Bells Batch 7000 Ale

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

Bottle: Jet black with a mondo light brown head. Lacing is like chocolate cool whip -- yummmm!! I smell hops, chocolate. The moment it hit my tongue, my brain told me "this is a complex imperial stout!" One that is marked by bitter hops in the lasting aftertaste, sweet alcohol and other darly roasted verities. This stout will make a man out of you! I would like to see what those guys who brag about how Guinness is a like a steak dinner and how they like heavy beer would do with this one! Most stouts pale in comparison to this hefty ale. This beer’s dad must be a pistol because it’s a real son of a gun!

Good imperial stout, but too sweet for my taste. Needs more alcohol backbone and more hops. Definitely don’t notice the 12%.

Poured a oily opague black body with a thick, longlasting chestnut brown head. Strong dark chocolate aroma with hints of carmel, sweet cigar smoke, raisins, and coffee. Incredibly complex flavors. Dark bakers choclate, mild bourbon, dry oak, coriander, burnt coffee, and some citrus in the finish. Aged incredibly well!!

Pours a deep thick black-brown topped by a dark brown head of sudsy foam that’s at least two inches thick. Excellent head retention, good lacing. Strong roasted grain and mocha in the aroma. Thickly roasted malt that is definately charred but not quite burnt or bitter. The chocolate, on the other hand, is quite bitter. The coffee flavor is strong. Noticeable vanilla. A hint of smoke. Dark toasted raisin bread. Thick and oily and velvety smooth mouthfeel. Lightly carbonated.

Pours like motor oil. Very thick and syrupy lookiing. Interesting how when poured there is virtually no head, then a thin head appears a few seconds later, and again almost disappears. Don’t know if I’ve ever observed that before. Well, I guess because of that phenomonon appearance gets a 5. The lace is ultra impressive as well. Almost covers the whole section of the glass when it is poured. Smells like raisin, chocolate, molasses, a complex concoction. Flavor is chocolate and raisin, with a somewhat bitter finish. A beer that starts out a little tougher to drink but then keeps growing, growing, growing on me. This is one which intrigues me, it says, "Try me again, once more, I will get better with each sip". It’s not lying. Boy, I’ll tell you, until I got serious about rating beers, I did not like the stouts, but that was because the only stouts I tried were bad imitations like Guiness and Murphy’s. This one is so much better. Thanks to wawood for letting me scrape one off your 6 pack.

I think I got this via last years Secret Santa. If so, thank you Saint Nick. 12oz bottle pours a viscous, oily, opaque black with a very thin, bubbly tan head. Legs down the side of the glass like a fine scotch. Aroma is strong but doesn’t beat you over the head, toast, roasted grain, raisions, dark chocolate, earth, tobacco, molasses. Flavor is very strong on the brown sugar, chocolate, slight coffee, toast, very heavy raisin, vanilla, bourbon, booze, molasses, nuts, you name it really. I was surprised at how drinkable this was, easy on the tongue for 12% alcohol but still very complex. Sweet and bitter on the end, thick and oily. A real treat. I wish I had a case. Bells really knows how to do their stouts.

aroma of gingerbread, brown sugar, ripe fruit. Pours opaque black, nice reddish/brown head. Flavour is sweet and thick. Strong licorice and fig flavours. Hops in the finish. Tasty.

inky black liquid from the 12 oz bottle. not as opaque as some imperial stouts but its blackness is extraordinarily inviting. aroma is a bit alcoholic, but essentially comprises the spectrum of bells 3 "big" beers: a blend of expedition, third coast, and eccentric ales give it fruit and spice and roast, and the hops are just sort of along for the ride. holy crap, how many ingredients are in this stuff? there’s coriander, pepper, cherry, orange, coffee, dirt, hops, malt....sensory overload. this will become exquisite over the next few years when the alcohol smooths a bit....