Bell's Black Note Stout - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

Urbancaver

Ohio

4.53/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thank you thank you to my special friend for this one...

Pours a pitch black wih some nice white head. Looks pretty. Well carbonated. Smells rich and chocolatey. Buttery bourbon and a nice roastiness. The aroma is top notch. Tastes Roasty. Lots of expo not so much double special cream. The taste is a bit bitter from the roast. Good solid mouthfeel. Well carbonated. Overall solid but a bit to roug around the edges.

Serving type: growler

10-08-2011 14:46:23 | More by Urbancaver

brew3crew

Ohio

4.63/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Tasting at Jackie O's. Out of a hand bottle

A-black body with tan head that sticks around for a while

S-sweet bourbon vanilla. Absolutely incredible

T-great blend of smoothness vanilla and bourbon. Definetly worth the buzz

M-medium body and smooth

O-absolutely brilliant. I know know what the buzz is about

Serving type: growler

10-08-2011 14:41:39 | More by brew3crew

Arbitrator

California

3.5/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Growler supplied by eyebrews and generously shared at the Pliny the Younger release. Sampled from a tasting glass. From notes.

A: Pours motor oil black, opaque in the center but lightly translucent at the edges. I have no idea about the history of this growler, but it was taped well, opened with a hiss, and there were clearly bubbles (dark mocha) on the brew. Retention was short. Promising.

S: Pretty bourbon-forward. Dark chocolate, vanilla, molasses. Anise and some booze.

T: Bourbon and chocolate are pretty evident. Anise, vanilla, molasses. The finish was hot and slightly harsh. I kept expecting more from the flavor; I picked up a lot of the barrel character, but not much of the Expedition or Cream Stout.

M: Silky, rich. Hard to criticize Bell's beers on mouthfeel, most of the time, but their barrel aging here leaves a lot to be desired: the beer is fairly hot and tannic.

D: I liked the beer, but I'm not convinced this is one of the top examples of the barrel-aged imperial stout "style." It's above-average, but nothing to give up the cellar for.

Serving type: growler

02-21-2010 07:56:24 | More by Arbitrator

HopHead84

California

3.78/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Shared by largadeer on 11/06/2009 and poured into a snifter. Thanks Chris! The beer is black with a wispy light brown head. Retention is decent and lacing is scattered.

The nose is of dark chocolate, vanilla, and prominent molasses. The chocolate has a fudge-like quality and licorice presence is strong. Booze and anise are evident. Nice rich nose.

The flavor is licorice, molasses, fudge, and dark chocolate. As the beer warms, the licorice becomes increasingly powerful. The finish is alcoholic and somewhat harsh. Molasses and licorice eventually overwhelm the other flavors. The beer is full bodied with a thick and slightly syrupy mouthfeel. I enjoyed the nose, but the taste had too much licorice and molasses for me. I was enamored for the first couple ounces, but I quickly became disenchanted

Serving type: growler

11-13-2009 02:41:55 | More by HopHead84

DefenCorps

Oregon

4/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks, Chris!

Jet black, rather hysterically so, this beer is blacker than OA Dark Lord. There's a thin, tan head that recedes to a ring rather rapidly

The nose is a pretty excellent combination of licorice, molasses, bourbon and vanilla. I'm not picking up much Double Cream character. Dark chocolate, fudge and a touch of alcohol is present in the back. This mostly smells like what I'd expect BA Expedition to smell like.

Opens with plenty of licorice, molasses and vanilla, there's some bourbon character. Very, very intense, this is almost harsh. There's some dark chocolate mid palate but the finish is disappointing, with the flavors vanishing, leaving just a bitter licorice finish. Full in body with low carbonation, the flavors are great, but the intensity of the licorice is not much to my liking. While I did drink my 4oz, I'm glad I got to try this without having to give up the farm.

