Bells Oak Aged Java Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

2006 GTMW. Thanks Larry! No head. Murky dark brown; murky black body. Brown sugary coffee and bourbon come off the aroma. Bourbony sweet coffee flavor. Delicious. Body is a little thin, but very mellow and well-melded flavor. A nice beer for the barrel.

Great Taste of the Midwest


artusory gave me about half of his pour while we waited in line for Alpha Khan at the Three Floyd’s booth. I’m glad to have tried simply because it confirmed that my desire not to wait in line was probably the right one. It wasn’t bad but at the same time it was not quite on the level of the other bourbon barrel aged beers sprawled around the festival grounds. I should try the regular Java stout for reference to see how the aging changed it.

Aroma / Appearance - Bourbon notes were strong, along with dark chocolate and Java coffee (of course). The body was jet black with virtually no head or lacing. I was there had been more to the nose - maybe I should give it a closer sniff at some point.

Flavor / Palate - It was a little thin coming down my throat but some sweetness compensated a little bit. Hints of vanilla creamer, malt and filtered coffee grounds were apparent but not overwhelming. Overall it was enjoyable but at the same time I was not impressed. This was probably one of the bigger disappointments of the day in my opinion, though others may disagree.

Tap @ GTMW 2006, with a handshake and “God bless you” to Larry after he filled my glass to the brim. Opaque and midnight brown in color with no movement anywhere. Sweet chocolate morsels and caramel chipped cookies implore the nose, annotated by a whisky & rye trait and an aged mocha bean depth. All in all, a priceless, priceless, priceless bourbon chocolate array. Oozing liquidity streams into the mouth with chocolate and caramel accented bourbon. It’s a straight, mystical stream running down the hatch. Caramel mocha coolers become a main flavor player with a classic milk chocolate elegance. Granular grinds are melded into the straight stream, conjuring up semi-sweet chocolate nodes as it passes through. Coating palate warmth with a vanilla bean complexity. Delicate artesian fudge with interwoven bourbon-soaked mocha beans create an ever memorable finish.

On tap at the Great Taste of the Midwest, poured by Mr. Bell himself! Poured a very deep brown with some lighter brown at the edges. Nose was deep, with lightly-burnt coffee maltage, hints of dark chocolate, rich vanilla, and oaky bourbon sugars. Burnt coffee bitterness and citrus tartness provide a fine first impression on the tastebuds... followed up by more coffee grounds, dark chocolate, oak, and warm bourbon. Flavors meshed very well. Fuller on the palate than it appeared in the pour, with sticky dark malts and alcohol at the finish. Excellent brew!

GTMW 2006. The beer pours to a black watery body with no head. The flavor is nicely coffee and bourbon with an oak mix. Mellow. The cask really made the java into something else. The aroma is a balanced coffee and charred oak with whiskey notes. Nice coating moderate palate.

On tap at Great Taste of the Midwest. Poured almost pitch black with almost nonexistent head. Smelled like liquor (bourbon), which just didn’t mix well with the coffee aroma for me. The taste was of weak coffee and roasted malts. Woody taste from being barrelled. Not awful by any means, but not quite worth the hype either.

On tap: Aroma is loaded with roasted coffee with light chocolate and vanilla. Dark brown, virtually black, with an insignificant off-white head. Flavor is loaded with roasted coffee just like the regular version. Chocolate profiles is much bigger and light vanilla as well. Hints of wood hide in the background. Very tastey.

2005 Eccentric Day. Pours an oily black with a small, foamy tan head. Nose is oak, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, light bourbon. Tastes of coffee, bourbon, sweet sugars, chocolate, vanilla, oak. very smooth mouth feel, with a nice warming feeling in the end.