Bell's Special Double Cream Stout - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

jera1350

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On cask at Bryant Lake Bowl.

Soid black color with a thick cap of creamy dark tan foam. Nice retention.

Lighter smell of sweet and roasty malt. Maybe a touch of latte, but not much.

Lightly roasted dark malt. Some chocolate notes, cream-like sweetness. A nice taste, but not real complex at all. I guess I would like a little more flavor to come out.

Creamy smooth as expected from the cask. Medium bodied, but feels a little light.

A nice stout, but a bit underwhelming. I know everything doesn't have to be big, but with special in the name, I was hoping there would be something of the sort. Still, a nice and very drinkable beer.

Serving type: cask

03-28-2011 23:23:20 | More by jera1350

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served on cask at Al's of Hampden into a nonic pint.

A - Pours dark as night with a solid one finger, creamy, tan head that leaves thick lacing down the entire glass.

S - Strong sweet aroma right off the bat. Hints of dark roasted malts, espresso, chocolate, and cream. The sweetness overpowers nearly all of the smaller aroma's in this one.

T - Quite sweet up front quickly giving way to a creamy mix of coffee, chocolate, and other rich earthy flavors. Finish is a strong roasted flavor that is a bit overpowering. A fairly well put together cream stout.

M - Heavy flavor and feel with moderate carbonation. Very smooth with rich, roasted, flavors clinging to the pallet long after consumption.

D - I am sure I could drink a few of these, just maybe not all in one sitting. A very nice cask offering from Bell's.

Serving type: cask

11-17-2010 20:47:08 | More by orangesol

acurtis

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bell's Special Double Cream Stout - 6.1%
Had at Lititz cask ale festival 10/29/10
Soft black with small creamy tan head. Roasted coffee aroma, earthy. Extremly smooth and quite dry. Not a lot of carbonation. Tasty is creamy milk chocolate with a hint of coffee. Silky mouthfeel, I could drink a few of these if I didn't have anything to eat.
Exceptional cream stout, well done.

Serving type: cask

11-01-2010 03:16:59 | More by acurtis

Travlr

District of Columbia

4.08/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Jet black, admits no light. medium tan head, disappears quickly, leaves nice lacing. Aroma of cafe au lait with burnt edges. Taste begins with chocolate, then progresses to roasted coffee beans, then finally to burnt espresso. Very nice indeed. Laid down 6 bottles tonight, hopefully I can wait a year.

Serving type: cask

12-18-2009 13:33:13 | More by Travlr

soupyman10

District of Columbia

3.58/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours black, with a fairly weak off-white head. Nose is roasted malt, light coffee, some very mild dried fruit. Very nice nose, which doesn't quite come through in the flavor. More straight forward roasted malt, with milder fruit and chocolate in there. Body is a little weak, possibly because it's a cask brew. Overall, this one didn't really do it for me like it did in the bottle. A little simple.

Church Key/$6/16 oz

Serving type: cask

11-26-2009 19:12:23 | More by soupyman10

Sean9689

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cask at The Stable for Firkin Friday's.
Poured into nonic.

A - Pours black, no head, just a few large bubbles on top. Very slick and smooth, no lacing or head retention to speak of.

S - Milk chocolate, roasted nuts, whipped cream.

T - Similar to nose. Like drinking chocolate milk with more roasted characteristics to it. Some coffee in there as well, which shows up as the bitterness.

M - Medium bodied, smooth, no carbonation.

D - A very good milk/sweet stout. Had a couple of these during the night but was ready to move on to something else after a bit.

Serving type: cask

11-07-2009 18:30:18 | More by Sean9689

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.58/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

20 ounce pint glass, served from cask at The Pub, Columbus, OH (Polaris). Pours a dark brown color with about a bit more than an inch off-white/tan head. It almost looked like a nitro-tap Guinness when it was brought to me. Lacing and head retention were both excellent. The aroma was chocolate, coffee, cream and roasted malt. The taste is the same as the aroma, it's good and sweet but also has a nice slight bitter finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's very creamy and velvety with low/moderate carbonation. Drinkability is excellent, it's very smooth and creamy and extremely easy to drink. I'd drink this all the time if I could, I've had the beer from the bottle before and I like it a lot, but it's just excellent on cask. Recommended.

