food: We guessed strong cheeses, salted pistachios, bier-stick or jerky, or even darrrrrk chocolate. Overall: An astounding beer - a barley wine we wondered? Certainly a oncer for fireside end-of-night deep and meaningfuls.