Bell's Kalamazoo Stout - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

(Served in an Imperial pint glass)

A-This beer pours a dark inky brown that is opaque with a dark tan head that is very creamy.

S- Tie smell of roasted sweet malt and some toasted malts make this aroma thick. A faint hint of coffee and some molasses are in the background.

T- The taste of earthy roasted malt and some slight sourness with a faint sweetness blend together. A faint hop bitterness finishes this beer. The sweet roasted malt lingers after the finish.

M-This beer has a medium-full mouthfeel with a very faint creaminess.

D- This milk stout has nice character but it is missing some depth that would really add to its flavor. I would like to see some more creaminess in the mouthfeel. Nice stout non the less.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2005 23:31:17 | More by rhoadsrage

Jason

Massachusetts

3.35/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

Appearance: The thick foaming light brown head leaves big sticky chunks in the glass, the colour is a shade or two from pitch black.

Smell: Yeasty aroma, dark fruitiness under a wild estery and buttery burnt caramel smell.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Full bodied, creamy smooth and on the sweet side ... the sweetness seems clouded though. Big yeast bite mixes it up with the roasted character. Ghost like beef broth and dark fruit. Bitter chocolate and some roasted coffee bean in there. A bit hoppy with some flavour middle to end, lots of soft charcoal flavour as well.

Notes: The minimal astringency does not get in the way yet the flavours just don’t meld well together … a little unbalanced some would say. I am not say it is bad, I enjoyed it but it certainly did not rock my world.

Thanks to sakaroo for the sample.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2003 01:39:53 | More by Jason

Billolick

New York

4.38/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 ouncer with different art work then shown on this site, no freshness into be had. This one pours stout black, dark tan head, well knot, retentive and then leaves plenty of slippery and then sticky lace. Roasty/malty nose. Yummy, easy drinking stout, with notes of sweetened coffee, molasses, dark toast. Sweet and roasty, silky as it rides over the tongue and swirls in the mouth. Top notch in all ways, more fine suds from Bells

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2008 23:14:52 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

3.68/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

a - Pours a dark brown color with about 2 inches of tan head with great retention and lacing. Moderate carbonation evident.

s - Coffee, roasted and toasted malts, licorice, hints of cream.

t - Bitterness prevails here. Bitter coffee jumps out first, followed by licorice and roasted malts. No cream from the smell is evident in the taste.

m - Full body and little carbonation.

d - Not a bad stout. I enjoyed the smell much more than the taste; I thought the bitterness was a little too prevalent in the taste. I would drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 02:39:59 | More by mdfb79

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12oz bottle obtained via trade with CRJMellor. Thanks for the opportunity...

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a big ol' 1" mocha-hued head above an opaque dark brown/black brew. Dense head has good staying power, and laced tremendously. Aroma is of coffee and choco malts, with a bit of milk sweetness that rounds it out nicely. The taste is follows the aroma's map, and the sweetness really rounds out the flavor on the palate. Don't know where that 6.5% is hiding, but it was cloaked with some artistic brewing. If I had to find a fault, I think the mouthfeel is a bit thin for such a hearty brew, but this is really nit-picking. One of the best stouts I've enjoyed, just wish it was more widely available.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2004 22:45:31 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appears a midnight, pitch black with a foamy, 1 finger tan head that slowly fades out into a collar. Scattered lacing is left around the tulip glass.
Smell is of deep, dark roasted malt, sweet cream, roasted chestnut, vanilla, and a hint of bitter coffee beans touched with bakers chocolate.
Taste is of the same aromas with a dark roasted malt that stands out above everything else and sticks to the tongue.
Mouthfeel is full bodied with a sugar sweetness and dark roastiness battling it out for supremecy with the fizzy roastiness lasting long after the swallow.
This one is pretty good. The roasted malt and slightly overcarbonated body makes it a bit uneasy to swallow easily but it doesn't take away from the great characteristics found in this brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2006 01:33:41 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Obtained in trade from Limesmut.

A clear deeply brown colored beer with a very tall light brown head.

This is one of those beers that you recognize the smell of long before you get it near your nose in a good way. Sweet chocolate with a trace of malt char and hops. Trace of coffee but not too much.

The taste starts out strong chocolate with a semi-sweet malt aftertaste. Immediately I noticed the smoothness of this beer, it is basically velvet on the tongue. Flavor doesn't develop much, just smooth mellow chocolate.

