Bell's Batch 7000 Ale
Batch 7000 is part of our commemorative series celebrating our progress with special brews. Our 7000th batch is a special recipe to be brewed only once.
4.1
647 reviews
Comstock, United States
Community reviews
Nearly no carbonation at all. Thick and syrupy such that I can almost chew it. Soy sauce in the aroma and taste overwhelm distant hints of mocha. I have a feeling this beer has passed its prime or the bottle I traded for was not well-stored.
Taster. Nice big chocolate nose. Taste is holding up well with soy and mocha tastes.
Bottle: thanks, Jeff! Dark as hell; black with a creamy mocha head that dissipates in a short amount of time. Aroma is heavy molasses, brown sugar, some licorice, light roasty malts & caramel, and a bit of dark prunes in the back. Sweet and robust. Taste is sweet; caramelized brown sugar, sweet molasses, a twinge if cream & coffee, a small touch of black licorice and prunes, and a nice finish of dark chocolate. Caramel-y finish... Sweet but not too over the top. Very, very mild oxidation... But it's nearly 8 years old. Awesome.
Bottle courtesy of Paul, shared with Max, Andy and Pearl. Pours a rich black body with thin lacing. No head. Aroma is rich, chocolate fudge brownie and protein bar. Mouthfeel is full with lots of fudgy, brownie character dominating. Some warming in the chest towards the finish, but overall still very nice.
12 oz. bottle, sent from Glouglouburp (thanks a lot, Dany), pours a silky jet black a la motor oil with tiny ring of light brown head. Nose brings out deep dark fruits (plums particularly), some chocolate covered raisins, vanilla and caramel. Flavour is remarkably complex, with loads of sherry liqueur, dark fruits (plum and cherries), a little vanilla and heaps of caramel. Dominated particularly by the liqueur and dark fruits, without being very sweet. There is a noticeable alcohol kick, but it’s well-situated. A big syrupy, semi-boozy sipper that is as intense as it is elegant. Wonderful stuff. Has stood the test of time (7 years) very well.
Bottle acquired, from someone. Pours dark brown with no carbonation. Aroma is dark fruits like plums, some bourbon in there I think. Flavor matches aroma but adds in a little booziness. Really good, would have liked to try it fresh as well.
What an amazing brew! POUR: Slight head. APPEARANCE: Normal dark brown/black color for a malty stout. SCENT: Hints of vanilla and malts. TASTE: I taste a complex mixture of vanilla, carmel, and malts. The initi tasteIis very smooth and rich like biting into dark chocolate. The aftertaste is slightly malty and it disspitates within a few seconds. PALATE: A dry malty flavor lingers buts only for a miniscule amount of time. OVERALL: This beer isvery delectable and I would recommend this for any and all occasions.
finally. 12oz bottle, batch 7000, courtesy of the one-and-only motortoddhead. thanks so much, todd! pours thick, rich, and oily like a real imperial stout should and sits black in the glass with a thick, dense, dark mocha head that leaves oily sheets of lace. aroma is absolutely wonderful with huge notes of devil’s food cake, dark roasted malts, spent coffee grinds, licorice candy, and pralines backed by dried figs, raisins, and plum skins with hints of warming, spirited Ouzo. flavor is incredible as well with notes of fresh baked brownie edges, pecans, brown sugar, pralines, and hazelnut coffee backed by deep, dark roast, winter spices, dried figs, black cherries, and subtle notes of amaretto with licorice, earth, and smoke on the back end. palate is full bodied, rich and decadent, with smooth carbonation and not a trace of oxidation with a massive finish of roast, dark chocolate, and spices. overall, i was a bit aprehensive with this one given the age but i’m happy to say this one has aged with the utmost grace and truly is one of the best beers i’ve had in the last 6 months.
On tap at 2013 Inaugural Vintage Beer Tasting. 2005 bottle. Pour was dark brown to black with a small layer of suds the color of a cardboard box. Smells similar to aged brandy with fermented dark fruits, brown sugar and molasses, somewhat leathery. Mouth feel was slick and warm, very soft carbonation. Roasty taste with predominant taste of figs and dark fruits, charred wood, hints of spices - allspice, anise. Finish was slightly sour and surprisingly clean. I need some more years to appreciate this one.
Bottle at Paul’s tasting. Past 7 years old at tasting. Near black with a beige head. Hard roasted malts, weird grainy, some sweetness, and a really weird dirty finish. Not bad up front, but the finish really throws it off, and I have no idea what it is. It didn’t really seem like oxidation or anything like that. Really pumped that I got to try this, but I don’t think it was that good.
