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

TheDinger

South Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into snifter at a good temp. Very nice looking beer. Rich deep brown pour with a nice 2+ finger mocca head. Adequate spotting and decent lacing throughout. Head faded pretty quick. Nose is huge coffee upfront and a hint of burnt toast/malts on the finish. A bit of a stale old coffee smell which was distracting. Taste follows the nose with that heavy coffee punch initially and then fading to some butterscotch and dark fruits. Not a huge fan of the big coffee stouts, but this was not too over the top. Burnt taste on the end. Decent hop/malt mix. Feel was nice and creamy. Not too thick, but plenty enough carbonation to get at the tongue. Overall- A nice take on the java/coffee stout style. A little too much burnt/stale coffee for me, but not a bad beer. Would hit another again. A little dry toward the end-

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 14:42:22 | More by TheDinger

SLeffler27

New York

3.98/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The creamy chestnut head is short and quick. The stout is dark as coal with a thick viscous film that washes away slight lacing from the Dogfish Head snifter.

Strong roasted coffee dominates the aroma, allowing notes of chocolate syrup and rich coffee ice cream. However, warmth brings out some ash.

Dark roasted malt with black coffee follows the nose. This one lacks sweetness but definitely has moments of chocolate malt ball as it warms. The finish has a modest bitterness.

A full body, dry, with soft carbonation and a texture similar to cotton jersey. The alcohol is lighter than anticipated.

Enjoyable with soft pretzels and would likely go well with Buffalo Wings.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 21:56:30 | More by SLeffler27

Arborescence

Finland

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Black. Pours a massive, dense & creamy head with a hint of brown.

Aroma: Roasted coffee, dark chocolate, malt. Little bit of hoppy bitterness too.

Taste: Bitter coffee, espresso, dark chocolate, and burnt toast. Robust and strong, but surprisingly smooth. Some bitterness in the aftertaste, but it's mixed with chocolate sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Rich and creamy, medium to full bodied.

Overall: Great coffee stout, very smooth and drinkable, but has a lot of depth too. A little bit different from the usual offering with added bitterness -- good use of coffee here.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 00:27:35 | More by Arborescence

jdense

Oregon

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle hand-carried back from Chevy Chase Wine and Liquor DC, enjoyed in Barley Brown's shaker pint glass on Tax Day 2012.

One finger slow rising medium brown head, fairly slow dissipation with some lacing over opaque dark brown body, no visible rising carbonation. Big ass coffee hit in the nose, dark roast Sumatra with some Peaberry undertones, chocolate subsumed with a bit of citrus hops far in the background. Taste is coffee up front, big ass dose, faint cocoa nibs in background, some citrus but pushed far back into background. Mouthfeel a bit on the light side of medium, surprisingly light, good effervescence leading to bitter coffee-forward finish, Java the Hut. This isn't one of Pint Please favorite beers, but as far as coffee stouts go, this is pretty damn good.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 02:48:59 | More by jdense

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle into tulip.
Bottled 11/16/2011

A- Jet black pour with a finger width tan head. Lacing is good.

A- Straight up black coffee and dry stout. No sugar, no chocolate just a coffee bomb.

T-Massive coffee and brown sugar. Bitter dark chocolate and a nice vanilla. The coffee is dark and super toasty.

M- Medium to full bodied. Creamy with a touch of carbonation.

I- I think it's really hard to mess up a coffee stout. This one has been mastered. The feel alone is heavenly.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 20:59:02 | More by korguy123

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.88/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint glass at Mellow Mushroom in Charlottesville. From notes. Reviewed 9 July 2011.

A: A frakking huge head (~3 fingers). So damn dark, dense, and tight. The beer itself is true black and completely opaque. Not very good retention. Some clinging lace.

S: Holy fucking shit. Nothing but black coffee grounds. I don't really like coffee, so this rather puts me off. After many sips, the aroma gains a tad of sweetness.

T: Black coffee, malted and made into beer. *I* don't like it, but for what it is, it's good. A bit sweet (alcohol and/or malt?) but I dunno...Not a BAD beer, just full of stupid coffee. And nothing else.

