What’s all the brouhaha about this one? It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but I must report that this beer does not bring anything new to the table that any number of barrel aged stouts deliver. In my world, this Black Note Stout by Bells is harder to find than Bourbon County or KBS, which are the only other rare beers that I’ve ever been able to wrangle in. I’ve seen Black Note Stout 3 times in my life, once for $6, once for $10, and once for $20 per 12 oz bottle, I bought it the first two times. And now that I’ve had one, I’m fairly glad I was able to utilize some restraint. This beer smells like super strong familiarity. And it tastes like it was made with chocolate malts, roasted malts, and put in a barrel, which is Bell’s intention, but I wanna know about the brouhaha. I guess you can’t control the masses, especially when they are infatuated with your beer, and that is a good place to be. Maybe the 11.2% abv is giving them a bump? It sure helped my day. But there are others out there. If you like barrel aged, thick as Hershey’s syrup, stouts, you’ll like this beer. Bells seems to encourage shelfing this beer for an undetermined amount of time, maybe you could try that. Until then, Black Note Stout gets 5 out of 7 non-smokebeer smokestacks.
| Beer Name | Black Note Stout |
| Brewer’s Description | One of the most sought-after stouts in Bell’s history, Black Note Stout blends the complex aromatics of Expedition Stout with the velvety smooth texture of Double Cream Stout, each aged in freshly retired oak bourbon barrels for months. The resulting harmony of flavors captures the finest features of all three components: malty notes of dark chocolate, espresso and dried fruits, all buoyed by the warmth and fragrance of the bourbon barrel. Aimed squarely at the stout and bourbon aficionados, Black Note makes a grand statement about the art of the dark. |
| Food Pairings | Smoked Brisket, dark chocolate |
| Brewery Location | Comstock, MI |
| Alcohol content by volume | 11.2% |
| IBU (International Bitterness Units) | na |
| Beer opacity rate 1 – 7 (light – dark) | 6.85 |
| Smell smoke? 1 – 7 (No – George Burns) | 1 |
| Smokepower taste: 1 – 7 Smokestacks | chocolate |
| Sausage detection? Y or N | N |
| Beer thickness 1-7 (water – used motor oil) | 7 |
| Barrel Power 1-7 (in name only – burns nose) | 7 |
| Overall Happiness: 1 – 7 (sad – happy) | 5 |
Good website:
SmokeBeerMinistry 