I've wanted to try this elusive brew for quite some time and yesterday proved to be my lucky night. I was shocked to find out that keg hadn't kicked when I called St. Stephen's around 90 minutes after it had been tapped. Black Note is an extremely rare beer to come across and even Bell's website states that it is "One of the most sought-after stouts in Bell's history." This beer is a blend of Bell's Expedition Stout and their Double Cream Stout, then aged together in bourbon barrels. The color is completely opaque and black as an 8-ball. Upon the initial sip, I was instantly hit with the taste of warming bourbon, sweet dark chocolate, dark fruit and roasted malt. These flavors carried on throughout the glass and merged with notes of caramel and oaky vanilla from the barrel-aging process. The two base beers came together to form such a smooth and creamy stout. The bourbon barrel added a great element to this brew along with a pleasant and mellow alcohol tingle. At 11.5%, Black Note is a pretty big beer with intense, but definitely not overwhelming, flavors. It has a thick, chewy mouthfeel that leaves your mouth coated with a delicious roasted, sweet bourbon taste long after the glass is finished. Black Note is arguably the best beer I've had from Bell's and was clearly worth the wait.
http://www.bellsbeer.com/
http://saintstephensgreen.com/
If we didn't decide to check out Tired Hands, I would have been at this one.
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