Serving type: growler

11-11-2009 00:24:43 | More by DefenCorps

nickd717

California

4.7/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hand bottle shared by largadeer - thanks a lot for sharing this rarity, Chris!

A - Pours pitch black with a small, frothy brown head.

S - Amazing aroma of bourbon, vanilla, coffee with cream, and rich chocolate. Some slight -bal notes. The smell of well-crafted beers of this type is seriously one of my favorite smells in the world.

T - Roast and creamy coffee, lots of vanilla and bourbon balanced by an awesome, thick, intense base stout with loads of chocolate, and hint of anise, and some date and raisin notes. Yes, it is awesome. This is definitely up near the top impy stouts I've ever had.

M - Incredibly creamy, smooth, and full palate with soft carbonation. Not really any astringency from the coffee, and not very boozy, especially after it warms up.

D - Pretty high for a bourbon -bal aged imperial stout. I know a lot of people can't stomach much of this type of beer, but I could get through a bomber by myself easily.

Serving type: growler

10-14-2009 19:40:04 | More by nickd717

largadeer

California

3.75/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to stfun37 for this one.

Black in the glass with a tiny dark brown head that rapidly recedes to a ring.

The aroma is woody and earthy, with a backbone of bittersweet chocolate. Boozy bourbon is present but more subtle than I was expecting, and sweetness is very reserved. Expedition's unmistakable burnt licorice/molasses character shines through with surprising strength here.

The taste is impressively complex; licorice up front, burnt whole grain bread, bakers chocolate, tobacco, vanilla and light earthiness. Medium-bodied without much sweetness. Hot bourbon flavors come through more in the finish, along with woody tannins, strong burnt bitterness and lingering espresso.

This was a pretty interesting beer. The Double Cream Stout and -bal aging have helped tame Expedition's harshness, but not as much as I would have liked. Still enjoyable, but not as remarkable as I was expecting.

Serving type: growler

10-14-2009 19:14:32 | More by largadeer

craytonic

District of Columbia

4.78/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Near perfect for the style.

Smell: Deliciousness? Bourbon, cream, molasses, brown sugar, dates, figs. Perfect integration of bourbon and cream, typically it doesn't work out.

Taste: Bourbon, cream, dark sweet chocolate, sweet molasses, brown sugar, oak, vanilla, figs and dates. A bit of a hot chocolate element, also marshmallows, almost like a smore. Wow this is good stuff.

Mouthfeel: Incredibly creamy, rich and smooth.

Drinkability: Best imperial stout I have ever tasted. This one lives up to the hype. Wish I had a barrel of this. This stuff kills bourbon-barrel and vanilla-bean dark lord. Only a few minor imperfections with the malt keep this from being fives across the board. If you see how I rate other beers of this style you will realize how good this one really is.

Serving type: growler

08-25-2009 14:23:12 | More by craytonic

ralflord

Connecticut

4.9/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoying this with a buddy. Holy moly! Unbeliveably black with no head. The smell was creamy, vanilla, and bourbony. It made me think of what heaven would be like. The mixture was perfect, the blended beers complimenting each other like a great rythym section. Coltrane's Impulse years comes to mind. The beer finished incredibly strong, with a sublime taste that will rest on my palate for a long time. This is an all-time great beer. If you have the means I highly suggest you try it. It is so choice.

Serving type: growler

07-14-2009 01:58:10 | More by ralflord

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.8/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I cannot believe I was actually able to land this beer. Persistence pays off people! Much thanks to the wonderful man from Kentucky who grabbed me a small growler of this one earlier in the week and rushed it right down to me. Chilled down in the fridge and then immediatly decanted into a pint glass. This one was consumed on 06/26/2009.

