Black Belle Imperial Stout
Blackstone Brewing Company

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From:
Blackstone Brewing Company
 
Tennessee, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,093
ABV:
13.2%
Score:
93
Ranked #3,479
Avg:
4.2 | pDev: 7.62%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
113
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 06, 2022
Added:
Apr 17, 2014
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  29
Black Belle™ is a limited special release Imperial Stout; it’s collaboration between Blackstone Brewing Company® and Nelson’s Green Brier™ Distillery, makers of Belle Meade Bourbon™. Aged for more than seven months in bourbon barrels, the beer is smooth and sweet, with definite notes of bourbon, oak, and dark chocolate.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.02 by garthbrennan from Tennessee

Sep 06, 2022
 
Rated: 4.35 by Jcarriglio from Florida

May 03, 2021
Photo of AmeriCanadian
Reviewed by AmeriCanadian from Tennessee

4.3/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I have this every year it comes out, and it is consistently great. Arguably the best beer made in Nashville on a regular basis.

Pitch black and medium viscosity on the pour and in the glass. Minimal mocha head, but what's there is very creamy looking and provides some nice lacing down the glass. Plenty of alcohol legs from the swirl of the glass.

Aromas are absolutely fantastic. Dark fruits, dried fruits, dark chocolate, light espresso, tobacco, barrel char, coconut, molasses, big caramel and toffee, huge nuttiness -- roasted pecans and walnuts -- and gooey fudge. Smells sweet, but not as decadent as a lot of big BA dessert stouts. There’s certainly plenty of alluring sweetness, but it doesn’t come off as confectionary or adjunct-centered. Much more barrel character and chocolate-dominated stout than roast or bitterness. I absolutely love it. It's perhaps not BCBS level good, but it's not very far off.

Taste follows initially -- huge notes of fig, raisin, and plum, chocolate-covered cherry, dark cocoa nibs, medium-roast coffee, chocolate malts, toffee, rye, red wine tannins, mild coconut, a little black licorice, and some bitter hops -- but it drops off really, really quickly. Shame, because the layers and complexity is there, and you'd love to roll this one around in your mouth and take in wave after wave of different flavors that sync perfectly with the aroma notes. But the drop off to roasted malts, semi-sweet chocolate, dark berries, and a little lasting hop and coffee bitterness is abrupt. Still, I love the consistency between nose and tongue.

Feel is an interesting mix of soft and silky and what initially feels thin, but coats and sticks like a much thicker, chewier beer. Honestly a really nice combination that makes this dangerously drinkable while you're still aware that this is a big beer (though there's almost zero boozy heat).

Kudos to Blackstone for an outstanding beer that is consistently exceptional. I will happily buy a bunch of bottles every year (regular and variants), both to support a pillar of the local Nashville beer scene but mostly because it's an outstanding beer.
Dec 19, 2020
 
Rated: 4.16 by entenduintransit from Tennessee

Dec 05, 2020
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Reviewed by WunderLlama from Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle poured into glass

Motor oil , no foam cap

Bourbon aroma, chocolate, roast malts

Bourbon taste, roast malts

No sudsing , syrupy ,

Good beer
Dec 28, 2019
 
Rated: 4.39 by needMIbeer from Virginia

Jan 15, 2019
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Reviewed by TerryMills from Tennessee

3.38/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Has all the flavors listed on bottle but not balanced imo .. I want to like it but there are do many others that are better imo , especially for the price...

This was a 2018 bottle btw.
Dec 22, 2018
 
Rated: 4.46 by Mojopin88 from Mississippi

Aug 14, 2018
 
Rated: 3.83 by dbinette from Massachusetts

Jun 07, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by Elicoleman from Colorado

May 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.06 by Dillinger from Mississippi

Apr 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4.03 by CanadianGinge from Texas

Apr 14, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by dfhhead25 from Pennsylvania

Mar 30, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by brunsojw from Tennessee

Feb 21, 2018
Photo of WoodBrew
Reviewed by WoodBrew from Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I'm trying this at the brewery. It poured an opaque dark with no head and no lace. The scent was bourbon galore. The taste was a nice combo of molasses and bourbon. The mouthfeel is fuller in body with subtle carbonation. Overall this is a big beer and is great for sipping on cold Nashville nights.
Dec 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4.31 by MJ64 from Mississippi

Dec 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by GaToWyo from Colorado

Dec 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by Giantelmo from Tennessee

Dec 14, 2017
 
Rated: 4.69 by MJSFS from Florida

Dec 10, 2017
 
Rated: 4.23 by abjones22 from Tennessee

Nov 29, 2017
Black Belle Imperial Stout from Blackstone Brewing Company
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 113 ratings