BELL’S KALAMAZOO STOUT

NOTES: Bottle @ McHops Monastery

STYLE: Stout

ABV: 6%

APPEARANCE: Black with just the barest chestnut highlights

HEAD: Thick, creamy, khaki-colored head that stays forever

LACING: Clumpy, frothy, and tenacious

NOSE: A classic Stout aroma with very little hops getting in the way of the roasted, earthy malt profile. Loads of milk chocolate, coffee beans, caramel, molasses, and a whiff of licorice (though the latter isn’t nearly as powerful as you’ll find in the Bell’s Expedition).

TASTE: At first, the taste mimics the nose quite well with a barrel of dark-roasted, almost charred malt and whopping doses of chocolate and coffee. But the hop profile, noticeably absent from the nose, makes its presence known in the taste where the finish has a good bit of hop bitterness playing off the aforementioned licorice flavor.

MOUTHFEEL: Somewhere between medium and full-bodied with excellent carbonation and a slightly drying, astringent finish.

DRINKABILITY: This is an extremely drinkable stout. While not as complex or bold as its big brother, the Expedition, the Kalamazoo is a dangerously drinkable, smooth, delicious brew.

RATING: 3 Hops