Bells Bourbon Barrel Double Cream Stout

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

Serve in Snifter

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(Draught) Pours an opaque black body with a small tan head. Aroma of roasted grain, coffee, vanilla, and chocolate. Flavor of bourbon, toffee, roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. I only wished this was bottled... Excellent!

Rating #3800!! On tap at Maduro. Poured black with a creamy tan head.. thicker viscosity. The aroma picked up sweet, succulent bourbon and vanilla upfront over sweeter, toasted oats, milk chocolate, and vanilla.. just a pinch of oaky sourness evident on the back of the nose. The flavor was sweet overall with moderately-roasted chocolate, black patent, and creamy rolled oats at the core.. vanilla, sweet bourbon, and tangy oak were laced throughout, and paired up with a touch of coffee bitterness on the finish. Rich, creamy, and smooth across the palate, with spicy, engaging barrel presence in all the right places.. perfectly-balanced. This was the highlight of my weekend!

On tap at Maduro’s in Madison pre-GTMW 2009:

Opaque with just a small frothy head and oily legs. The aroma has notes of bourbon, chocolate, lactic acid, coffee, oak, plum and fig. The taste is big sweet malts with a dark fruit undertone and a side shot of bourbon. Still lots of chocolate and hint of molasses can be easily found. The mouth feel is lush and oily, smooth but a touch ashy upon the finish. The alcohol is shockingly well hidden all things considered. An outstanding use of the barrel where you could till see some of the base Double Cream shine yet a far different beast out of the barrel.

On tap at Maduro pre-GTMW Bells party. pours black with a tan head. aroma of chocolate, bourbon, and coconut. flavor notes are caramel, chocolate, bourbon, oak, and vanilla. all very smooth and well balanced. a wonderful barrel aged beer.

Tap @ Maduro’s. Pours to a black body with a light tan head. The aroma was milk chocolate with a huge vanilla and bourbon. The flavor had tons of milk chocolate, vanilla, nougat, and dry roasty malts. Creamy, thick, and surprisingly nicely hidden ABV on the palate. This was fantastic!

multiple pours at Madur, night before GTMW09... pours a medium visous close to black pour with medium consistency with a quicklly dissipating light tan head... aroma of sweet bourbon, light soy, a little booze, and vanilla... flavors of bourbon, vanilla, some heat, and def not as roasted as the original. a very silky and creamy mouthfeel. a nicely balanced barrel-aged brew that was not overdone in any way.

on tap at maduro for GTMW Bells bourbon cask dbl cream stout Black drk rich head Big mallty aroma lots of bourbon hints of chocolate & vanilla Rich full creamy pal So sweet a little dry in the finish light hop there lots of chocolates milk & vanillas light oak Very good

On tap. Marketed as Bourbon Barrel Double Cream. I asked about it and the batch number is 8835. Pours a dark brown with a lively head that dies fairly quickly. Aromas are sweet and alcoholic. Flavor is more of the same... almost a cloyingly sweet mix of brown sugar, maple syrup, chocolate, figs and raisins with a little bit of a bourbon edge to it. Alcohol is certainly detectable. This was worth the drive...

On tap at Maduro’s
This was the highlight of the party. The BA Hell Hath No Fury would have been just as good if it were not yet so green. Maybe in time it will rival this. In the meantime this is a nice foil to the BA Double Cream/Expedition. I prefer that just a bit more but this is no slouch either. Pick up a pint when you can.

Aroma / Appearance - Very black and oily it likes to adhere to the glass rather than falling smoothly into a cohesive mass. Flat and lifeless there was not much carbonation. The nose was a blend of oak, vanilla, warm rye bread, and roast that takes regular Double Cream to a new level. The warmth is evident just in the headspace.

Flavor / Palate - Dry and chocolaty the mouthfeel is rich and dense. The bourbon comes out towards the end of each sip. Warm yet mellow this was a steal at $4.00 for a full pint. I’m glad I got to try it in a cool bar rather than at the festival the next day. This one would not have been ideal in heat but matches a cool summer evening perfectly.

On tap, and large snifter served at Brixie’s in Brookfield, IL. Poured black/brown, with a modest, light tan head that reduced to a foamy ring and film, leaving some strands of lacing. The aroma was roasty, subtle bourbony cask wood, cocoa, some dark fruit sweetness as plum, and a touches of molasses and vanilla. The flavor was similar, showcasing rich malt, and light creaminess to the mouthfeel. A very enjoyable Imperial Stout!