Bell's Susies Sweet Stout
A ray of sunlight on a brisk autumnal afternoon. Sweeter and lighter than our other big stouts. Milk sugar added at conditioning brings sweetness to the otherwise dark malt flavor.
3.3
159 reviews
Comstock, United States
Community reviews
Bottle: Pours black with a tan head. Aroma, sherry, some fruity notes, and a light chocolate. Flavor, sherry, chocolate, some fruits, a little roasty. There is a bit of a tang to it on the finish. This stuff is obviously past it’s prime, but it wasn’t bad.
12oz bottle, courtesy of artusory. Thanks, Ryan! Pours a very dark brown color; light tan head with large-bubble retention at the edges. Light cocoa and toasted malts in the aroma; some milk chocolate; slightly metallic. Medium mouthfeel: lively carbonation, with an overly sweet, almost tart baker’s chocolate presence; cocoa and toasted malts round out the palate a bit. Lengthy, dry chocolate finish; plenty of cocoa.
Bottle from Styles. Dark brown/black body with a tiny, short-lived, tan head. The aroma is vinous, berry, cola and light chocolate. The flavor is moderately sweet, cherry, cola, caramel and oxidation. Medium body is soft with light carbonation.
Bottle. Black pour with a fizzy tan head. Aroma is of some light roasted malt, chocolate and some oxidation characteristics as well, which is no surprise seeing how old this bottle is...dry vinous and vinegar tones come through. The flavor has a bitter/lactic-sour roasted malt characteristic along with more vinous/vinergar/oxidationm notes coming through...some semi-sweet chocolate as well . Medium bodied...bitter/sour...roasty with slight sweet notes that weave in and out to a bitter/sour/dry finish. IT’s almost more like a foreign stout now, which is a pretty neat transformation. Seems like it a lot drier than it would’ve been years ago and the the heavy dark fruit element I’d imagine wasn’t so prominent if even present at all. All in all, I’m glad I got to try this one out.
Bottle from my man in Michigan, Styles. Thanks Chris! Nice sweet chocolate covered raisin in the aroma-very candy-like. Black body with at hin head. Medium palate. Chocolate and more coffee than expected. Roasted finish. Easy to drink.
Bottle generously provided by Goldtwins. Don’t know how old this is, but I’m guessing 4-5 years. It’s aged surprisingly well for a milk stout. It certainly isn’t great, but it also hasn’t at all spoiled or become infected or even developed off flavors; just faded. Pours with a small brown fizzy head that totally disappears within seconds. Milky aroma, slightly sour I guess, a little juicy. Flavor is a bit more soy sauce, milkiness, prunes. Not very special as a drink, though having the opportunity to drink this was awesome. Thanks larry!
pretty good sweet stout. almost a little too much sweethness for me. good chocolate flavor
Lucky enough to find one bottle of this left at International Beverage Selection. Still had good taste, chocolaty stout flavor, surprisingly not much loss considering age.
Thanks go out to Pailhead for sending this retired beer my way. Old, beat up label. Poured like Coca-Cola with light highlites and a small fizzy brown head which dissipated quickly. Strong aroma of sweet coffee, chocolate and cough syrup. Taste is sweet and milky with a bit of coffee and chocolate. Some acidity is also appearing, giving away the beer’s age. Flavors fade to a fairly roasty finish. This bottle is past its prime (I mean, what else could you expect?), but it still has a nice smooth and sweet stout flavor.
Sampled off the picnic table at Dark Lord Day - the age on this one shows - quite thin in body - a kind of mild tartness settles on the palate, almost overpowering the mild cream/sugar sweetness - some very burnt-tasting malt, which is actually quite interesting, almost giving it a caramelized tastes - not bad, but probably way better when it was young.
Bottle: Black as night, black coffee edges, thin light brown head, spritzy, spotty lacing. Somewhat tart burnt malt nose, semi-sweet, a bit of milk sugar like sweetness is noticeable. Tart pale fruit, apples, pears, along with a nice roasted malt accentuated taste. Definite milk sugar like sweetness resides. Body is fairly enjoyable, but the mouthfeel is fairly moderate given its age. Sweet and tart finish, pale fruit skin shines, roasted malts crest, and the milk sugar sweetness lingers. A whole array of flavors with this one. Pretty damn tasty, and a bit unusual too. Big thanks to Styles for including this rare gem as a damn freebie!!!
Sampled February 2006
Pours with a frothy, large bubbled, half-finger thick brown colored head. The beer is a deep black, opaque color. The aroma smells quite dry, a bit acidic, with a hint of plum-like fruitiness towards the end. Aromatic notes of dark roasted coffee beans intermingle with a hint of sherry and an underlying, rich malty note that reminds me of dark chocolate. There seems to be a bit of mustiness here as well, but just a touch and it seems to mix into the fruitiness somehow.
