2002 draft. Medium brown, sweet aroma. Wasnt impressed, light and sweet and watery finish makes me question once again, the Bells stouts I have tried. Not complex and it seems while it is a sweet stout, it is not much more, nothing sets this apart. If I could imagine a generic, average in all aspects sweet stout this would be it.

Bottled. Cloudy orange with creamy head. Citrusy nose. Sweet and medium bodied with a relatively hoppy grapefruity finish. The mouthfeel is light and sparkling.

Pours thick for a summer ale, with no head and a murky blonde appearance with lots of large floaties. The bottom of the bottle is coated with a thick layer of white sediment. Smells very citrusy and mildly sweet. Mouthfeel is unusually thick and slightly creamy - flavor is slightly tangy, with a big citrus flavor and a nice malt presence for a summer beer - the finish is slightly bitter and hoppy, but mellows to a mild sweetness in the long term - aside from the appearance, this is probably the best wheat beer I've had yet.

2002 bottle. Dark Brownish Red ale. This was interesting. For some reason I didnt care for the mixture of hops in this one. Needs something more. If ever there was a case of a too-hoppy-IPA this might be it. Though, I dont mind Sierra Nevada’s PA or Ipswich’s Ipa. I suppose I shall have to buy this beer and review it.Rerate. Not much changed from first impression. The heavy hops flavor, with the additional dry hopping creates a tough act to balance, and the pale crystal malt does not get the job done. Sure, it tastes wonderfully of hops and is fresh and clean, but there just is not enough good malt flavoring. Points for a good yeasty flavor though, dont get that often in IPAs. Aroma is very dry, some yeast, some earthy hops. 2003 FRESH bottle. Ok, well it looks like I got my first case of bells gone bad in the previous ratings. Guess those 2002 bottles had sat out too long. These new bottles were much better. Gone is the astringent, stale taste. Much better balance than I remember, but there is a weird alcohol flavor in the body that is quite prevalent on the finish. Not pleasant at all. I just dont seem to get along with this beer.

2002 draft. Wasnt sure what to expect when told this was a lighter version of the Kalamazoo Stout. It had some light chocolate notes and the tones were warm. Reminded me of a porter minus the bitterness. Good beer, nothing exceptional, could use some more complexity, but certainly a well made ale.

2002 bottle consumed on 2/2/06 A badly needed rerate. The pour still showed plenty of signs of life, a rich caramel-toffee colored body, vigorous, large head that was slowly receding to cover. Light lacing and well unfiltered. The nose has light prunes and touches of dry coffee, but is mainly rich, thick, earthy barley, with a touch of baker’s chocolate. The flavor has held up remarkably for 3.5 years in the bottle. Little to no oxidation, just some light madeira at best. Rich chocolate and barley, more crunchy, dry coffee and a smooth toffee-cream finish with little bits of bitter black chocolate to keep things interesting. Soothing mouthfeel and a rich consistency, almost fluffy. Rating is for this sample, as I dont really trust any of my ratings back when I had this first.

50-55 deg in straight sided pint glass. Darker and more opaque than most. Not much head. Curious aroma: the interaction of roasted malt and sweet cherry is unique. A hint of cherry liqueur. Somewhat reminiscent of the cheap cherry vodka I'd drink as a teenager, but I'll stop short of insulting this beer's aroma. Actually, there's a bready hint of cherry pie thats quite appealing. Possible brown sugar and cinnamon. Wow, a burst of sweet flavor. I'm not quite sure how much I like it though...lip smacking cherry tartness, rich roast chocolate malt, and a real alcohol warming. A definite sweet-sour palate with a dry finish. An interesting experiment that I still have mixed feelings about in the end. Definitely something I wouldn't go out of my way for to drink again.

Dark reddish brown in appearance, with a small, tan head with hints of red in it. Pretty standard doppelbock aroma of caramel and sweetness. The flavor is fairly malty, with caramel and chocolate being the most prominent flavor. There is a touch of hoppiness to the finish, along with a bit of an alcohol presence. This is not Kalamazoo's best, but it's still a pretty good beer. If you're into the style, you most certainly should try it.