25 Beers of Christmas : December 6th - Bell's Special Double Cream Stout

It's no secret that the last two nights of reviews have been less than stellar. However, they always say...

Thanks for the motivation, Dwight.

Tonight I reached for something that I thought had to be at least middle of the road. I pulled out a Bell's Special Double Cream Stout. The beer is a 6.1% Sweet Stout that is put together with 10 different types of malt to create a rich and robust flavor.

That's right, 10 malts!

I've reviewed some Bell's beer before in previous blogs and even the ones I didn't review were always solid to above brews. The Oracle DIPA was awesome. Two Hearted Ale is a nice IPA. Oberon Ale is always a good choice in the summer months (and it can be found in a mini keg too...). Winter White Ale is a decent option in the winter months when you want something lighter in ABV/color. Looking for some bite? Try Hopslam. These guys also did a planets series where they played with ingredients and styles. I could go on. There are lots of high-caliber choices in their lineup.

No longer in production, these are extinct brews!

Anyway, back to tonight's choice. The pour resulted in a nice frothy, tan head on top of a opaque brown stout. The aroma released one of coffee, espresso, and mocha notes along with a sweet, yet slightly bitter smell.

There is no way I can place my finger on all 10 of the malts used here, but I definitely got lots of roasted malts, some slight chocolate malt, a sweetness from either caramel or lactose (I'm betting on both there), and a thick (yet pleasant), creamy mouthfeel tied together by a decent bitterness from the hops. This definitely was not too sweet for a sweet stout.

This beer could go either way. You could pick up a few of them to enjoy and share with friends at a tasting. You'd enjoy the aroma and flavor, while debating what different malts were used along with the hop combination. Or, you could waste no time at all and make sure you pick up a case, since at just 6.1%, and as easy-drinking as it is, you could go through the entire thing in a weekend. It's definitely got some room to be crushable, even though it's not a session beer.

Full disclosure. I've had this before...

...actually it was Sunbury, 2014...

I only figured that out after rating it via Untappd. The good news is that my rating stayed the same. The rules from Day 0 stated that I'd only use beers I've not rated before, but I really didn't remember having this. I guess having it on draft at Bottle Works didn't leave an impression of what the label looked like. You know, since there was no label to see. Since it was on draft. I sometimes choose beers based on label alone if I'm being honest.