Bells Java Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in English pint

UPDATED: JUL 30, 2010 Bottle pours a thick brown body with some off-white lacing. Aroma is strong espresso shot - coffee, roast, and chocolate malts. Mouthfeel is medium and almost stinging with notes of roasted barley, chocolate malt, and coffee dominating with a strong underlying tart backbone.

Black pour with a small light brown head which gathers around the edges. There’s chocolate and roasted malt, dark roasted coffee, and lactose in the nose. The palate is oily, medium in body, initially lively carbonated, but settles after a few minutes. Astringent in the finish. The flavor is pretty sweet upfront and finishes with a roasted coffee bitterness and funky tartness. I find this beer too sweet for my taste and the coffee is overpowering; it’s not subtle at all. Disappointing.

A- The body is jet black and is unforgiving even when held up to the light. An aggressive pour results in a very scanty head (less then 1/2 finger) that soon disappears. A very thin, dark tan collar is all that remains. No lacing is left behind in the glass. S- Roasted malt is the first to hit the nose along with a ton off coffee. The nose basically says that I should be drinking this in the morning rather than past 11 PM. T-The taste is much as the nose suggests. Initial flavor is medium strength and consists of rich roasted chocolate malt and coffee-with hints of a caramel sweetness. These flavors intensify for the finish and a sharp coffee bitterness is added. The bitterness soon subsides and what lingers is the taste of toasted malt, caramel,coffee, and the slightest hint of alcohol warmth. P- Medium carbonation and mouthfeel is just a hair heavier than medium. The mouthfeel is not as thick as most from this style. O- This is a nice, drinkable stout that I will have again. I was surprised that this wasn’t a lower ABV stout-because it hides the alcohol well without being too rich. Job well done by Bell’s Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 02-07-2008 04:32:31

12oz bottle. Of course the obvious, coffee and more coffee. Tatse was very much of dark chocolate and coffee., Nice roasted malt flavor. medium mouthfeel

Wow, for me, this is the bomb for big coffee stouts. Pours dark as motor oil with a short but thick head. The aroma and palate are robust with malt and java, but smooth and very satisfying . The Kalamazoo Stout is a favorite and this Java Stout is an ideal follow-up for the palate. Excellent!

Love the label in a big way. Coffee ground aroma is upfront and foremost and so it is in the flavor. Nice dark brown color. Thin enough to make it a session beer when it’s cold out. Just not my style may be a good bee but I could not drink it.

Thanks again, Adrian! Coffee and esters in the aroma. A medium weight coffee brew that seemed more like a porter than a stout. Coffee, roasted malts, a touch of herbal hops, a bit of chocolate, and a little fruity sweetness. A very enjoyable and drinkable brew.

Big coffee nose and dry, dry, dry finish. This is my least favorite of the Bell’s stouts, although that is a bit like being my least favorite denomination of currency: some is still better than none. Thank you. I’ll be here all week.