The beer has a certain fullness to it as it hits my mouth, yet at the same time it is light and a tad thin around the edges (some signs of it’s age). There is a chocolate-like sweet note here, especially in the middle and towards the end of a draught of this beer. Up front a bit of acidity accentuates a solid fruit character that makes me think most of sweet, aromatic plums. The finish has a note of dry, roasted character, which intermingles with the sweet malty notes, and, in fact, is ultimately subservient to the sweet, chalky malt notes in the long finish.
This beer is still quite nice, what age is here mostly adds to the complexity. Some oxidation has increased/ enhanced the fruit character, and certainly makes up for the thinning of the palate around the edges. There is also a certain sherry-like or even port-like quality here, which again adds to the complexity. This has definitely held up pretty darn well.
Moderate viscosity, black and opaque with a dark khaki-tan head and a dusty galaxy overlay. Aroma is a tasty treat - bitter-sweet chocolate, milky espresso cooler, iced cappuccino, cocoa powder, licorice root and dog food bags. Flavor reveals no hint of a beer past its prime. Though somewhat easy-going, there’s an admirable composure of semi-sweet and smooth chocolate morsels, which gradually evolve to envelop mild bakers chocolate and chagrinned tootsie rolls. Background bitterness meets iced cafe lattes. Chocolate stir sticks and whipped mouse sweeten the deal while cocoa beans and mocha beans rally for a mild supportive bitterness. Gentle, with preferable carbonation levels, and a well-balanced formula, finishing with a light, fluffy chocolate cool whip anthem, melting so there’s more crème than arid quaffs. You sure as hell can cellar a beer, Styles - thanks for this one!
Thanks to hopdog for this...
Appears black with a tan head and spotty lacing around the glass.
Smell is of lactose, chocolate, dark fruit, light coffee, and slight sourness.
Taste is of the same aromas and seems slightly sour.
Mouthfeel...well, it is slightly sour, as this one is obviously past it’s prime. It was still a pleasant brew.
Aromas of chocolate abound. Tons of cocoa and light coffee bitterness in this brew. Subtle sweetness, almost like someone dropped a mini-moo into an old cup of coffee. Not bad for a beer that has been sitting for afew years.
12oz bottle acquired in trade with ClarkVV (thanks!). Poured a dark black color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of chocolate, roasted malts, lactose, and some dark fruits. Tastes of dark fruits, chocolates, roasted malts and lactose. There was also a ver light sourness to the taste.
Poured a dark brown color with a thin, tan head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of dark chocolate, roasted malt, and dried fruits. Taste of chocolate, roast, light lactose, with some cherries, and some faint smoke in the background as well.
Bottle thanks to Styles! Poured a very deep brown, almost black... with little carbonation or headage. Aroma was sour with currants, lactic acid, and coffee. Milky sweetness throughout the drink with sour dark fruits, coffee, and a dry chocolate standing out at times. Moderate level of roastiness and a rather thin body. Intricacies of the flavor became more apparent as this warmed to room temp. Probably missing some of its initial luster, but this 5% sweet stout seems to have held up fairly well after a few years.
Bottle: Thick, dark black with a small, brown head. Aromas of alcohol and other sweetness, must be the milk sugar . . . hmmmm. Okay, now that I am tasting it is pretty sour. Amidst the tangy atmosphere one notes darkly roasted chocoloate covered coffee beans. Pretty thin for a stout. Maybe this is why Susie was retired.
Bottle Pours a very dark brown with a quickly receding dark tan head. Sparse blocky lacing. Aromas of chocolate covered cherries and toostie rolls. Flavor is dry and tart. Sour even. Flavors Im not sure belong and much more sure didn’t expetct. I can get past it though and enjoy the dark roasted flavors and the lactose sweetness. A bit odd and interesting but a bit lacking for one of my favorite styles.
Thanks to Styles for this one.
Thanks to my Secret Santa for this rare historic beer.
The Stouts produced at Kalamazoo by Larry Bell become part of the study plan to any homebrewer who wants to have a good working knowledge of what a Stout can be.
Though this one has probably lost a bit of edge over the years, it’s saving grace is that as a Stout, it can stand a bit of time without loosing all of it’s identity.
A black body is covered by a small light brown head.
Some licorice and smoke highlight the aroma of roast malts.
Lightly sweet flavor as expected, with a somewhat thin delivery. The roast malts are subdued in this beer that straddles the line between the Stouts and Porters.