Mouthfeel is velvet.

Super easy to drink beer. Smooth and mellow are two things that this beer has in spades. Super drinkable beer that I will look forward to trying again.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2008 05:43:52 | More by Zorro

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours an opaque black, some red highlights, thick brown head forms, nice lacing and good retention. Smell is roasty, coffee and chocolate, with some cherry. Taste is the same, lots of roasty chocolate and coffee, with a little bit of dark fruits. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation. Excellent stout, thanks DrJay!

Review #400

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2006 04:16:09 | More by Viggo

Bighuge

Minnesota

2.1/5  rDev -47.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours black with a creamy brown head. This beer has an off aroma. Smells like b.o. a little bit. A little rancid. Not pleasant at all. The flavor is off as well. Not enjoyable at all. It's stale tasting (but it's in their new packaging so I'm assuming it's actually relatively fresh). Off. Sour. Sour even for Bell's. Nothing enjoyable about this beer at all.

Damn, I wish Bell's would get their shit together already. I'm sick of getting "off" beers from them.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2003 05:04:13 | More by Bighuge

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving type: bottle.

Pours a dark brown/black with a thin coffee colored head. Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate and licorice. Roasted malt flavor with taste of chocolate, coffee, licorice, and dark fruit. Nice bitter dry finish with strong chocolate, roasted coffee and icorice aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2008 10:04:42 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.38/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Perfect, black, not oily or superthick (not that there's anything wrong with that). Very rich aroma, chococoffee even more than usual. The standard.

Exactly as expected taste wise after the aroma smell, just a straightforward big but not imperial stout with all the right touches on the hop and malt spectrum. Mouthfeel takes on a slight licorice dimension, which is not my thing, but strangely enough, opened my palate up a little to it (maybe I'll try batch 9000 again?). Very drinkable, very enjoyable.

I think if this beer weren't so easy to get, it would be rated higher. Scarcity makes demand I guess. These are the days of limited release. . .

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2010 23:11:34 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at City Tap House, Philly, PA

Great stout. I've had this on tap and in bottles. Pours opaque black with a cream beige head. Aroma of roasted malts, milk chocolate, and licorice. Taste of dark roasted malts with coffee notes, sweet chocolate, caramel, and light sensations of dark fruits and licorice. Full-bodied, smooth and rich, and nicely drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-01-2011 00:51:31 | More by Rifugium

glid02

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Got this from the Liquor Loft in Tallahassee.

Pours an opaque black with a two-finger light chocolate colored head. The head sticks around for a while, and there's not a whole lot of lacing.

Smells both roasty and chocolatey, with a faint hop smell. I tried really hard and could smell the licorice.

Tastes much more roasted in the taste than in the smell. There's a good deal of bitterness at the end.

Mouthfeel is very good. The thickness is good and I hardly even have to swallow for it to go down it's so smooth.

This is a pretty drinnkable beer. Nothing is too intense, and the fact that it's so smooth certainly helps.

Overall this isn't a great beer, but it is a very good one. Worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2008 04:22:26 | More by glid02

DoubleJ

California

3.73/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle from Lone Hill Liquor, on to the beer:

Lighter colored tan head on top this jet fuel black liquid. Head retention is fair. Aroma...faint coffee grounds, milk-like sweetness, a pinch of cocao. As for flavor, this is very coffee-like. Roasted ground coffee. But there's a little more carbonation than I like here. Anyway, very roasted flavor. A slight sweetness akin to creamer keeps this beer in balance. If you like your stouts robust and roasty, this is one to grab.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2008 04:05:23 | More by DoubleJ

Gusler

Arizona

4.63/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The pour as dark as they come with an extravagant head, a large olde frothy "Thang", long lasting and chocolate brown in color with the lace in voluptuous sheets. Nose, coffee, bitter-sweet chocolate, roasted malt, ah yes my friends one "Sniffable Beer". Front malt, sweet, the top portly, the finish is benignly acidic, stupendously hopped, lordly dry. It's a good thing that I have to beg borrow and steal these beers, as my total would be much less as why sample the rest, when you can have the best. #10 of their beers sampled, not a "loser in the bunch". Trust the olde spavined "Gusler", when I tell you this line of beers is phenomenal.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2002 17:25:54 | More by Gusler

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark roasted color with a cherry tan head.