Serving type: cask

01-02-2009 21:12:10 | More by bluejacket74

younger35

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had on cask at Uncle Mike's Highway Pub in Kenosha Wisconsin. I liked this brew out of the bottle and am curious to see how it fairs on cask. Drank from a generic snifter.

Appearance- Pours a ridiculously dark ruby/brown/black that has a small foamy tan effervescent head that recedes very quickly. No cap is left but a small collar is present and no lacing.
Smell- Not as nice or as intense as I remember. I still get some of that molasses and plenty of warm milk chocolate. Some vanilla at times and the usual tinges of coffee. Still okay, just not as in your face as I expected.
Taste- Really roasted with bits of chocolate, coffee and even some licorice. Not a whole lot of sweetness, just a smooth almost bitter roasted profile. I remember it being a bit more complex in the bottle, but this is probably A LOT fresher. A bit of vanilla is present in the finish along with a lingering hazelnut nuttiness.
Mouthfeel- Super smooth and creamy with a slick oily feel and very muted carbonation.
Drinkability- Other than the mouthfeel, I like this brew better out of the bottle. It might have been that the bottle had a little age on it unlike the fresh cask but it seemed to make a world of difference. Still pretty tasty though and glad to have had again.

Serving type: cask

12-04-2008 17:45:25 | More by younger35

BeaBeerWife

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

yaaay cask! Campaign it up for real ales!

nice n dark n dark n black thickness. No head, prolly cuz cask style.

A: Jet black at first, but when back lit there is a burgandy hint to it. Minimal head that leaves next to no lace. If I remember correctly anyway. Seemed a bit too wet and not so sticky. I dug it, but need to try this winter to try to re dig it.

Serving type: cask

07-26-2008 03:52:11 | More by BeaBeerWife

GRPunk

Michigan

4.35/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

On a cask pull, served in a tulip glass.

A- It poured a deep brown-black with reddish tones and a decent tan-brown head.

S- It smelled mostly of roasty chocolate malts with some coffee tones.

T- It had a full coffee flavor with hints of fermented raisin.

M- It was very creamy and smooth. Great feel.

D- It was a really easy drinker.

Overall- I had it en lieu of dessert. Great beer that was even more enjoyable when served from the cask. I'd love to come across it again in cask form.

Serving type: cask

01-19-2008 02:09:31 | More by GRPunk

Tyrawlings

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Sampled from a cask and poured into a pint glass.

A: Soft black in color with brown hues. Java colored head pours a half finger thick. Spotty retention. Thin spider web like lacing clings to the glass.

S: Roasted coffee. Chocolate. Roasted malts. Bread. Earth.

T: Sweet roasted malts and dark bitter chocolate are followed by a soft hop presence that plays with the tongue. Sweetness of molasses and the taste of wet earth come through. More dark roasted grains that give off an astrigent bite. Faint smokiness is followed by a very dry finish.

M: Thick and creamy. Full body. Minimal carbonation. Dry.

D: Different than most milk stouts that I have sampled. Very astrigent and drying in a good way. Recommended.

Serving type: cask

04-21-2007 13:30:59 | More by Tyrawlings

cproioi

Ohio

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pitch black with a light brown head that didn't have good retention.

S: Chocolate roasted malts was very apparent. Also had notes of alcohol. Very little hops aroma what so ever.

T: Amazing taste. Full of flavor had a very pronounced chocolate/coffee flavor. Also along with the alcohol smell there was faint hints of alcohol in the taste.

M: Very smooth and creamy. Left a very warming feeling in my mouth.

D: Yeah I could see myself drinking this again and again. However, when I had the drink it was a hot and humid day. While it was good I feel I would of enjoyed it more in the winter.

Serving type: cask

06-18-2006 04:43:23 | More by cproioi

mcallister

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this cask conditioned and must say I like it better bottled or just regular draft.

A beautiful pour. Good half inch of a slightly tan head. Jet brown color? Well very dark brown to say the least. Thick sweet aromas of choclate and vanilla, also some espresso.

Because of the cask it seems there is a sour component in the beer I'm not to fond of. Main tastes are burnt dark fruits, vanilla, espresso, cocoa and that sour taste.

