Bells Batch 7000 Ale

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

Sampled at Argo and Kathy’s ’06 Holiday Gathering. Pours a deep black with a light brown head. Aroma of roasted malt, fruitiness and green hops. Flavor is very full and massive; notes of chocolate, coffee, plum, raisin, a ton of bitter roastiness and piney hops. Pleasantly sweet but as just mentioned, plenty bitterness. Has a prominent alcohol presence. Full, round and creamy on the palate with lively carbonation. Very nice.

Extra thick pour. Solid black with a thin brown head. Big fruity aroma with leather, chocolate, alcohol and sherry. Very sweet. Acrid black barley flavor with resinous and herbal hops. A bit chalky. Long bitter alcohol burn in the finish. Nice. Wish I had a case to lay down cause this one would do better in time.

The first of my Secret Santa brews. 12 oz bottle thanks to that jolly fellow. Dark Dark pour with a dark brown head that remained in ring form to the end. Aromas of dark cherry and chocolate. Flavors were outstanding chocolate, mocha, molassas, toffee, more dark fruit, and a great hop finish. A wonderful Imperial Stout.

12 oz bottle at the Maproom. Pours very, very dark with a smal khaki head. Aroma is roasty, dark fruits, bright hop notes. The taste is sweet malt, initially, then roasty with some coffee and chocolate notes as well as dark fruits, alcohol, and yeasty. Not as complex as the Expedition. Nice, but somewhat lacking. Mouthfeel is HUGE. I was lucky enough to get a six pack in KC, so I will re-rate under non bar conditions.

Pours a pitch black color with a thin light brown head. Very appealing aroma of chocolate and rich roasted malt. The flavor is very good, notes of coffee, chocolate, hops and rich roasted malt haunt my taste buds and finish with bitterness. The body has a light to medium thickness with a creamy and dry mouthfeel, the carbonation is soft. This is another excellent imperial stout from Bell’s but it’s not quite to the world-class level that the other one achieved, what’s the name of that other imperial stout again?

Aroma of roast malt, chocolate, cherries, raisins, plaums, vanilla. Appears a dark, almost black, brown, with orange tinges, and with a small oliy tan head that lasts. Flavor is shockingly sweet plum, almost cloying at first, followed by a quick twinge of hop bitterness that leads into a hammering roast coffee and chocolate finish. Palate is creamy and thick, with a dry alcohol aftertaste. Overall, this beer is slightly greater than the sum of its parts, and I only wish I had more to age. My thanks to joeybgood for this outstanding brew.

Very dark. Velvety and oily mouthfeel with some weight. Zippy-snappy sourness. Bursting with complex and vibrant aromas. Rich, dark malts exude with syrup, molasses, black licorice, baker’s chocolate, and coffee left on the burner too long. Warming alcohol. Big, lasting bitterness. Very hoppy throughout, with strong grass complemented by delicate tea. Overall, I really enjoyed it. RERATE (forgot I rated this already), rating with more age to the beer: Very dark and mysterious. Deep, tightly packed tan head. Rich, inviting nose. Thick, oily, velvety texture. Chalky cocoa, rich raisins, black licorice, luscious dark chocolate, deeply roasted grains and zingy hop bitterness. Wow, this beer has some real depth and quite a bit of complexity. Warming and cozy alcohol soothed the throat. Great beer.

12 oz bottle from CharlesDarwin. The best way I could describe this beer is that it’s like a miniaturized World Wide Stout. (And that’s not a bad thing) Most people compare this to the Expedition Stout, but this one has more in common with WWS than any other. Great aroma of milk chocolate covered cherries, licorice, molasses and whiskey. Very thick and full aroma, one of the best in an impy stout. Ah, but that first sip is a wallop. This one is still very hot. The whiskey greets your tongue and instantly numbs it, making way for the immense sweetness to follow. More chocolate covered cherries, more toffee, more licorice and even some slight hoppiness. Very alcoholic mouthfeel. Not as roasty as I’d like in an impy. By the end of the bottle, the sweetness of this one takes over and is a bit too much, however, this one will be damn near perfect in a year or two. Good thing Tom sent two of these beauties. Thanks, Tom!