Bells Kalamazoo Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Great tasting Stout. Love the texture and value in the taste. Very poundable stout. Buzz was not reviewed due to contamination by Expedition and Purkuno’s Hammer.

Pours an opaque black/brown with a thick, dense, creamy light brown head - perfect. Beautiful roasty, mocha aroma which picks up a subtle smokiness and malted milk balls as it warms. The flavor is a lovely mix of roasted malt, dark toasted grain/caramel, coffee, dark chocolate, mocha and hops. Thick and rich with that perfect level of sweetness and prominent, but not astringent roastiness. Mouthfeel is very full, round and ridiculously velvety/creamy - perfect. Great head retention, thick lacing left on the glass. In my opinion, this is the best stout money can buy. Why? Because it’s a breath of fresh air against the multitude of weak, clear and painfully boring stouts. Proper appearance, aroma, sweetness, roastiness, hoppiness, mouthfeel- even the artwork and packaging is superior. To top it all off, it’s very drinkable. A total masterpiece. Words cannot express how happy I am that this is now available in the DC area.

Batch 6833, bottled April 14, 2005 enjoyed on October 24, 2005. Pours jet black with a thick, creamy, lucious brown head that fades to a tan hue that covers the body. Excellent lacing. Aroma is a wonderful blend of coffee, molases and chocolate. Flavor is immediately of burnt molasses and coffee. Lots of great roastedness. This is closely followed by more bitterness from the citrusy hops. This flows into a burst of molases, toffee, caramel, raisins and plums, sweet and malty. Every drop is delightful. Taste fills the mouth. The finish is long with lingering bitterness and I savor every moment of it. Texture of this beer is incredibly smooth, creamy and chewy, coats the mouth. Carbonation is soft and lightens the weight of this full-bodied brew. The full flavor and complexity of this masterpiece can be match by only a few imperial stouts, and yet it still quite sessionable. There is no better stout on the planet. There is not a single thing I would change in this beer, I have to give it a perfect score.

Many beer geeks believe substyle of stout called "American" stout, should be added to the stout and porter category. So examples like Kalamazoo Stout will fit in, and can be judged against other stouts that would also fit into this new style. So what is American Stout? It is basically a big, robust, flavorful stout, with big malt character, but also really big hop character. And what makes it American, is most brewers are using lavish doses of PNW hop varieties such as Cascades, Chinooks, Centennials, and Columbus. Kalamazoo stout pours to an opaque, ink black color with a big, creamy tan head, and a moderate carbonation. The nose on this beer is packed with aromas of malt and hops. Big whiffs of chocolate malt, and coffee pair with piney, citric aromatics. The palate is a firm malt back bone of dark malts. Flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, and a hint of vanilla coat the tongue. This beer has a very hefty body, it is quite viscous and oily, it really does resemble "motor oil in a glass". This beer finishes with big chocolate malt flavors up front, then dries out with a slightly roasty/coffee character, and a lingering hop bite. This beer is a bit stronger than dry or cream stouts, weighing in at about 6.5% abv, but isn’t quite as potent as Imperial stout. What ever you want to call this beer, call it delicious, because it is. This is one of my all time favorite beers, from one of America’s best breweries. This beer is a perfect desert beer. Match this with German chocolate cake, or chocolate pudding with fresh whipped cream.

My favorite stout hands down. It has a unique bitterness for a stout that smacks your tongue instead of shaking its hand.

Pours thick dark black color, nice lasting tan head, leaves a perfect lace, aroma of chocolate, coffee and nutmeg? Thick and creamy full mouthfeel, coffee and sweet chocolate taste, this may be my favorite stout, its hard to stop at just one, the best stout IMHO.

From September until March there is always a 6 pack of this beer in my fridge. From the beginning, this beer doesn’t try to hide itself ... it sports a dark brown foamy head. The aroma is fantastic and rich and smells like baker’s chocolate. The flavor is complex but there are plenty of hints of coffee, chocolate and the tiniest almost imperceptible hint of anise. To truly enjoy this beer, start cold and then drink over about an 1 hour period. Notice the changing flavors as you work your way through the glass. If I were to die a pharaoh, I would want a clay pot of this brew left for me as a daily offering.

Wonderfully thick and creamy stout with tasty roasted flavors of coffee and chocolate. One of Bells best.