Besides the sourness the brew is almost too smooth. Very easy to drink despite the sour tannins. Makes this beer less than perfect.

Serving type: cask

04-08-2006 12:20:16 | More by mcallister

JiminKY

Kentucky

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

Had this from a cask at Buffalo Wild Wings in Indianapolis, during NCAA Final Four weekend. This was only the third beer I'd tasted from a hand pump, and it was my favorite.

A - The lovely black of a good stout. Decent head upon pour, but it quickly dissapated.

S - Lightly roasty and sweet.

T - Sweethess in the forefront, subtle roastiness, vanilla and caramel blended in well. None of the bold coffee or chocolate notes found in some other stouts. Just a nice taste sensation that lingered for a while and was gone.

M - Smooth and creamy as a milkshake.

D - Hard to believe it is 7.5% alcohol. I never would have believed it, had I not read it here. It seems I could have drunk this all day long.

Serving type: cask

04-04-2006 14:49:55 | More by JiminKY

TheSixthRing

California

3.8/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottled on date of 10/18/12

Appearance - Pours Near black with a tan finger width head. Good retention. leaving a thick film of microbubbles on the surface. Lacing is spotty with good stick.

Smell - Predominant cream aroma with milk chocolate and hints of coffee.

Taste - Sweet milk chocolate and cream upfront and throughout, with touches of roast coming through on the back end. Finishes with a renewed sense of sweet cream that rides deep into the aftertaste. Simple, but flavorful.

Mouthfeel - Medium in body with low to moderate carbonation. Creamy on the tongue. Goes down with nice smoothness.

Overall - You're not getting any surprises with this beer. It hits all the notes you'd expect a 'double cream stout' to hit. When it's all said and done, though, the cream sweetness is just a tad too much for me to call this beer great. I don't think I could drink more than 2 of these before I'd have to throw in the towel. Hard to believe this is dairy free, which amazes me.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 03:38:01 | More by TheSixthRing

RaulMondesi

California

3.46/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Raul was lucky enough to acquire this random offering, so he'll do it like he does.

Like The Cheesecake Factory, you don't have to get dressed up to drink this thang. Throw on your $12 Tommy Polo from Tily's and call it a day. Simply aite, just aite. Raul is drinking it, and that's about it. No explosions, no oral fireworks, just aite down the line.

Peace!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 03:02:03 | More by RaulMondesi

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.46/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From: Hyvee, Council Bluffs, IA
Date: Bottled 09/26/2012
Glass: New Belgium globe glass

I never thought I'd say "too much roasted malt" in a stout, but Bell's seems to have created a beer that pushes those elements to the limit I can tolerate. Perhaps it's the blend of malts used, too much black patent or black barley perhaps, but the acridness and ash that seem most prominent in the beer are not as appealing without some equally present sweetness, non-acrid roasted malt, and chocolate flavors to balance them out. One I would probably not seek out again.

Pours a 2cm head of dark tan foam, made up of small bubbles with above average retention, gradually fading to a thin ring around the glass' perimeter. Lacing is quite good, heavy foam sticks to all insides around the glass. The body of the beer is an opaque black color, with light bringing out only the slightest change in amber orange hues. Carbonation is not very active, a few struggling bubbles move upwards along the sides of the glass.

Aroma is of sharp, acrid roasted malts or black barley, with a bitter ester profile lingering in the background. I'm not detecting any coffee, and the only chocolate is burnt and somewhat ashen. There is not much apparent sweetness from malt contributions here. At times I'm reminded of the smell from a grocery store's imitation of an Oreo cookie - you know, the burnt chocolate with artificial sweetener-like aspect.

The overall flavor profile of the beer is heavy on the very roasted malts, such as black barley or highly roasted barley with its husks. While I enjoy roast and acrid quite a bit, there was something about the malt combination here that was not full enough for me, too heavy on char and ash and rather empty on the filling sweetness
Front of palate picks up raspberry-like fruit esters along with semi-sweet roasted-meets-base malt characters. Mid-palate has fairly intense charred malt flavor along with what comes across to me as extremely dense, sharp raspberries in equally sharp cacao nibs, and some black ash. That is to say, there is not much sweetness in the mid-palate. Back has dark cacao nibs, raspberry-like esters, and heavily charred (black) malts with moderate acridity; again, not much sweetness. Aftertaste is lingering char (black patent malt?), ash, roasted malt, mild roasted coffee bean, and cacao nibs.

