Bells Batch 7000 Ale

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

Pours black, with a brown head. Aromas are roasted malt, coffee, dark fruit, and vanilla. Flavors are coffee, roasted malt, chocolate, hops, and dark fruit. Silky, heavy palate. Aging this one should be interesting.

Can any other word be used except, "intense!" Burnt, charred,scorched, immolated malted grains. Chocolate and molasses/dried fruits like dates and raisins and figs...all of which are first macerated (Let me save you the trouble of looking that one up, Joe..."to liquify by steeping") and then flame-scorched to bring out their earthiness. This is one weird and intimidating impy. Bourbon and oak and smoke all pop-up when you least expect them, to dance a moment on your tongue and then fade away to be replaced with burnt brown sugar and charcoal briquettes. Huge and not very coy alcohol slap in each swallow...but I’m not complaining. Very rich creamy...no, vinous texture, almost like an exotic aperitif. Huge hop bite in the long lingering finish, just so the alcohol doesn’t get lonely, I guess.

Nice-looking stout - very black, thin tan head around the snifter...Nice, slightly sweet, heavily roasty aroma, with hints of cherries and vanilla, yet some dark chocolate too. Very, very thick and heavy - WOW! This is one to drink very slowly! The alcohol is obvious, but it is warming and not too offensive. Pretty amazing.

Completely black pour, with rising tan bubbles leaving an unbroken ring of lace - aroma has lots of dark fruit, brown sugar, caramel, some oak - the flavor is very odd for an imperial stout, but that’s not a bad thing - the coffee and dark fruit are there, but they are far in the back - instead, there are a lot of light, crisp fruity esters, some flaked oats, woodiness, caramel and a nice hop bite on the back end - this tastes like an imperial stout/barleywine hybrid, and I’m loving it! Thanks to OhioDad for this bottle.

Pitch black with only a small tan ring of very tight bubbles, only slight lacing. Aroma is chocolate and alcohol, dark fruity esters. Flavor is overwhelmed by alcohol. Disappointing. This needs time to age. I will need to RERATE it at some point.

Christmas gift bottle from my son. The aroma hints at what is to follow, big malt overtones and caramel. Appearance is black - no red tints when held to the light - with a small, tan head that lingers for only a few minutes. First sips reveal a pronounced roast/burnt flavor, not unpleasant, followed by berry and molasses. Alcohol warming ikicks in after a few sips. Finish is long, back of the tongue, somewhat tart and bitter. I was expecting an amped version of Expedition, which I enjoy, but this stout stands (surpasses?) on its own merits. The only criticism I offer is that the recipe is to be brewed once.

Bottled version. Aroma is rich, roasty and full, the powerful maltiness contributing notes of semi-sweet chocolate and espresso, along with lighter additions of burnt sugar, black cherry, dried plum, charred wood, alcohol and a certain loamy, musty character. Solidly black in color, nearly imposingly so with a fine, slight and lasting dark tan head. Massive flavors abound, starting with some strong dark chocolate and tangy sweetness, becoming infused with a deep burnt grain bitterness and roastiness that increases in strength throughout, culminating at the finish where it is met with a blend of spicy alcohol and hop bitterness, drying substantially amidst the incredibly long, warming finish. Palate is bracing and thick, very heavy and creamy in feel with a suitably ample body. Shares a scant thing or two in common with Expedition but I find this even more to my taste.

12oz. bottle. Black in color with a medium sized tan head. Aroma of molasses, dark roasted malts, chocolate and a hint of the alcohol to come. Flavor of molasses, soy sauce, roasted malt and a warming alcoholic finish. Very rich and full bodied.