M: Thinnish and smoothly flat.

O: Jesus. Cofffeee. Not my thing. Recommended if you like your coffee black. Otherwise, no.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 02:48:40 | More by AgentMunky

beer2day

North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Jet black pour with sticky 2-finger light mocha head. Nice retention and impressive lace.

Nose is almost all coffee. Lots of it. Getting dry tobacco underneath that. No chocolate, no roast, just coffee and cigs.

Creamy smooth to start, coffee kicks in mid-palate and escalates through the finish. Tobacco in the finish, too. Very dry. Resiny hop bitters sneak in at the very end.

Feel is a little light for the intense flavors. Would really love for a BA version to come out again.

Overall, one of the better coffee stouts.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 02:13:43 | More by beer2day

bnes09

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Ink black, opaque brew with a finger of head which recedes to a light tan blanket with some lacing.

All I get in the aroma are mild barley malts with an overwhelming presence of coffee.

Strong coffee flavor which is on the bitter-sour end of the taste spectrum. Burnt toast notes. Hops are assertive and add the the bitterness. Descent sweetness to balance, no specific flavors stand out.

Medium bodied and drying in the finish. Good carbonation. Goes down pretty smooth.

Good brew. Didn't blow me away but it has flavor and is quite drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 02:03:13 | More by bnes09

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - solid black with a thumb of mocha head retaining at a thin covering with decent lacing
S - big aromas of coffee, chocolate, roastiness, light vanilla and a hint of alcohol
T - big roasty and charcoal up front, some oily coffee, slight milky sourness, touch of grassy hops, not quite the 'java' the nose suggested but tasty none the less
M - medium chewy, slight chalkiness with a touch of ABV heat
O - not bad at all but nothing outstanding about it, a solid brew worth a try although the java focus doesn't quite come through the roasty flavours

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 03:17:02 | More by joemcgrath27

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

3.63/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on 11-16-11.

A- Pours a deep brown to black. Slightly lighter than most Imperial Stouts. Three finger frothy head that sticks around a bit and laces decently.

S- Lots of deep roasts with the coffee presence being the most prominent. The coffee is really strong, almost overpowering, and very much like espresso.

T- Very one dimensional. Mostly coffee with only slight hints of other roasty malts. Coffee flavor is a little burnt, like you left the pot on the burner too long. Ends the same way it started, with coffee after taste.

M- Surprisingly light and high in carbonation for a stout. Goes down easy, but heavy flavor profile makes it a somewhat slow drink.

Overall, not terribly impressed, but not bad. Would like to see a little more flavor complexity other than just the coffee profile.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 22:11:24 | More by boilermakerbrew

tut2528

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours a heavy black with great head formation, quickly recedes. After the head calms down, it leaves a very thin film.

S: huge ass load of coffee grounds and malt. complexity is lacking in aroma

T: again, coffee is the dominating character. chocolate is also very noticeable and the beer finishes with a creaminess along with an extremely subtle hint of hops. Alcohol is also noticeable.

O: i find this to be a terrific brew and Bell's has done a nice job of balancing out the chocolate and coffee notes. Those subtle hop and alcohol create a bit more balance and helps draw the taste buds away from the coffee grounds.This one is kind of steep on the price, but I find it worthy of a re-purchase.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 17:10:51 | More by tut2528

DeltaGolfSierra

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is a pitch black color with a generous tan head. Scents of coffee and cocoa are pleasant and strong, with a stronger lean toward the cocoa scent than coffee. The taste follows the nose, but with a bit more coffee taste than cocoa. Solid mouthfeel. All around, a good stout, especially if you like coffee.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 23:48:38 | More by DeltaGolfSierra

neckbracesub

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bell’s is almost always reliable and with this one (along with their Expedition) they have hit a home run in the stout field. I have yet to taste a coffee stout (and there are lots of them) that compare in potent taste to this one.

The aroma of java is strong and the drink and aftertaste matches it ten-fold, which is not true among most others of this kind. If you like stouts and you like coffee and are interested in breaking into this kind of beer, then this is a good place to start.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 00:07:57 | More by neckbracesub

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours pitch black, dark mocha head with some retention an no real lacing.