S: dark roasted malt, fresh coffee beans, dry chocolate and some black licorice.

T: The palate and flavor is very dark and rich coffee and roasted malt along with a nice hearty chocolate presence. Very grainy feel and dark roasted lacing on the tongue. There is a malt sweetness that balances the dark grains nicely. A nicely rounded beer and flavor making for a decent session stout. pretty decent all around but just falls short or being really impressive enough to bump this to the next level.

M: creamy with some bittering chocolate.

D: Overall a good stout with an easy drinking quality.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2008 23:36:42 | More by beerthulhu

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black beer with brown edges and a dark tan stand of head composed of fine bubbles. Plenty of thick lace. Rich, malty, roasted aroma with some coffee and licorice character. Moderate bitterness that seems to be from both hops and dark grains plays nicely with the roasty malt sweetness that lingers into the finish. There's some chocolate, as well as leafy hops that contribute a bit of citrus. Light, well-integrated carbonation and a medium body produce a silky, creamy texture. A bit drying in the finish. An excellent beer with a big, roasty flavour. I'll definitely pick this one up again.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2006 16:21:18 | More by DrJay

plaid75

New York

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured an oily black hue with a finger and a half dark tan head. There was very good retention and sticky lacing.

The smell featured a deep burnt grain aroma with highlights of chocolate and black malts.

The taste was upfront burnt grain, reminiscent of burnt toast. Nice bitterness and touch of chocolate malt.

The mouthfeel was smooth and creamy.

Overall a delicious milk stout. Very smooth despite the burnt malts. Very sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2006 02:38:54 | More by plaid75

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A fresh bottle (Batch 10232) came to me recently from local trader tone77, plus like cagocubs, I have an aged bottle (Batch 6666 (whoa!) that just turned up in my infamous cellar. This is as good a day as any to try them.

From the bottle: "Here's where we tell you about this full-bodied stout's delicious roast flavor. But really, you've already got the bottle in your hand so why not find out for yourself?"

Batch 10232

I went with such an aggressive pour that it initially looked like a chocolate milk shake in my glass until a cascading action took hold and the foam began to subside into beer. Thank goodness for surface tension or it might have overflowed my glass! As it was, I ended up with a dense foamy finger of deep-tan head with excellent retention in this heat. Color was an obsidian black, allowing zero light penetration, even at the edges. This was a black hole of a beer. Nose smelled roasty with notes of dark chocolate and charcoal. Mouthfeel was medium, approaching creaminess, with flavors of dark chocolate, smoke, charcoal and black licorice on the tongue. As the lacing began to appear, it was thick and sticky, looking as though it would need to be chiseled out later. Finish was very dry with the smoky charcoal flavor dominating and lingering. Phew! Give me this over a milk/sweet stout any day.

Batch 6666

Jeez, Louise, it looked like spent motor oil coming out of the bottle and into my glass! I briefly had a finger of deep-tan head before it disappeared. Color was solid black with zero light penetration. Nose was very smoky and charcoal-ish underlain by a dark chocolate scent. Mouthfeel was fairly full and the roasted bitterness had really come to the forefront with coffee initially and chocolate following. Finish was more like chocolate fudge than anything, rendering it a dessert beer. It held up extremely well.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 19:41:49 | More by woodychandler

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I was excited about this one. I've saved it - and a few other various stouts for the night before we set our clocks ahead for spring. I figured one last session of cold, dark beers would be a good way of ushering out the winter.
Mouthfeel is, for the most part, full bodied due to the richness of its flavours. Texture however I find - a little - weaker, and slightly thin. Perhaps, slightly creamy as it warmed.
That said however, the flavours do linger in the mouth for quite some time with a faint, but lasting resonance. Poured black with brown highlights, little head. Aroma needed some warming, nice hops and coffee notes come through the most. Flavour profile is rich, filling. I do have one minor problem with this beer however. I wouldn't say these flavours are nearly as striking as many Imperials, simply not as sharp or potent. But this is fairly complex, and most certainly loaded up for a simple dry stout. This beer seems to be trapped in a never-world between styles. And not that I necessarily believe a beer should fit under this category and follow these guidelines, but my perspective of this beer greatly changes against different comparisons. Far more flavour (all the coffee, dark chocolate) than most stouts but just a little flat compared to most high gravities. While decent, my experience was that this beer failed to evolve or excite

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2006 15:23:26 | More by biegaman

kojevergas

California

4.33/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a New Belgium goblet at me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Acquired at Ramirez Liquor. I've been quite underwhelmed by Bell's in the past, so I'm hoping this is the one that shows me how truly great they are. Bottled 09/26/12. 6.0% ABV confirmed.

