Bells Bourbon Barrel Batch 7000 Ale

amazing in all regards...tap at Graydon’s Crossing, GR Mich...black as it can get with medium brown head...huge aroma in oak, roasted malt, dark chocolate, and mild coffee..flavor is highly oaky, woodsy, with huge chocolate, nuts, and marshmallow...vanilla finish...creamy, dense mouthfeel...

On tap @ Maduro, Bells GTMW pre-party 8/10/07. Opaque black with no head at all. Strong aromas of bourbon, vanilla, toffee, roasted malts, dark chocolate, light sherry, and some raisins. Flavor was the same with a good amount of bourbon, bordering on too much (like BCS), but not quite. Huzzah! I’ve found a new BA beer that has a buttload of bourbon but I still enjoy. Loads of chewy toffee, caramel, bourbon, and vanilla in equal portions. A bit of sherry is lighter in the background. With all the aforementioned jazz, you’d think it pretty sweet, which it was, but some dry ass wood and whatever hops still in there cut it short. Toffee and bourbon linger a while in the finish. Full syrupy body with light prickly carbonation. My glass is stained with this amazing beer.

Inky black body with a small tan head. The nose is moderately sweet with bourbon, lots of molasses, dark chocolate and coffee. The flavor is moderately sweet, moderately bitter with lots of roast -light acidity, molasses, chocolate, light citrus, lots of sweet vanilla and oak. Full body is ultra soft and creamy with soft/dense carbonation and a warm finish.

On tap at Birreria Paradiso, the night after the Bells dinner. Pours an almost darker black than the expedition, with an even deeper more foamy orange head and better lacing! Aroma is way more intense, but not neccesarily better- tons of licorice, sharp black chocolate- tons of burnt black patent malts, nutty, light smoke, and bourbon is a bit sharper. Tons of sugary sweetness, and chocolate with hints of coffee, tons of licorice, tar, chewing tobacco, sharp bourbon, some green young hints that I get in the regular expedion new batches, and fairly bitter despite the sweet middle. A bit harsh and over the top , bourbon makes it seem even stronger than it is and is still very sweet, and not as mellow as the regular 7000- This reminded me a lot more of a Darklord. Pretty damn nice, but not quite as good as the BA expedition/double cream IMO.

Imperial stout rating #150. First thing noticed other than a silky dark brown head on a near-pitch black body was a distinct soy note, that had me worried, but it was rather low key and later on in the drink it disappeared, so probably just a result of the slightly too-cool temperature this was initially served at. First taste is rich and decadent buttery mocha and bourbon, extremely heavy and thick on the tongue, with a chocolate residue, so smooth and creamy, with some lighter notes of char and soy. The intensity rises over the back of the palate into a striking finish, complete with sharp bourbon, soothing chocolate and butter, so rich and decadent, creamy like fudge with just a really wonderful bourbon note, not harsh or dry at all, very vivid and alive on the palate. The high alcohol of the 7000 works much better with the bourbon barrels than does the Double Cream/Expedition blend, and at a warmer temperature there was such a serious bourbon note emanating from my glass, it was about as perfect of a winter warmer as you could ask for, relieving and relaxing you from the below freezing temperatures outside. Overall it’s an amazing beer. I was surprised it was so nice, since I wasn’t much of a fan of Batch 7000 (had 4-5 bottles no older than 9 months, which would explain the difference now). Seriously deserving of high praise.