Bouteille 12oz, courtoisie de Hogtownharry/Blankboy. Nez fruité légèrement boisé (raisins vineux, cerises noires), de chocolat noir, de malt rôti et d’alcool, léger de café noir et de vanille avec des notes de mélasse et de houblon résineux. Ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture très crémeuse et légèrement liquoreuse. Goût fruité sucré légèrement boisé (raisins vineux, notes de cerises noires) avec des notes de vanille et quelques traces de réglisse noire lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute rapidement un goût amer de malt rôti, de chocolat noir et de café noir avec des notes de caramel toffee sucré puis progressivement un goût d’alcool moyen et réchauffant s’enchaîne accompagné d’un goût de café plus intense, d’un léger goût de mélasse sucrée et de houblon résineux aux notes herbeuses. Post--goût long, amer de rôti, de chocolat noir, de café espresso, d’alcool moyen et de houblon légèrement résineux et aux notes herbeuses avec des petites notes de fruits (raisins vineux).
Location: Bottle at Paul’s Blind Impy Stout Tasting, 1/5/13
Aroma: The nose is fairly sweet with some chocolate malts and dark fruit notes, and light booze
Appearance: It poured a dark brown color with a small head and not much lace
Flavor: The taste is sweet and a little boozy as well, very similar component-wise to the nose
Palate: The body is medium-full, with some thickness to it, and more carbonation then expected
Overall Impression:
Once I learned what this was, I thought it was really cool to get to try this one. I enjoyed it, I’d be curious to know how a bottle this old compares to one a little fresher, but I never tried it fresh.
Bottle thanks to bhensonb. Big time high five. Black pour with a small brown head, faded in quick fashion. Aroma was full of molasses, burnt sugar, dark fruits, licorice, and big roasty malts. Flavors were slightly sweet and on par with the aromas. Lots of licorice and straight up darkness. Doesn’t seem that the old age of this one has become a detriment, all seems well. Drinking very nicely. Long bittersweet finish with a touch of booze. Big viscous body with rather light carbonation. Awesome stuff.
Bottle graciously provided by Larry (walt). Inky black pour. Nose is brown sugar, leather and molasses. Flavor is cedar, raisins, leather and earth. Slightly oxidized
Bottle courtesy of Marsiblursi. Pours oily pitch black with a creamy dark chocolate brown head that leaves some trace on the glass while dissipating. Smell is sweet and malty with roasted malts, leather, salty liquorice, charred wood, moist soil, prunes, raisins, dates, alcohol, lemon zest, black currant jam, dark bread, marmalade, tar, dark roast coffee, bitter chocolate and pine. Taste is sweet, bitter, tiny sour and malty with roasted malts, lemon peal, resinous wood, prunes, raisins, alcohol, dates, black currants, leather, dark roast coffee, lemon zest, bitter chocolate, salty liquorice candy and moist mineral rich soil. Mouthfeel is soft, smooth, creamy, very tiny fruity tart, very tiny boozy and full bodied, finish is tiny sweet, bitter and tiny sour with roasted malts, dark roast coffee, lemon zest, raisins, prunes, charred wood, pine, leather, bitter chocolate and hints of burnt caramel. Great stuff! Past it’s prime but still very good. Very happy to get the chance to try this!
Bottle. Very happy to get my hands on this one. Poured a muddy brown with a small, dense brown head. Lots of lacing with a yellow gloss left around the glass. Looks heavy. Nose is sweet vanilla and short black. Lots of coffee which was surprising. Heavy fruit cake comes through as well. Nice stuff. Taste shows the dark fruits and heavy, bitter coffee. Light chocolate with a big amount of molasses and sweet vanilla. Rather balanced for such a sweet brew. Creamy mouth feel and lingers for a long time. Very nice stuff
Bottle,
this beer had a viscous black pour with ruby at the edges of the glass, and gave a half finger tan colored head, this beer was too dark to see any carbonation, but I saw bubbles flowing up the sides of the glass, this imperial stout left lots of rings and spots of lacing on the sides of the glass, and it coated the sides of the glass with an oily film when swirled, I found a good layer of dark sediment in the bottle,
the aromas were chocolate and dark bitter chocolate, chocolate cake, roasted malt, dark candy and dark candy sweetness, dark fruit, strong molasses, whiffs of whiskey alcohol, brownies, dark brown sugar sweetness with a little caramel sweetness in the background, and faint licorice,
this beer had flavors of bitter dark chocolate, dry chocolate, dark brown sugar and molasses sweetness, a little roasted malt bitterness, cooked dark fruit in the background, I noticed a little dark fruit after the ale reached room temperature, the finish has dark chocolate and roasted malt flavors trailing with a little roasted malt bitterness, the alcohol was hidden well,
the mouth feel was full feeling but very smooth and nice an creamy on the palate, just a hint of alcohol warmth,
this beer had a big chocolate nose with chocolate sweetness and roasted malt in the background, this was a wonderful brew, a smooth Impy with a touch of bitterness at the finish.