Beer is medium-light in body, with medium-low carbonation. The resulting mouthfeel is a bit thin and watery, not particularly good for this style. Certainly smooth and creamy, but apparently at the expense of richness and fullness. Closes dry, with little residual stickiness across the palate.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 06:49:17 | More by falloutsnow

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.81/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

12oz bottle ~6months old

Almost black, red-brown color. Mocha head with good retention/lacing if you're into that. Smell is hard to pick up, dark malt scents far away. Truly creamy medium feel, highlight of the beer. Taste isn't bad either: malted grain with semi-sweet chocolate.

Liquid Cocoa Pebbles cereal.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 08:32:27 | More by jimmah120

Swedgin_Wu

Florida

4.09/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A - Black with a decent sized tan/khaki head. Fairly nice to look at but nothing spectacular

S- faint smell, not overpowering. mostly pick up malts..hint of dark fruit

T- Burnt/Roasted Malt is prominent. Nice finish is laced with the dark fruit i mentioned. Some chocolate in the middle. there's a lot of going on with the taste. Very complex, i enjoy the transition on the tongue. Taste some toffee in there too. Little bit of bitterness there as well.

M- I disagree with some other reviewers that the mouthfeel is watery. The Left Hand Milk stout to me is more of a watery stout mouthfeel, but this is pretty smooth..not overly thick but not thin. Moderate carbonation. very drinkable

O- As of right now this is considered an "exceptional" beer. I think it's a good stout...not a session stout because of it's complex flavors, but probably something i'd buy again just to pick up on the different flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 22:47:19 | More by Swedgin_Wu

RickS95

Indiana

4.61/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

There's usually some tiny reason I can find for not giving great looking beers a perfect 5...but I can't find fault with this. It's completely black on the bottom. Up top, it's got a huge head of medium brown bubbles in all different sizes. It looks like a cushion with frothy foam on top. Major staying power, when it finally does decide to go, the glass is splashed with a thick brown lace.

It's a malt bomb, as you'd expect. It even smells brown. Lots of roasty flavors, with some smoke and a slight bit of coffee.

For no dairy, it's got a milk stout taste to it. The roasty notes are more subtle in flavor than in smell. There's a variety of malts that all stand out...caramel being the leader of the pack. Caramel, coffee, chocolate, it's pretty stellar.

Got smooth? This beer does. And creamy. And sweetness with just enough bitter for balance and not to destroy either your palate or the good thing it's got going on. The finish is wet, but it still leaves you wanting more.

Extremely easy to drink. Lots of good flavor and only moderate alcohol. All bitterness is kept in check so you don't have to sip, you can chug it. Sad I've only got a six pack.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 03:16:48 | More by RickS95

lunarbrew

Wisconsin

3.28/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

A- The beer poured a very dark black with little to no head or lacing. I wasn't blown away with the beer's color, and would have really liked a richer head with a cream stout. Still, the appearance was definitely one of the beers nicer features.

S- Wasn't a huge smell, but I did pick up some nice notes of roasted grains and red fruit. I was expecting a very sugary presence in a double cream stout, but the beer didn't smell very sweet

T- Nope, it doesn't taste that sweet at all. The beer didn't have the typical milkstout lactose flavor either (which I understand was the intention of the brewery). I was really expecting (and craving) a deep, rich, creamy beer. Unfortunately I didn't really get that with this beer. There was a bit of dry malt on the finish with a lingering taste of cherry, fig, and acidic coffee.

M- I was quite disappointed with the feel of this beer. One of my favorite characteristics of a cream stout is a rich, full-bodied, creamy texture. The texture of this cream stout was closer to a medium body and generally, it felt a little watered down. The creaminess just didn't follow through.

Overall an ok beer. While it was fun to try, I would prefer more depth and creaminess in a double cream stout. I did appreciate some of the roasted subtleties here, but I doubt I'll be buying this one again.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 13:11:25 | More by lunarbrew

screamking

Ohio

3.79/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle poured into pint glass.