Obscure blackish brown that neglects head production and looks still. Sweet and malty front-running aromas slashing the nostrils with lactic heavily milked coffee and cocoa. Reaching through a handful of fig and grape reminiscent malt complexifications, finding their way amidst age-mellowed chocolate bar understatements. Pleasant in its fruitiness, but I can’t appreciate that vinous corkiness that comes with it all that much, surprisingly hinting at alcohol. So-so interaction between the swiss mocha type of maltiness and its sour counterbalance, the sourness takes the lead a bit too often for my liking (detaining further malt development). Roastiness remained restricted to mere balancing purposes thus not interfering with acidity yet the considerable age seems to have removed from the otherwise sedimental light-medium if creamy feel.
Dark brown pour, black looking body. Thin brown head.
Sweet, but light and maybe oxidized chocolatey licorice in the aroma. Some tannin hints too.
Almost sour roasted oatmeal and coffee malts. Sourness seems a bit tannin-like at times.
Not too bad, but its obviously gone down hill considerably. Not sure how old the bottle is, but its at least a few years old.
Thanks to Robert’s Reality for this one. Pours black with almost no head. Aromas are roast malt, oaky chocoff, and some nutmeg. The flavor is tart, with a definite cherry krieky element, backed up by some roasty malt and chocoff sensations. The palate is on the light side for a stout. I wonder if this one was the precursor for their Cherry Stout?
Very sweet malt chocolate aroma (like a Crunchie bar) with some vanilla and lightly fruity and roasty notes. Opaque black body is topped by decent, fin-bubbled brown head that recedes to a lasting cover with some lacing. Raisins, chocolate, light soy, and roasted malt flavours blend together seamlessly with some orange-citrus flavour - not sure if that’s hops or oxidation. Lightly sour vinous character with some vanilla sweetness appears in the fairly bitter aftertaste. Medium-full body with moderately lively if short-lived carbonation. Certainly past its prime but its aged well and is still interesting. Tulip glass. Cellar temp. Bottle (Main Street Party Store, Ann Arbor, Jul-05).
12oz bottle as a bonus in a trade with SuIIy - thanks Mike! - Pours quite black with a small tan head. Aroma is of coffee bitterness and some notes of sweet milk chocolate. Also a bit of plum and fig. No signs of this being old in the aroma. Flavor is interesting to say the least. Chocolate up front gives way to a sour fruity finish which seems to dominate the flavor. You are still able to taste the chocolate and coffee flavors around it.. I pick up definite notes of cherry in the flavor. Having never tasted this fresh I cannot tell whether this was intentional or a sign of the age. The sourness is definitely not obnoxious though. This is still very drinkable and it actually grows on you throughout the glass. Almost winelike and the sourness fades as you get deeper into the glass. Palate is medium bodied for a stout and pretty smooth. Very unique and interesting.. I was nervous to try this one with the age, but I’m glad I did it really held up o.k. it seems for a beer of it’s size..
A black stout, with almost no head, but there is a fair amount of carbonation. Nose is nothing spectacular. Flavor is, well, interesting. It is way too sweet but it finishes sour, which I actually liked, even though it is not true to the style. Typical notes of coffee and chocolate are there, but they werent kidding when they called it SSS. Interesting.
Couleur noir ébène et opaque, peu de mousse beige laissant un fin cerceau sur le rebord du verre. Cacao, chocolat amer, cerises noires et bleuets sont subjugués par des houblons toujours très verts. En bouche, ceux-ci s’atténuent grandement et laissent place aux flaveurs de malt rôti, de café et de cacao, davantage acide que sucrée. L’acidité grandit peu à peu au fil des gorgées. Étalement relativement court, les flaveurs nous quittent rapidement et nous laissent sur une note d’acidité. Corps d’épaisseur moyenne, carbonatation aux fines bulles piquantes et toujours très actives. Bouteille, Party Store, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Juillet 2005.
Courtesy of Pailhead. Can’t balieve this held up this well over time. Great aroma of chocolate and dark fruits, fig/ raisin. Flavor has the same chocolate up front but turns sour. Not entirely put off by the sourness, as it is still a really good stout. Would have loved to try this just before it turned sour.
12 oz bottle purchased at The Party Store in Ann Arbor on July 24, 2005 and yes they still had some left. This one was cold in the fridge so I’m hoping...ah, opens with a nice pop, the carbonation hasn’t left...body is deep, deep purple-black with a fully lasting dark foamy ring, little lace...aroma of raisins, dark and milk chocolate, French vanilla, perhaps some cherry, really luscious with barely a trace of oxidation....body of cherries, chocolate, light hints of cola, just a touch vinous and sour but surprisingly decent still...a bit thin in the body, but this is quite drinkable yet (don’t know how much longer) and I’m thrilled to have it. Thanks Party Store!