Special Double Cream Stout
Bell’s Brewery, Inc. – Comstock, MI
6.1% ABV

My last opportunity to [personally] review a beer from Bell’s was their Winter White Ale.  It was an enjoyable beer, but it was also just a solid, average beer.  Winter White did well for style but placed low in our holiday lineup, only because it wasn’t much of a holiday warming beer.  Bell’s has consistently rated high on this blog since then, not the least of which was Expedition Stout, which Mike raved about two months ago.

It would seem Bell’s knows a thing or two about stouts, because here we are again.

Double Cream is aptly named in the sense that it will redefine your understanding of smooth.  It’s also deceptively named in the sense that it actually does not contain cream of any sort.  So maybe it’s more of a double perception.  Or double entendre.  Whichever, my guess is that it’s about twice as good as most other beers out there, and they know it.  It’s probably also the reason they threw the word “special” in the name – just to be extra certain you understand.

Double Cream filled my pint glass with total darkness, a seeming void of light which held up a fluffy tan head.  Roasted malts and sweetness emanated from there, eluding to the smoothness which would follow (in the event that anyone opted to not read the label.)

Velvet would be a choice word to describe the mouthfeel.  Buttery works as well, but don’t confuse that with flavor.  It’s strictly a buttery texture, not taste.  The flavor itself was an encyclopedic and layered journey, focusing primarily on what Bell’s could get malts to do for you.  Not the least of which is make you think there is actually something of the dairy variety included among the ingredients.  There isn’t.

Overall it’s sweet, it’s roasted, it’s marvelously complex.  It’s aptly named, and it’s delicious.  Normally I’d say go have one.  But in this case, you should make it two.

Eriq – 4.5 of 5