Appearance-pours black with a small khaki head which doesn't stick around very long. Small amount of lacing on glass. 3.75

Aroma-fresh baked milk chocolate, some very faint coffee notes, brown sugar, walnut, slight hint of toffee. Very slight sweet smells. 3.5

Taste-Much like the name the first thing that comes to mind when you take the sip is creamy. Roasted chocolate malts are all over this one, surprisingly sweet with a bitter kick in the end. I'm also getting a little bit of an oak flavor as well. 4

Feel-very light in feel, coats palate very well, very drinkable, could use a thicker feel. 3.5

Overall-this beer is kind of a mixed bag for me, while I love the flavor everything else kinda falls flat. I wouldn't drink this beer regularly, but it is a nice detour from other stouts. ***On a side note I would love to know the ratio Bells mixes this with expedition stout for aging in barrels to make black note.*** 3.75

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 20:06:12 | More by screamking

riored4v

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured in to a tulip with a thin, tan colored head. Nice pitch black body.

Smell was roasty, with some coffee and chocolate notes. Mild hints of raisin and a burnt caramel. Nice and malty.

Taste had a light earthy bitterness upfront followed by lots of chocolate and roast. Good amounts of coffee and burnt caramel. Some mellow sweetness with a bit of raisin and dark fruits. Mellow bitterness in the finish that was bit earthy as well. Overall it reflected the aroma closely.

Mouthfeel was medium body, medium carb and a crisp finish.

Overall, a nice stout. Was hoping for more of a creamy or sweet characteristic, but the stout itself was tasty.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 00:51:32 | More by riored4v

shredder83

Illinois

3.81/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Note: this was bottles 6 months prior to my trying it.

Pours black with a light brown head that had very good retention, no lacing to speak of but this one pours and looks great.

Smells of roasty burnt malts, a slight sweet scent, hints of coffee, vanilla and cocoa

Sweet roasted malts, bitter with a hint of coffee, no vanilla as the nose suggested and a slight chocolate note. A mildly bitter finish.

Slighly creamy but notably light when compared with other milk/sweet stouts I've had.

Overall this was not a bad beer, not an exceptional example of this type of stout either. Creamy mouthfeel was not as creamy as "double cream" would suggest but creamy none the less. I wish I would've been able to try this one fresher as it was a month from Bell's suggested shelf life but I will give it another shot fresh next year.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 04:05:34 | More by shredder83

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

4.7/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A- This is an opaque black color and looks very solid. The head looks very creamy, is a cappuccino color and has moderate retention in my opinion....settles down to a thin layer a little quicker than I'd like. The lacing, while decent, is less fulfilling than I was expecting, but nothing to really complain about. Overall, a fine....perhaps slightly underwhelming looking stout, but that is not what makes the beer....onward....

S- There is a medley of fine aromas happening here...I find a milky quality about the aroma first off....to me it has a soft chocolate milk smell initially, followed by mild aromas of roasted coffee, cream, and dare I even say a hint of canned black olive?!....yes I did! The finish has some smooth bitterness happening....very mild and very inviting!

T- Oh this is a delightfully creamy tasting beer! This is chalk full of mild, yet robust flavors of bitter chocolate, mild roast coffee, sweet caramelized molasses/golden brown sugar, and toasty malted barley. The finish has a bitterness, but not of the hop variety, but rather just the right amount of burnt grain kernels...reminds me slightly of an oat stout in this regard. My only qualm is right after the swallow, there is the slightest bit of an alcohol spice, which takes away from the smoothness, but again, nothing to really get excited over.

M- I am willing to bet that this is one of the creamiest stouts in the world! Full mouthfeel, and I really enjoy the rich softness of the beer....almost like some heavy cream was added to this but I fully realize that this is dairy free....it's just that smooth! The carbonation is soft and stays in the background where it belongs....just wonderful!

O- This is a deadly stout that is very highly drinkable!! Oh boy, if this was available in my area, I would have a new go to for the style! Rich flavors & aromas, superbly smooth and full, without being overbearing on the palate or stomach, I give this one very high marks and highly recommend this one to anyone who appreciates a super high quality stout!

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 02:31:29 | More by ChrisCage