Creamy Goodness from @BellsBrewery

This beer was a nice surprise in a shipment from a friend in Washington, DC. I’d never had it before and since this is my last bottle, I figure it deserves a review. This is the second “dueling” review I have planned with Derek. It should be noted that I’m tasting this beer after the Ghandi Bot… whatever that means. 

I’m convinced if Bell’s were available in MA, it’d be one of my favorite breweries. Oberon might just be my go-to summer beer and their Two Hearted Ale would battle for regular rotation in the old Coke machine. Of course, Hopslam is a seasonal delight that would certainly have my focus in Feb/March. 

 

Special Double Cream Stout was a suprise and a nice one at that. It pours deep and dark with a nice head that fades relatively quickly and leaves nice lacing on the edge of the glass. It smell like a mocha frappe with a hint of malted milk balls. I love malted milk balls. 

The first taste doesn’t betray the smell. So smooth and creamy, with a nice cocoa/coffee/malty sweetness. Faint bubbles deliver a subtle hop tingle at just the right moment. This is a lot bigger than the 6.1% ABV suggests, but it’s soooo drinkable. 

It’s been about an hour since I first opened this beer and it’s just getting better by the minute. 

If anyone at Bell’s is listening, start sending me your beers ahead of your launch in MA and we’ll make sure it goes really smoothly.

Vital Stats: 12oz bottle served at 45-50F in a tulip glass. 6.1% ABV.

Taste: A-. Just what you’d expect. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

Drinkability: A-. This beer scares me. It’s too smooth for the style. 

Packaging: B. It’s attractive, but nothing special.

Great Horse Brewing Company “Too” Cream Stout

The is the 2nd in the Great Horse stout series. It's named "Too" and is billed as a cream stout. I'm not going to get into the packaging again. It's sub-par, let's leave it at that. 

It pour a deep dark black with minimal head that's a dense creamy brown. Holding the glass up to a bare bulb I see no light coming through. It's dark. The smell is deep roasted malt with a hint of tar. Maybe a bit of chocolate, but not milk chocolate, more like Tootsie Roll. 

The first taste is… wow… what a taste! Dark, dark maltiness. There's a bit of bitterness playing off the coffee/cocoa flavors, but not enough to overpower. I'm going to let it warm up for a bit and come back for more in a few… 

Ok, I'm back. As it's warmed it's begun to taste a bit like dark coffee. We may have gone from Tootsie Roll to dark, bitter chocolate. There's a certain light smoke taste back there too. I wouldn't call it "smoky", but it's got a bit of campfire in there.  

I don't know what else to say, but I like this beer. While it's definitely got a lot going on, it's easy to drink. I can't imagine having a bunch of these in one sitting, but it's certainly on my short list of great stouts. As I write this I have absolutely no idea how high the ABV is on this and the beer doesn't give it away. It tastes like it could be somewhere in the 5's, but it could be higher. It's so rich I can't imagine it'd be in the 4's. 

Checking the stats now… 

Taste: B+

Drinkability: B+ …As stouts go this is as good as it gets on the drinkability scale. I'd love to try this next to some more beers like it. 

Vital Stats: 12oz bottle originally served at ~40F and then warmed to ~55F before finished. 8% ABV… WOW! I didn't see that coming, but it explains why it's so rich and delicious. Just wow! 

Dark Horse “Too” Cream Stout

Once again, dueling reviews by Jim and I on another Dark Horse Brewing Company offering. Tonight: their “Too” Cream Stout and I’m up first. And once again, I must lament the lack of useful info on the label or a story of any kind. But at least they’re consistent.

This beer poured dark and thick with minimal head (though I was pretty careful). As with the Blueberry “Tres” Stout, the head disappeared before I could take the photo. Chocolate and coffee predominate on the nose (and are far more pronounced than the scents on the other Dark Horse offering we tried). I think I’m picking up cherries on there as well. It really is a wonderful-smelling beer.

Mouthfeel isn’t quite as heavy as I expected given how thick it appeared to be upon pouring. It’s also a little more carbonated than I thought it’d be. The taste, I have to admit, didn’t wow me in the same way their Blueberry Stout did. The chocolate and coffee flavors promised by the nose come up a bit short in the tasting. Chocolate and coffee notes are most prominent, with a bit of a woody flavor mixed in. There’s an acidic taste to it as well which carries through the finish. You get an alcohol bite at the back as well which lingers a bit longer than I wish it would.

Overall, this one rates a ‘fine’ in my book, but I don’t think I’d go back for more. An OK example of a sweet stout, but not my favorite. Given the choice, I’d go with their “Tres” every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Taste: B-
Drinkability: B
Vitals: 8.0% ABV. Poured from a 12 ounce bottle (it’s right there in the photo, people!), served at 48F.