Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout

Special Double Cream Stout

Bell’s Brewery, Inc. – Comstock, MI 49053

Info: (From the label) “Brewed with a blend of ten different malts. Double Cream is an incredibly rich stout composed of dark, sweet and smoothe tones intermingled with a soft, roasty finish.“

At this point in my reviewing, I really ought to just make it my goal to seek out stouts, porters, and dark lagers, because it really seems like that’s what I end up stumbling on when I least expect it. I was at the store, not even thinking of beer, when a dude saunters by with a sixer of the Bell’s Double Cream Stout. Well guess who was suddenly thirsty for a beer I haven’t had in a good long time – long before I was drinking for your pleasure as well. If you said, ‘You’, you are wrong. The answer is: Me.

The bottle’s open, my lovely 12 ounce glass from my favorite restaurant at the ready, and… we pour. Well it certainly smells far creamier than any of the stouts I’ve had in a while. A good swirl to open the nose a little and the head begins to look remarkably like steamed milk on a cappuccino. That’s cool: two distinctly different colors of foam. You definitely have your malty tones, your sweet-slightly-coffee richness, and the accompanying roasty smell at the end. Very nice.

Goodness is this a sweet, creamy, almost chocolate-milky brew. It’s nutty, rich, full of roasted flavor, and loaded with hints of great coffee and bittersweet mocha. It has an inherent heaviness that comes pre-packaged with stouts, so that’s not much of a surprise. The mouth-feel reminds me of having a great piece of chocolate candy, and it hangs around for a good long time. It’s loaded with the full-bodied flavor of roasted hops that only give up a little bitterness to what might otherwise be a far stronger taste. It’s absolutely one of the finest examples of this style of stout I’ve ever had. Outstanding. Pairing this with roasted pork or lamb, or even serving it with a strong cheese course would be pretty interesting. Good stuff.

Rating: * * * * *
Bell’s knew what they were doing when they called this a Double Cream Stout; it is creamy, rich, and outstanding.