Bell's Special Double Cream Stout | Bell's Brewery, Inc.
Brewed by:
Bell's Brewery, Inc.
Michigan, United States
bellsbeer.com
Style: American Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.10%
Availability: Winter
Notes / Commercial Description:
Double Cream Stout derives its name from its smooth, creamy texture, not the ingredients. Completely dairy-free, this stout blends ten different specialty malts to yield a remarkable depth of flavor. With only a touch of burnt notes, Double Cream Stout focuses on the softer, cocoa & espresso-like aspects of roasted malt.
Added by Mitchster on 12-30-2001
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 3,794 | Reviews: 1,442
4/5 rDev +0.8%
Bdel34, Dec 25, 2013
4.04/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Jet black in color and I don't see any light getting through this brew. I see a wisp of light brown foam on the top of this beer. I smell rich dark malt,roasted barley, and black licorice. The mouthfeel is silky smooth and is a nice contrast to the bitterness from the roasted barley that fades into a light sweetness at the back of the palate.
344 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Jet black in color and I don't see any light getting through this brew. I see a wisp of light brown foam on the top of this beer. I smell rich dark malt,roasted barley, and black licorice. The mouthfeel is silky smooth and is a nice contrast to the bitterness from the roasted barley that fades into a light sweetness at the back of the palate.
344 characters
4.22/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12 fl. ounce bottle. Packed on October 16th, 2013. Poured into a nonic pint glass.
Appearance: A rich dark brown body, nearly black, sits below a fluffy sand colored head. The body has an amber glow on the sides when it is exposed to light. The head collapses and leaves a great layer of froth throughout. Sticky lacing lingers around for much of the brew. Nearly a picture perfect example of the way this style should be presented.
Smell: Notes of chocolate and toasted malts really stand out. Very faint floral notes break through.
Taste: Toasted malts. Creamy and smooth chocolate. The hops kick in and give this a semi-dry finish. Very smooth medium, coming up a bit shy of a full body. The carbonation is just a pinch too much for my liking.
Overall: I am not disappointed by this brew. Great take on the style. I would like a little more from this one though. If this had the fullness of their Kalamazoo Stout then we would be in serious business here.
966 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12 fl. ounce bottle. Packed on October 16th, 2013. Poured into a nonic pint glass.
Appearance: A rich dark brown body, nearly black, sits below a fluffy sand colored head. The body has an amber glow on the sides when it is exposed to light. The head collapses and leaves a great layer of froth throughout. Sticky lacing lingers around for much of the brew. Nearly a picture perfect example of the way this style should be presented.
Smell: Notes of chocolate and toasted malts really stand out. Very faint floral notes break through.
Taste: Toasted malts. Creamy and smooth chocolate. The hops kick in and give this a semi-dry finish. Very smooth medium, coming up a bit shy of a full body. The carbonation is just a pinch too much for my liking.
Overall: I am not disappointed by this brew. Great take on the style. I would like a little more from this one though. If this had the fullness of their Kalamazoo Stout then we would be in serious business here.
966 characters
3.94/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from the bottle into a pint glass
Look: Poured directly down the middle of the glass produced a 2 finger, tan head. It shrank within a couple of minutes to a nice film covering the top. Lacing is pretty good. The brew itself is very dark. Little light passes through.
Smell: Cocoa notes are most prominent. There is also a bit of a walnut to it as well. The nose falls off quite a bit as the beer sits, never something I'm a fan of, but the upfront notes are pleasant enough for me to not dock it too much.
Taste: Cocoa and a bit of a roasted nuts flavor. There is a bunch of malty-goodness that will have me digging around the internet to find out what they used, but other than that, it's pretty simple, in a good way.
Feel: Medium bodied. I was expecting it to be a bit heavier because of the name "double cream", but alas, it's just medium to me. The alcohol is completely hidden, and it only offers a slight bit of warmth. Not something I usually look for in a stout, but it's not necessarily bad either.
Overall: A very good stout. I'm more of an "in your face" type guy when it comes to stouts, but this is a very pleasant, mild stout that I could have a good day grilling in the cool weather with. My first foray into Bell's isn't a bad one. I'll be checking out their other brews soon.
1,306 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from the bottle into a pint glass
Look: Poured directly down the middle of the glass produced a 2 finger, tan head. It shrank within a couple of minutes to a nice film covering the top. Lacing is pretty good. The brew itself is very dark. Little light passes through.
Smell: Cocoa notes are most prominent. There is also a bit of a walnut to it as well. The nose falls off quite a bit as the beer sits, never something I'm a fan of, but the upfront notes are pleasant enough for me to not dock it too much.
Taste: Cocoa and a bit of a roasted nuts flavor. There is a bunch of malty-goodness that will have me digging around the internet to find out what they used, but other than that, it's pretty simple, in a good way.
Feel: Medium bodied. I was expecting it to be a bit heavier because of the name "double cream", but alas, it's just medium to me. The alcohol is completely hidden, and it only offers a slight bit of warmth. Not something I usually look for in a stout, but it's not necessarily bad either.
Overall: A very good stout. I'm more of an "in your face" type guy when it comes to stouts, but this is a very pleasant, mild stout that I could have a good day grilling in the cool weather with. My first foray into Bell's isn't a bad one. I'll be checking out their other brews soon.
1,306 characters
Bell's Special Double Cream Stout from Bell's Brewery, Inc.
3.97
out of 5
based on 3,794 ratings.