The pour was as dark and inky black as one could possibly get. Amazing this thing looked like a black hole. A very small little puff of tan came up over the top and settled down very quickly leaving the top nearly bare with just a touch of lacing. The there was the aroma. Tons of molasses and bourbon that was laced with huge notes of vanilla and coffee. A hint of licorice maybe? Possibly dark fruit but simply amazing and intense but that was nothing compared to what I was in for when I took that first elusive sip. It was on now. Big. Full bodied, thoroughly coating and amazing flavor. Nearly the perfect balance of hot bourbon, rich milk chocolate and coffee all hit you up front. But as it warms it morphs on you, prune like flavors, hints of maybe some grapes like tartness overlay the vanilla from the barrel and make it a sublime finish that literally seemed to get sweeter with every sip.

Overall I am not gonna lie, this one kicked my butt! It was an supreme joy to drink, but it is strong. Taken in context though, I could have sipped on this at the end of the night, every night. It was simply divine. Much thanks again for getting to try this, it was worth the wait and one of the best tasting stouts I have ever come across.

Serving type: growler

06-27-2009 12:12:40 | More by mikesgroove

LongBeachHopHead

California

4.85/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Served out of a Growler traded for Pliny the Younger.

A: Dark, rich and very inviting. Not much head at all. Very viscous and chewy looking.

S: A barrage of bourbon, vanilla, roasted goodness. This beer smells amazing.

T: What a great brew. This beer has tons of bourbon notes, the vanilla is very strong and sweet. The only beer that I can say comes close to it, that I have tried, is Firestone 12. This pretty much blows it away though. I think it's the greatest tasting Bourbon Barrel aged beer I've ever had. For being a huge hophead, this might be my favorite beer ever. I am glad that Reed415 decided to trade with me; thank you!!! Clapping, hand shaking and jumping 8 feet off the ground go through my mind.

M: Mouthfeel is thick and covers the palate in all great ways. Velvety smooth and the alcohol (10%?) is apparent but helps to define the beer so it's not a bad thing. You almost don't want to swallow it for a few seconds because the taste and texture is so awesome.

D: I would love to drink this all the time but unfortunately this one is pretty rare. If it ever comes out in bottles, I'll buy/trade for tons of it if I can. I think the drinkability is a little low because of the richness of it. It took me a good two hours to finish a tulip of it.

We shared this at Beachwood BBQ and everyone seemed to have liked it. I even gave some to one of the line chefs and he loved it. In all, this is one of my favorite beers of all time. Thanks Bell's for brewing such a masterpiece and thank rallison for driving the Younger growler down from Santa Rosa and BrewbakerE and Merritt for filling it. It took a lot to get this.

Serving type: growler

02-28-2009 01:29:49 | More by LongBeachHopHead

rallison

California

4.63/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thank you Glenn for cracking this incredible growler.

Super bourbon vanilla in the nose. Chocolate. Awesome.

Rich, rich chocolate and bourbon in the taste. Incredible. Smooth as butter.

Amazingly drinkable beer. Wow. Low carbonation but perfect for this beer.

One of the best beers i have had in a long time. Once again, thank you Glenn for opening such an incredible beer.

Serving type: growler

02-27-2009 08:33:16 | More by rallison

tmoneyba

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler sample from shigadeyo.

Poured a black color with a moderate creamy brown head that diminished slowly and produced sticky legs and fair lacing.

Good roasted malt, licorice and woody bourbon aroma.

Full body with a smooth texture.

Complex sweet stout flavor with a smooth bourbon woody finish.

Very well balanced complex barrel stout.

This is a standout beer.

Serving type: growler

01-28-2009 21:20:03 | More by tmoneyba

egajdzis

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured an opaque black color with a thin, tan head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of bourbon, raisins, buttercream, lactose, vanilla, cognac, smoke, and marshmallow (almost s'more like). Taste of dry roasted malts, more smoke, bourbon, vanilla, caramel, chocolate, a bit of lactose, and faint alcohol, with a super-creamy mouthfeel. Thanks to Chris for this!

Serving type: growler

11-10-2008 00:32:28 | More by egajdzis

hopdog

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to egajdzis for sharing this gem! I'm still counting my lucky starts to have tried it!