Served after a period of rest from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Presentation: I dig the label and its artwork. Understated and classy.

A: Pours a 1.5 finger beautiful brown head of great thickness and cream, and good retention for the above average ABV. Body colour is a solid dark black. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Nontransparent. Opaque.

Sm: Dark malts are dominant. Chocolate. Cream. I search for roast but struggle to find any. Licorice. A moderate strength aroma. Not real complex or subtle considering the style, but pretty good.

T: Creamy up front and on the finish, with a lightly roasted dark malt foundation. Minimal hop presence, if any. Little licorice; it's very restrained. No yeast or alcohol comes through. Hints of caramel. Chocolate. No real coffee or toffee notes. Roast is also underdone. Well malted. A tasty creamy stout. Impeccably balanced. Quite subtle for the style. It's amazing how much they've done here. This is fucking delicious.

Mf: Smooth and wet - overly so on both counts. Should be more dry and coarse. Feels more like a porter than a stout. Still, the creaminess is fantastic, and the thickness is good. Good carbonation as well. Nice presence on the palate. Suits the flavours nicely.

Dr: A fantastic stout from Bell's. I'm starting to understand the hype a little bit; I like this a lot more than the Expedition Stout. At a better price than it is as a SoCal import, I could definitely see myself picking this up regularly. It's pretty much everything I want out of the style. Obscenely drinkable; I could easily down this all night. One of the best American stouts I've ever had.

A

Gets better as it warms, but I'd still serve it chilled.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 03:24:52 | More by kojevergas

Brad007

Vermont

4.38/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a pitch black color with a thick brown head. Spot on.

The aroma is made up of roasted coffee and creaminess/sweetness that is defined by the style.

Taste is very sweet and creamy upfront with a hint of coffee and roasted malt at the back of the throat. Smooth. I can even detect a bit of smokiness here.

Mouthfeel is roasty goodness with only a slight hint of sweetness. Lingers quite a bit.Chewy.

Overall, a very drinkable example of the style that I feel falls a bit flat on mouthfeel and taste. I tend to lean more towards the Double Cream though. However, this is a good starting point for a stout and if you like it already, seek out the Double Cream for more of the goodness.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2008 05:21:17 | More by Brad007

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Dark, opaque black. Tan head, not much retention, but it leaves a little lace. I think a stout should have more of a head (that stands up!).

S: Roasted coffee, dark bitter chocolate, slight tangy-tartness.

T: Plenty of dark roasted flavour (not burnt), nice bitter chocolate, with a little coffee. Balanced by a pleasant sweetness, but surprisingly dry for the style (it's not overly sweet). As it warms, the fruity esters from the yeast become more apparant.

M: Thick & creamy like a stout should be. Light to moderate carbonation. Slight chalky acidity... but very nice.

D: Good.

Bell's stouts rock!

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2006 01:16:23 | More by Derek

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.53/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours extremely dark, pretty much black. Nice thick head with great lacing.

Smells roasty with a nice astringency. Unsweetened licorice is there as well as some lactic sweetness as well.

Taste is magnificent, although a little dry for the style. Creamy and quite dry. Nice bitterness and beautiful balance between astringency, roastiness and sweetness. Fantastic. The licorice is noticeable and contributes a lot of body and bitterness, but not sweetness.

Very nice mouthfeel- quite creamy and dry, and good body.

Very drinkable. Has enough interestinf flavors to keep you going, but its dry enough to not at all be cloying.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2006 01:27:16 | More by Georgiabeer

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Batch 8432. Packaged on April 11, 2008.

Pours a thick brown/tan head. This beer is pretty much as black as the night sky (but really just a extremely dark brown). I was in awe when I first saw this beer come out of the bottle. The head stayed up almost the entire time, while the lacing was dominate. That's right dominate.

The smell is of roasted/chocolate malts, while the beer is amazingly balance between the hops and the malts. The presence of both were well represented. I could again taste the same roasted/chocolate malts and the hop flavor was grassy.

This is such an amazing beer and I would recommend this to anybody! I am so impressed with Bells on this one!

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2008 00:51:10 | More by mothman