S - Roasted coffee, dark cocoa, chocolate and a surprisingly bitter scent.

T - Nice dark coffee, surprisingly chocolatey given the coffee presence on the nose. The cocoa notes complement the coffee bitterness, and some leafy green notes come through on the finish. Incredibly tasty.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and wet.

O - Yet another winner from Bell's, and a stand-up coffee stout with a well hidden ABV kick. Easily drinkable and nicely balanced between the bitter and sweet. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 22:47:14 | More by andrenaline

stephenjmoore

Maryland

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Very dark brown, no transparency. Pours with a thick light tan head that fades away pretty quickly. Good Lacing.

S- Coffee Grounds. Really tough to get past it and pick up anything else. Maybe a hint of roasted malt too, smells like coffee grounds left in a filter.

T- Coffee up front and coffee in the finish. Some booze comes through at the end and the malt is hidden in their but does not come through very much.

M- Very smooth with a slight alcohol presence at the end.

O- This is the most "coffee-forward" beer I have tried. Most other coffee stouts I have tried use the coffee to blend in with roasted malt and other flavors. This one hits you from beginning to end. Not necessarily a bad thing, but different.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 02:05:20 | More by stephenjmoore

RudeElf

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle to a wide-mouthed goblet.

Appearance - Poured an opaque black with a finger tan head. Head dissipated over about ten minutes.

Smell - Strong burnt coffee, underlying light chocolate.

Taste - Certainly presents a strong roasted coffee. A little bitter up front, transitions with a slightly sour bitterness that finishes with a long sustained bitter coffee finish that is still present when taking the next sip.

Mouthfeel - A pleasantly heavy mouthfeel with fine carbonation.

Overall - A very enjoyable stout which is true to its name as a "Java stout." A little more bitter than Founder's and lacking some of the latter's complexity.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 01:30:02 | More by RudeElf

Darkmagus82

Montana

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap in a 10 oz chalice glass

Appearance – Served a deep brown nearly black color with a billowy tan head. The head was rather persistent and lasted some time before fading and leaving some nice lacing.

Smell – Coffee aromas are strong. They are dark and roasty in nature. There is also an ever so light sweet chocolate aroma toward the middle and end of the aroma, but very light in comparison to the strong coffee.

Taste – Just as the nose forebode, the taste is quite heavy in coffee. The dark roasted flavor permeates the mouth in the initial taste mixed with a strong roasted malt backbone. Some bitter chocolate works its way in toward the middle of the taste. While the taste is roasty coffee and a bit of bitter chocolate in the beginning it is still very smooth on the tongue. Toward the end the taste sweetens ever sol slightly, giving a lightly sweet coffee and cocoa flavor. It is quite pleasant and a not the slightest bit harsh.

Mouthfeel – The body is rather creamy and the carbonation rather low. It coats the tongue allowing all the coffee and chocolate flavors to permeate the tongue; giving big flavors. It’s very pleasant and relaxing.

Overall – This is one nice affordable coffee stout. One to try over and over again and have on many of occasions.

Serving type: on-tap

02-29-2012 01:06:16 | More by Darkmagus82

Blueribbon666

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Review from notes. Had this one twice in bottle form and what follows is the 2nd take which was better than my initial opinion after round 1. Pours pitch black into dimpled mug with a quarter inch brown head with good retention. Smells of dark roast malts, coffee, dark bitter sweet chocolate and even a bit of charcoal.
Taste/mouthfeel; good full flavor of espresso and semi-sweet chocolate in the front before finishing nice and clean the 7.5% abv is not in evidence at all making this an easy drinking stout. Bell's has always been solid when it comes to stout and this does not disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 12:58:28 | More by Blueribbon666

aorloski

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Black as night, about a fingers worth of a mocha head, great lacing

Smell - coffee, burnt toast, roasted malts, bitter chocolate

Taste - Big coffee in this one, great biscuit and roasted malts with a little pine hop bite reminiscent of bitter chocolate in the back

Mouthfeel - Moderatly carbonated, velvety and smooth

Overall - A Very good coffee stout, better than average but not mind blowing. This beer is damn tasty.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 02:12:42 | More by aorloski

bound4er

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A. Dark brown to nearly black. Head pours up thick and frothy then slowly recedes while leaving a lot of lacing.

