Bells Black Note Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in Snifter

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On tap at NOTB 09. Pours deep dark black with full sweet bourbon notes immediately present. Smokey, roasty, dark chocolate, vanilla, oak, and coffee- complex enough to hold its own against a powerful bourbon backbone. Flavor is similar, with a bourbon punch on a malty backbone. Cream stout presence is really subtle. I would love to try this without the bourbon barreling. Very good though.

UPDATED: MAY 24, 2011 Special thanks to the Indy crew for sending a handbottle to the crew! Inky black pour with no head. All around this beer is extremely complex. The barrel aging really balances this out. Rich full bodied flavor. Big velvety creamy mouth feel. Vanilla, bourbon, oak, chocolate, coffee, roast and hazelnut.

Ah, the baby. Bottle generously sent to the lowly NC mooks by the upstanding gentlemen in the Indy crew. Thick black pour, no head and very little carbonation. Dank and still, inviting. The nose is very complex, with the array of chocolates from the double cream blending marvelously with the subtly used barrel and with the sharper notes (molasses, e.g.) one gets in Expedition. There was some wood prominent in the flavors too, which nicely brought out the more bitter roasts. It’s all held together by a fine, smooth mouthfeel. This is one of the better impy stouts I’ve had, and I was really impressed at how nicely the cream stout benefited the barrel and the beer as a whole. Thanks Indy friends!!!

On tap at Eccentric Café. I’m not usually a fan of these bourbon barrel concoctions, but this one is a winner. Black with a thin beige head. Aroma of roasted malt, bourbon, chocolate, vanilla and mild oak. Smooth body tastes of bourbon, chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, oak, alcohol and a hint of vanilla. Noticeable warming effects.

Thanks to the Indie crew big time for shooting this one our way. Pours an inky black with no head. Nose is pungent/fantastic, bourbon barrel is extremely well integrated. Nice vanilla, creamy, rich, chocolate, coffee, bourbon, molasses, mild warming alcohol. Flavor is very rich and warming, vanilla, bourbon, rich chocolate and molasses, has a nice hop feel with bitterness and alcohol coming through with warmth. Palate is velvety, mildly warming, very nice tannic bite on the palate. Fantastic brew.

Handbottle from the Indy crew... had the pleasure of sampling because I hosted a tasting that included the Carolina Crew recipients of said bottle. Thanks to all these guys! Lovely, complex nose filled with chocolate, toasted vanilla, lots of creme brulee, bourbon, and oak. Nutty and creamy and sweet but not too much of any one thing. Retains a nice complexity instead of being a bourbon bomb. Damn good.

UPDATED: APR 14, 2009 WOW is this ever a good beer. So much going on, all the usual chocolate, roast, coffee, oak, bourbon, vanilla, etc. Just a kick in the mouth and so very flavorful.

From the tap at EBF 09! I must have drunk 10 samples of this stuff during the two day event. Poured an opaque black while cascading into a fine frothy head; perfect! The aroma was incredible if you’re a BB lover. Sweet vanilla, chocolate, oak, and of course, bourbon notes abound; could inhale this all night. The taste was superb; roasted chocolate malt, vanilla, and oak blend so well with the bourbon that it just melts in the mouth. Very smooth and creamy with a very slight hint of ABV; which is scary! One of the best well balanced BB stouts that I have tasted. Too bad this isn’t bottled!!

EBF NOTB and session 1- multiple samples. opaque black with a brown head. Aroma is quite potent with roast, bourbon, chocolate, licorice, oak, and a touch of sherry. Taste is intense, roast, dark chocolate, bourbon, oak, vanilla. Creamy, full body (as double creme suggests) with some good molasses character. Finishes with lingering roast, vanilla, and some alcohol.

Draft, at Night of the Barrels 2/20/09. Pours pitch black, capped with a frothy brown head. Aroma of chocolate malt, vanilla, oak and bourbon. Flavor begins with chocolate and coffee, which are nicely complimented by vanilla, bourbon and wood. Some charcoal creeps in for the finish. Fairly full mouthfeel. Nice beer, I’m glad I had the opportunity to try this.