Brewed By: Bell's Brewery, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2012
Style/ABV: American Stout/Imperial Stout/Breakfast Stout, 7.5%
Let's just address this as what it is, a Breakfast Stout. I'm waiting for an official category for Breakfast Stouts - Stouts brewed with coffee, maple syrup, or bacon notes. I'm sure this beer is under the BJCP's "Spice/Herb/Vegetable" beer category. And it is. Is coffee a spice, herb, or vegetable? I don't know, I'm not being sarcastic when I ask (okay, maybe a little).
Bell's Brewery is one of the biggest names in craft beer. Once you get past the Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, and Stone phase, you start hearing about breweries like Bell's. Bell's began as a home-brewing supply shop, founded by Larry Bell, back in 1983. Bell's sold its first beer in September 1985. The brewery has humble roots like many of the first craft breweries, and the beer was originally brewed in a 15-gallon soup kettle. The beer was originally self-distributed, bottled, and delivered by hand during the company's first four years. In 1993, Bell's became the first brewery in Michigan to open an onsite pub. The brewery currently has two facilities, one in Kalamazoo, and one in Comstock Township, Michigan.
If you roll over to Bell's Java Stout page, you can find some info on the beer. This beer is brewed with coffee beans (roasted locally by the Water Street Coffee Joint). This beer clocks in at 7.5% ABV, and is a Winter seasonal.
With the props out of the way, let's get on with the review.
This is a dark beer, both in low and bright light. This beer pours black, and a nice 1-inch head forms in the glass. The head is a dark brown, coffee-tinted color. As the head pulls away, you get some nice lacing on the glass, and head retention seems solid. There is some visible carbonation on the sides of the glass, and hints of brown and red escape the side of the glass when you hold it up to bright light. There are some hints of alcohol legs. I want to mention that I really dig the bottle art on this beer. This is a bright, inviting beer, and it totally screams "coffee shop."
The aroma on this is mostly all coffee. You get huge coffee notes, spent coffee left in the filter notes, hints of espresso, hints of roasted coffee, and hints of coffee grounds. There is a murky hint of alcohol in the nose, and maybe a hint of grain, but mostly coffee.
This is a beer that really commits to the coffee flavors. Unlike Founders' Breakfast Stout, which was uber-complex and balanced by intense bitterness and other flavors, Bell's Java Stout commits to the coffee and provides a huge coffee overload. And honestly? It's quite good if you like coffee, or are in the mood. I'm tasting espresso, spent coffee left in the filter, slightly stale coffee, coffee bean, and a hint of alcohol bite on the back end. I'm left with some hints of figs or dark fruits with the lingering alcohol note. The carbonation leaves a slightly thin feeling in the mouth, and there are some hints of woody notes.
The mouthfeel on this is medium, with light carbonation that stretches the beer a tad bit then, with a medium mouthfeel and medium complexity. This is drinkable for what it is, but considering how coffee-forward this is, I wouldn't necessarily reach for this unless I wanted coffee (fortunately, this isn't an issue, I love coffee). There's actually a lot going on behind the scenes: the back palate has those woody and boozy notes, and you get hints of dark fruits. The front end is carbonation, coffee, a touch of sweetness; this rolls into wood, more coffee, coffee, coffee; and the finish is slightly drying and slightly bitter, woody, coffee. And then you get hints of alcohol and dark fruit on the back, back palate.
I don't have much to add here. I feel like this is a niche beer intended for certain situations. Like when you want a beer and you want coffee at the same time! This beer is different than Founders' Breakfast Stout. The Founders' beer was more bitter, I'm guessing it had more hops, and the intentions were probably different. This beer right here is all about the coffee flavors, and I dig that. I would totally pair this beer with a raunchy Barbeque that is not spicy, or with some Tiramisu. Worth checking out, at least once, but I really dig this.
Let's just address this as what it is, a Breakfast Stout. I'm waiting for an official category for Breakfast Stouts - Stouts brewed with coffee, maple syrup, or bacon notes. I'm sure this beer is under the BJCP's "Spice/Herb/Vegetable" beer category. And it is. Is coffee a spice, herb, or vegetable? I don't know, I'm not being sarcastic when I ask (okay, maybe a little).
Bell's Brewery is one of the biggest names in craft beer. Once you get past the Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, and Stone phase, you start hearing about breweries like Bell's. Bell's began as a home-brewing supply shop, founded by Larry Bell, back in 1983. Bell's sold its first beer in September 1985. The brewery has humble roots like many of the first craft breweries, and the beer was originally brewed in a 15-gallon soup kettle. The beer was originally self-distributed, bottled, and delivered by hand during the company's first four years. In 1993, Bell's became the first brewery in Michigan to open an onsite pub. The brewery currently has two facilities, one in Kalamazoo, and one in Comstock Township, Michigan.
If you roll over to Bell's Java Stout page, you can find some info on the beer. This beer is brewed with coffee beans (roasted locally by the Water Street Coffee Joint). This beer clocks in at 7.5% ABV, and is a Winter seasonal.
With the props out of the way, let's get on with the review.
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| Bell's Java Stout |
The aroma on this is mostly all coffee. You get huge coffee notes, spent coffee left in the filter notes, hints of espresso, hints of roasted coffee, and hints of coffee grounds. There is a murky hint of alcohol in the nose, and maybe a hint of grain, but mostly coffee.
This is a beer that really commits to the coffee flavors. Unlike Founders' Breakfast Stout, which was uber-complex and balanced by intense bitterness and other flavors, Bell's Java Stout commits to the coffee and provides a huge coffee overload. And honestly? It's quite good if you like coffee, or are in the mood. I'm tasting espresso, spent coffee left in the filter, slightly stale coffee, coffee bean, and a hint of alcohol bite on the back end. I'm left with some hints of figs or dark fruits with the lingering alcohol note. The carbonation leaves a slightly thin feeling in the mouth, and there are some hints of woody notes.
The mouthfeel on this is medium, with light carbonation that stretches the beer a tad bit then, with a medium mouthfeel and medium complexity. This is drinkable for what it is, but considering how coffee-forward this is, I wouldn't necessarily reach for this unless I wanted coffee (fortunately, this isn't an issue, I love coffee). There's actually a lot going on behind the scenes: the back palate has those woody and boozy notes, and you get hints of dark fruits. The front end is carbonation, coffee, a touch of sweetness; this rolls into wood, more coffee, coffee, coffee; and the finish is slightly drying and slightly bitter, woody, coffee. And then you get hints of alcohol and dark fruit on the back, back palate.
Rating: Above-Average
Score: 89%
I don't have much to add here. I feel like this is a niche beer intended for certain situations. Like when you want a beer and you want coffee at the same time! This beer is different than Founders' Breakfast Stout. The Founders' beer was more bitter, I'm guessing it had more hops, and the intentions were probably different. This beer right here is all about the coffee flavors, and I dig that. I would totally pair this beer with a raunchy Barbeque that is not spicy, or with some Tiramisu. Worth checking out, at least once, but I really dig this.
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