Bottle shared by ygtbsm94. Thanks Brad!
A: Opaque. Black with a thick beige head that leaves a healthy amount of lacing.
S: Bountiful rich, roasted malt. Alcohol presence is very muted. Smells promising.
T: Fabulous! One of the best imperial stouts I have tasted. Age has worked wonders on this beer. Incredibly smooth with a subtle bitterness, this is a delicious brew to sip slowly.
M: Silky smooth with alcohol extremely well hidden. Again, the aging process has greatly enhanced this beer.
D: A really delicious brew. Highly recommended.
16th December 2009
Opaque black beer. Airy chocolate malt nose. Airy light palate. Rich soft dark malt with unsweet dark chocolate and a shot of espresso coffee bitterness. These flavours surrounded by the creamy smoothness and softness of the palate. There is a faint something fruity underneath, well buried. Finishes smooth and dry with minerals. Bitterish aftertaste. Good but falls short of the best.
Black, small tan head, light lacing... burntish earthy very very dark fruity aroma raisin prune fig and the like... licoroce smoke burnt very earthy a little dirty tasting dark fruits... full bodied quite lively...
Pours black with ruby hues and a medium mocha head. Aroma is a bit boozy and has dark fruits, candied fruits, fig, raisin, and some sweet coffee. Flavor has a distinct dusty taste...almost mushroomy...and also espresso and nice burnt notes to go with dark fruits...tobacco...now that jeff mentions it i get some licorice. Mouthfeel is full and the finish lingers and warms with dark fruit and coffee...lt tobacco.
Date: April 21, 2012 Mode: Bottle Source: footbalm Description: Pour was opaque black with some head that faded quickly and lacing. Aroma is wood, alcohol, red wine, caramel, roasted malt and vanilla. Taste is relatively consistent with aroma, but the wood and alcohol were most prevalent. Palate was thick and very smooth. Still holding up well after all these years. Thanks to Eric for this tasty brew!
Bottle. Pours a dark brown with no head. The aroma is smokey malt and roast. Thin mouthfeel with a chocolate roast and smokey finish. A very good Imperial stout from Bells.
The pour is just about black in color with no head and very minimal carbonation. Strong notes of soy sauce and licorice. There is definitely some booziness to it and lots of roasted malt, maybe some dark chocolate. Quite oxidized. Things don’t change much on the palate. Heavy on the soy sauce with a strong sweetness. Licorice, roasted malt, and a hint of toast. Really just oxidized and old.
Old notes. Pours a deep thick black with very thin tan head. Aroma wonderful of chocolate, slight floral hops, molasses, roasted malt, mild espresso, and a little bit of heaven. Flavor matches all too well and makes for one hell of a brew. I really wish I could get my hands on a ton more of this.
Smokey, strong, toasty and full of chocolate! Thanks daknole for nearly every dope beer I’ve had. Caracurtis, thanks for the rest!
Sampled at an esbls tasting. Black! No head. Pours like used motor oil. A nose of whiskey and char. This tastes what I want an imperial stout to taste like. Raisins, whiskey, soy. So good.
12 ounce bottle pour. Thanks madvike! Pitch black pour with a little tan head. Booze and black licorice aroma. Thick chewy chocolate taste. Real deal.
Bottle @ home, courtesy of daknole. Huge thanks! Deep black appearance with a very deep brown head. Deep chocolate malty, caramel, slightly syrupy, a bit boozy, rich malty aroma. Thick, very roasty, deep rich malty, caramel chocolatey, slightly boozy, super rich flavor. Roasty chocolate aftertaste. Thanks again Dak!
Pours dark with a nice brown head. Aroma coffee, dark chocolate, caramel, and roasted malts. Flavor is chocolate, malts, coffee and a hint of vanilla. Medium to full bodied with light carbonation. Has a nice silky smooth finish.