Poured a dark black color with a very small sized off white head.

Aromas of bourbon, vanilla, wood, caramel, smoke, dark fruits, and roast. Very complex and I was getting something different every time I took a whiff.

Tastes of vanilla, caramel, bourbon, lightly vinous, chocolate, and roast. Creamy and smooth body.

I was I had a whole growler of this one!

Notes from and tasted on 7/18/07.

Serving type: growler

11-04-2008 18:31:35 | More by hopdog

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to egajdzis for this...
Appears a near black with dark brown edges. The small tan cap fades into a little film and mild collar. Spotty streaks of lacing is left around the glass.
Smell is of butter cream, lactose, bourbon, oak, vanilla, caramel, cocoa, dark chocolate...pretty intense, complex, and enticing.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a "smores" like taste (I see egajdzis took author rights for my original thoughts), along with creamy caramel standing out.
Mouthfeel is sweet up front, smooth, full of bourbon and cocoa. Delicious stuff. This is what I had hoped KBS was going to be.

Serving type: growler

07-19-2007 19:09:27 | More by weeare138

mcallister

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bought at Party Town in Florence Kentucky. Thanks Party Town!!!

A very nice looking beer and not sure why I'm not givinig it a 5 out of 5. Black in color with a small tan head that fades quickly. Very still and mysterious.

Quite possibly the best nose I've witnessed on a beer. Charred bourbony oak aromas with toasty vanilla tones. Roasted burnt chocolate malts, mollasses, and raisin with a large lactose aroma on the finish. Black fruits of currant, black cherry, and hints of pepper. Somewhat sweet and very enticing.

Again hard not to give a perfect score for taste. Just the slightest imperfection in the mid palate keeps this from coming to fruition. This beer is hugely complex with intense roasted chocolate malts. Marshmallow flavors with a thick creamy lactose induced mouthfeel and mid palate. Charred flavors with a tingly carbonation with creamy, silky smooth textures. Vanilla and caramel meld well with the layered dark fruit flavors. Hints of licorice in the flavor and sweet toasted oak. Bourbon flavors show through and really integrate nicely with the roasty flavors. Alcohol shows through somewhat but isn't overwhelming. A beer I could honestly drink the rest of my life and never get tired of.

Serving type: growler

06-17-2007 15:30:54 | More by mcallister

mdaschaf

Washington

4.46/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Review from notes.

A: Pours a very deep brown, practically black with a small tan/mocha colored head on top that forms a pretty tight cap. Decent read retention with thin lacing.

S: Dark chocolate upfront with some light roasted malt. Bourbon mixed with vanilla and a bit of brown sugar and molasses as well.

T: The first flavor I got was vanilla with dark chocolate, a great combination. The bourbon kicks in adding some wood, a bit of caramelized sugar, and some molasses. Faint dark fruit as well, cherries. Slight bitter/roast on the back end.

M: Full bodied with moderate carbonation, pretty smooth.

O: A very nice beer, understandable why it scores so hi. Very impressed and look forward to trying it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 11:06:40 | More by mdaschaf

da_beers

Vermont

4.68/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Bottled on 12/28/12 and poured into snifter. Acquired in a trade.

A - Pours a bit thick, midnight black with almost no head to speak of, only a tan line around rim, no lacing.

S - Amazing espresso smell, chocolate, and bourbon! Such a sweet aroma, the nose is its best quality IMO.

T - Starts out with a bitterness like dark chocolate, then a smooth warmness comes out, and it ends with huge espresso notes. Reminds me of a mocha. Has some hints of dates as well.

M - Super full bodied, thick like a syrup almost. Coats the mouth and warms the body.

O - One knock is its drinkability, otherwise this is a homerun. This is my first Bell's beer, I'm very impressed.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 02:42:06 | More by da_beers

CManuel

Colorado

4.59/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Bottle dated 12-28-12. Poured into a snifter.