S. Fairly shy nose - some roasted malt, coffee, cream and a bit of dankness. Smells good, just a tad reserved.

T. Bitter coffee and roasted malt leads a hard charging initial attack. It then spreads out nicely across the palate with more coffee and roasted malt. The bitterness then picks up on the finish - lingering for quite some time. I like this beer but would rate this higher if the bitterness was ratcheted down a touch.

M. Creamy and fairly thick - the mouthfeel is a strong suit of this beer.

O. This is a well constructed coffee stout that is quite enjoyable. I normally turn to Founders or Central Waters for my stouts but this beer deserves to be part of my rotation.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 23:31:40 | More by bound4er

uustal

Rhode Island

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a midnight black with a one-finger brown head. Goes away without making too much of a fuss. Wow. Has as strong of a coffee nose as any stout I've tried. Pure, strong, espresso and dark roast coffee beans. Coffee tails off in the flavor, but still pronounced and stronge roasted coffee notes...not a sweet coffee like many other coffee flavored beers, but a black, espresso vibe. Nice milk chocolate sweetness to kill some of the bittering coffee at the finish. This is a beer for coffee lovers, not lovers of coffee flavored things. I can see how it might be off-putting to some, and has a one-note flavor profile, but there is definitely room for this coffee specialty stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 03:01:52 | More by uustal

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into tulip. Pours a dark black color with slight tan foam.
Smell is very nice; chocolate is the most dominating to me, followed by roasted coffee.
Taste is of roasted bitter coffee and roasted malts. It tastes very similar to a Manhattan Special.
it has nice carbonation and mouthfeel.
its a good coffee stout, id get again if available in ny.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 22:05:03 | More by DrinkSlurm

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into an RR -tion glass. Batch 9992, bottled 10/13/2010. A year and 4 months old as I drink it.

Appearance - Not quite black body as I pour it. Looks black in the glass, of course. No head. No lace. Just a ring of khaki foam. Uninteresting look.

Smell - Lots of coffee, almost vegetal in nature. Not as much as WnB, but a hefty amount. A bit of stout comes through as a hint of chocolate.

Taste - It's pretty tasty, if uninteresting. Lots of coffee, of course. Some chocolate comes through as the coffee dies down, which blends nicely, but nothing else, really.

Mouthfeel - It's thick for 7.5%, which I like. Nice and chewy. It tastes more substantial than the thin coffee flavor implies.

Overall - I seldom rate coffee stouts very highly. This one was no different. Above average as it had no offensive flavors, but nothing terribly interesting.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 04:42:16 | More by Alieniloquium

ONUMello

Ohio

3.13/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a Bell's pint glass, dated 11/16/11
A: Pitch black, with a one-finger tan head.
S: Smells like burnt/overly bitter coffee. Aromatic but not in a pleasant way.
T: Tastes like day old coffee. A hint of toasted grains and molasses.
M: Thin and uninteresting.
O: I generally love Bell's beers, but this is probably my least favorite I've tried. Unbalanced, thin, and not particularly pleasant. Maybe just an off-batch?

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 03:46:14 | More by ONUMello

Daktyls

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a deep brown color with a a minimal tan lacing around the top edge of the beer.

S: The smell of coffee is immediately present and practically overwhelming. The other scents I could pick up are a light amount of chocolate and a somewhat creamy aroma.

T: Again, coffee is present and predominant with minor notes of chocolate and a slight creamy maltiness. A smooth, almost bourbon like character is present on the finish.

M: Low amount of carbonation for a medium bodied brew, works well together, very smooth, almost creamy like.

O: Overall, fantastic. This is an excellent example of a coffee stout. I wish that I had regular access to it, definitely a buy again if I could.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 00:27:20 | More by Daktyls