Bells Batch 7000 Ale

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

Bottle. Thanks to Walt. Opened with a slight hiss sound. Poured a lighter black body with a nice head, wow what legs on this one. Aroma is licorice, choclate, malty, nutty and some oxidation. Flavor at first tasted like burnt malt with quite a bit of oxidation. As it warmed it mellowed to a nice smooth body and mouthfeel - very nutty and lots of chocolate tones to it. Lite sugar and at the end I was loving it. Leaves my lips nice and sticky sweet - mmmm...stout lips!

The initial pour hit me with a sound that poped and crackled as soon as it came out the bottle. Pours a dark muddy black color with a thick chocolate milkshake look to it, has a smell of nuts, and almonds. The first taste bites the palate with a strong expresso taste that is a bit bitter and chewy. The alchohol is noticable and you get sort of a woody, dry smoked flavor that would make this a great beer for 12%. Some cocoa and dry cranberries seem to swirl into your mouth but the dont last as long as the first taste.

Bottle from cbkschubert; Thanks Craig! Nose of raisins, chocolate, molasses, and coffee; dark black with a ring of cinnamon tan bubbles; flavor shows lots of strong, bitter coffee, chocolate, and licorice. Thick body with a nice hop finish.

drank this beer after a year in the cellar. a dark black and rouge color is tiooped by a thick brown head . and we could actually see a tiny, glossy and shiny layer of alcohol at the top. cocoa powder, bitter coffee, and smoke dominate the nose. the front is alcohol, followed by a cocoa and soy sauce flavor that finishes smokey. thick, creamy and bitter smoke fill the mouth. tastes of worchestireshire sauce, smoked ham, and brazil nuts are there as well. quite a treat. thanks jeff

(Bottle thanks Ughsmash) Pours very black. Heavy coffee aroma with smaller notes of black chocolate, dark tar-ish liquorice and some sweet dark fruits. Extremely heavy nose with some asphalt. Hops are also well present with notes of resin and grapefruit. Really dry coffee and liquorice flavour with a lot of tar and salt. Hops are also well present in the flavour with tones of pine, resin and a touch of citrus. Dark syrup and dark malt. Heavy, fiery tar-ish mouthfeel. Lingering dark tar-ish malt aftertaste. Full body. Decent bitterness. As good as Expedition Stout=ass kickning.

bottle: 100th rating pours a very very dark black with a nice faomy cocoa coloured head. very strong nose of roasted chocolate, dark fruits, and licorice and some alcohol i think i even get some molasses cookie in there. wow the flavour is rich deep dark roasted chocolate, molasses, and some sweet dried fruit in the finish. very thick mouthfeel. a most enjoyable 12% beer

Thanks to OhioDad for sending this my way. Very black beer with a thick pillow/creamy dark brown head. Aroma of dark chocolate, heavy roast and some soft earthy hop notes. Very intense cocoa, salty/briny aroma that seems almost light and licoricey. Flavour is intense, sweet chocolate, bitter cocoa. Intensely flavoured, chewy malts, dark chocolate, some molasses, herbal/earthy hop flavour all the way throughout. The herbal hops back up the rich cocoa/charcoal flavours. Further warming intensifies the herbal hop flavour. There is peppery ethanol retronasally. Intense beer, well made, but not my favourite type of IS.

Pours pretty dark with a substantial brown, yellow-tinted head that takes a few seconds to appear after pouring. For a long time, the aroma is dominated by rum, raisins, and a light sambuca. after 30 minutes, the aroma finally comes alive with cocoa, coffee and citrus, and the rum is less dominent. Taste starts with a citrus tang, followed by cocoa, raisins, rum, black coffee, light licorice. Wow, the finish is really strong. There’s plenty of hop flavor well integrated into the beer, but the finish is very bitter. I’m still tasting rum, with some dark chocolate and a lot of burned black coffee. Great thick creamy non-cloying mouthfeel, but I can tell the alcohol is there. Oddly, the beer seems less smooth when it warms. Flavors are nicely layered, but I think the finish could be a bit smoother and less rummy. For whatever reason, this is becoming a little tougher to drink as time goes by, which reminds me of having my first imperial stouts. THanks to Walt for the bottle, who is now sexier in my opinion for letting me try this.