Awesome smell. Heavy on the bourbon, but also a lot of chocolate and vanilla present. One of the best smelling beers I've sampled.

Pours a very thick black with no head at all. Dark as night, very pretty.

Lot of stuff going on with the taste. Bourbon is very present, followed by a bit of vanilla, chocolate, and charred wood. Hides the 11+% well. Very thick bodied and smooth, awesome mouthfeel.

Overall, I love this beer. A little heavier on the bourbon than I would like, but I can still see why this is such a world class stout.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 00:19:31 | More by CManuel

nihiloexnihil

Maryland

4.8/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle at 54 degrees poured into snifter.

A: Slick. Black. No head at all. Nothing, not even a rim around the edges. Holding it up to a light directly yields nothing. Not a single bubble rises in the glass. I guess since Mikkeller already has Black Hole they couldn't name it that, because light does not escape. Perfect.

S: Imagine someone taking a bar of Green's organic dark chocolate and punching you in the face with it. Sweet molasses, delicious white chocolate, vanilla, bourbon. Woodiness, oak. Something else I can't quite name. Perfect.

T: Bourbon immediately. Then it hits: creamy dark chocolate, vanilla, mellow rye whiskey notes. Alcohol burn, but the good kind. Not hot at all. And it lingers, and just hangs out in your mouth reminding you that it's almost impossible to get in Maryland, so I'd better make this bottle last. Perfect.

M: Creamy, more carbonated than expected given how black and imposing it is, but there's not as much thickness as some of the other world-class stouts I've had. Still, this is not a knock on it.

O: My favorite bourbon barrel-aged beer of all time is Bourbon County Coffee, followed by regular BCBS. Those are my standards. This matches, if not exceeds, both of them in all categories except mouthfeel. Make it a little thicker and more viscous, and it gets a perfect score from me. Until then, this is #3.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 22:30:02 | More by nihiloexnihil

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle from the 2012 batch poured into HF stemmed glass and shared three ways. Consumed on 4/19 during our mini stout tasting, reviewed from notes.

A- Pours a very dark brown that appears an opaque jet black in the glass. A very thin mocha head appears that has decent retention but recedes to a flat top.

S- Dark chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, fairly sweet but nicely balanced and fairly aromatic.

T- Dark chocolate mixed with sweet bourbon balanced with a nice creamy vanilla presence and light oak. Finishes with light bitter chocolate balanced with more vanilla and a light clean booze (especially when considering the 11.5%). Nice balance between all the flavors, a little bit on the sweet side but not overly sweet.

M- Very smooth, nice carbonation, very easy drinking, decent body- not too thick but not overly light like some people complain about, overall an incredible feel for a 11.5% beer.

O- This was a fantastic barrel-aged stout which was actually one of our favorites of the night, which was impressive considering we paired it with the likes of Nooner, Marshall Zhukov, Hopped Up Johnnie, CBS, and KBS. Easily one of the better barrel-aged beers I've had and I hope Bell's continues to increase production of it as I would love to try it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 20:08:03 | More by jaasen64

magictacosinus

California

4.78/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Very happy to have tried this at DLD near the FFF brewpub in Indiana. Poured into a 9oz plastic tumbler.

The appearance is a blackened, near opaque color coated with a half finger of bone white head at the top, with slight streaks of carbonation visible at the edges of the glass. Leaves behind excellent lacing, which is impressive given the serving vessel and ABV. Contains a viscous, liqueur-like feel with each swirl, and ranges from looking like a freshly made cup of espresso coffee to a glass of fortified dessert wine. The head never seems to vanish, which adds charm to the beer's look. Looks quite menacing, yet inviting overall.

The aroma is most definitely complex - right at the front, there are traces of roasted chocolate notes soaked in oak, followed by huge caramelized and creamy vanilla bean and brown sugar aromas. Having never had either of the base beers used to make this, I cannot say where or how both of these draw the line against each other. However, in this case, this holds so well on its own that I pretty much don't need to! (Although I would still love to know.) Dark fruits abound such as blackberries and blueberries (on the sweetened side, not tarty), slight tinges of coffee, maybe some coconut, but it's really the chocolate and oak and vanilla creaminess that shine here. It's truly refined and strives for balance in ways I haven't seen a stout of this kind go towards.

With my first sip, I expected an explosion of various flavors melding and conflicting with one another, but it's surprisingly as wonderfully soothing and comforting as the aroma. Large notes of dark chocolate abound with dried, juicy fruity notes imparted by the oak, only to be followed by a massive vanilla, crème brûlée-like flavor that feels wholesome and decadent without being overwhelming. The blueberries are there as well full-fronted in a sense that I usually only get with dessert wines, but what's more surprising of all is how isn't that sweet at all, but rather just the right balance of sweetness from the cream stout balancing gloriously well with the roasted, semi-dark chocolate character and light coffee. It's really these flavors balanced with the well carbonated, creamy mouthfeel that this beer is such an instant classic. The wood has really refined the flavors and makes it a relaxing yet full-bodied drinking experience, to the point where it adds character and fruitiness to the chocolate and vanilla, and finishes off the beer in a wonderfully buttery aftertaste that goes on and on. I really wanted to munch on something like Whoppers while drinking this in order to keep the chocolate flavor going! This felt like it was melting each time in mouth the warmer and warmer it got. What a fantastic thing that is.

This beer, like so many of these barrel blended stouts across the country, has been romanticized to death, and I said all I could with the little yet fabulous pour I was able to get. I really want to track this down in the bottle and see how it compares to the tap version, but this does well for me (especially if I can find more pours of this size for $5). A glorious stout. Works for any occasion at any time of the day. Like The Abyss, not a chore to drink at all. Absolutely worth tracking down!

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2013 14:20:39 | More by magictacosinus

4amepiphany

Illinois

4.99/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Served a la Mikey at DLD '13.

Wow. I thought BCS set the precedence for me, but this blew it away. Dark, dark color. Little head with respectable lacing. Sweet bourbon, where's the booze? To me, this was perfectly balanced and complex with each flavor joining hand in hand rather than going to combat. A peacemaker, if you will. Only thing, I wish this was as available as BCS. I could drink this all day, anyday. Then shower in it. Probably drinking the bathwater after. Just kidding. No, I'm not. FIND THIS!

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2013 09:46:41 | More by 4amepiphany

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

4.61/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Huge thanks to Matt for this bottle!

A - Pours pitch black, with just a thin, soapy tan cap. Minimal head retention and lacing, but some sticky legs. Usually I'm a big fan of Bell's label designs, but I gotta say this one is lacking.

S - Thick base of roasted malt, with notes of bourbon, vanilla, cocoa, and a hint of coffee over top. Slight alcohol note detected. Overall pretty sweet and boozy, without too big an emphasis on the roast/coffee character. Subtle notes of dark fruit come through as well, namely medjool dates. Probably not the biggest or most complex nose, but very rich and inviting.

T - Starts off with a barrage of sweet vanilla and bourbon notes, with dark fruit and milk chocolate poking through. Finishes slowly, very slowly. Long after the swallow, a pronounced coffee roast rises up out of nowhere and permeates the palate with roasty, charred goodness. Definitely a stout on the sweeter side, with bourbon vanilla in the forefront, but also mild earthy notes of wood and molasses. A very saturated profile overall, with a dense residual sweetness that just doesn't let up.

M - Thick and creamy, very low carbonation. Heavy on the palate, and sticky on the lips. Slight alcohol heat, but very little considering the ABV. Just a dense, unrelenting stout.

D - Overall a seriously bold stout from Bell's. The barrel character really transforms the beer into a thick, bourbon-stout concoction. Delicious, but deceptively drinkable. Not for the faint of heart.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 22:51:29 | More by Converge